Manual

16
Advanced connections
Last updated: November 15, 2022 04:16. Revision #7901
USB audio connection
The CXA USB Audio input enables the playback of audio from Microsoft Windows or Apple Mac OS X personal computers (and some Linux builds).
When connected via a USB cable, the computer will identify the CXA as an audio device. Specifying the CXA in the computer’s audio control panel,
will enable it to play audio data either stored locally on the computer or streamed to the computer via a network or the internet.
Important Note: Always turn the volume to minimum, switch to another input or turn the CXA off before plugging/unplugging cables to the USB
input or whilst booting up/shutting down your PC/Mac.
Note: Always use a high quality USB ‘A to B’ cable certified as USB Hi-Speed. USB cable connections longer than 3m may result in inconsistent
audio performance.
The CXA is both USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed) and USB 1.1 (Full-speed) USB port compatible.
It should also work with USB 3.0 ports where the PC will simply treat the CXA as if it were a USB 2.0 or 1.1 device.
The CXA supports two USB Audio protocols (not the same as the port types themselves):
USB Audio Class 1 (which works over USB 1.1 ports and supports up to 24-bit/96kHz)
USB Audio Class 2 (which requires a USB 2.0 port and can support up to 32-bit/384kHz)
The default configuration is USB Audio Class 2.
How to connect a Windows PC to the CXA via the USB audio input
With the CXA switched to USB Audio Class 1, the CXA will work with Windows 7 or above and accept audio up to 24-bit/96kHz.
With the CXA switched to USB Audio Class 2, the CXA needs the Cambridge Audio USB Audio 2.0 Driver to be loaded and can then accept up to 32-
bit/384kHz.
1. With the CXA in Standby mode and/or the volume set to minimum, connect your PC to the CXA via a USB A to B cable.