Cambridge Audio

A British audio brand, based in London and part of Audio Partnership plc, that designs amplifiers, streamers, speakers and headphones in the UK under the banner 'Great British Sound'.

About Cambridge Audio

Cambridge Audio designs hi-fi and music equipment, from amplifiers and CD players to network streamers, loudspeakers, headphones and turntables. Hi-fi means equipment built to reproduce recorded music faithfully. Its current range includes the Evo all-in-one systems, the CX series of amplifiers and streamers, Melomania wireless earbuds, the Alva phono preamplifiers that connect record players, and the Spira turntable. The company says in 2018 it was the UK's best-selling amplifier brand, though that is its own claim, and its products were then sold in more than 50 countries.

The company's own story begins in 1968 in Cambridge, when a group of young technology graduates set up in a borrowed garage. Its first product, the P40 integrated amplifier, was designed by Professor Gordon Edge and was the first amplifier to use a toroidal transformer, a design the company says it still uses. In the early 1980s Technical Director Stan Curtis led the CD1, described as the world's first two-box CD player. Chief executive James Johnson-Flint says the aim is 'Great British Sound', and managing director Stuart George sums up the approach as 'nothing added, nothing taken away'.

Cambridge Audio is headquartered in London, with a site in SE1 (Gallery Court, Hankey Place) shown on its website. A reference entry says it is a brand of Audio Partnership plc, which bought the business in 1994 when it was owned by Julian Richer and James Johnson-Flint, and that Johnson-Flint now owns it alone. Manufacturing moved to China in 1994, so it is the design and engineering that are British. The company said in 2018 that its engineering team of about 30 designed hardware, software and apps in-house, across Cambridge and London.

We did not find a culture or values page for Cambridge Audio, so there is little to say about day-to-day life beyond what its leaders have said in public. Its history shows how a brand can change hands several times and still keep its name and design ideas. At its peak the old St Ives site in Cambridgeshire employed more than 300 people with most components made in one place. Today the business is smaller and design-led, with international sales offices in Hong Kong, Hamburg and Chicago.

A design-led audio brand needs hardware and software engineers, acoustic designers, product managers, marketing and brand staff, and sales and export teams working with retailers in many countries. If you like music and technology, it is a good example of how a small UK team can sell worldwide. Check the Cambridge Audio site for current roles and ask what is done in London and what is done overseas.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Integrated amplifiers, network players and the Evo all-in-one systems.', 'title': 'Amplifiers and streamers'}
• {'desc': 'Bookshelf and floorstanding speakers, the Spira turntable and Alva phono preamps.', 'title': 'Speakers and turntables'}
• {'desc': 'Melomania wireless earbuds and headphones.', 'title': 'Headphones'}

Key facts

• Started 1968 in Cambridge; P40 amplifier was the first to use a toroidal transformer (company claim)
• London base at Gallery Court, Hankey Place, SE1 4BB
• Engineering team of about 30 designing hardware, software and apps in-house (2018)
• Brand of Audio Partnership plc, which acquired it in 1994

Website: www.cambridgeaudio.com