I tried Cambridge's new L/R X speaker, now my Bowers is on borrowed time

Cambridge Audio just entered the powered speaker market with its brand new L/R range – and, around one month ago, I visited the company's HQ in London to hear its top-of-the-stack 'X' model in action.

That the British brand has chosen to launch the new product line to coincide with the CES 2026 show in Las Vegas is no surprise – its appeal to US customers will be just as important as the interest on home shores and further afield.

Plus it's going to be quite some months before any of the L/R models – in smallest 'S', mid-size 'M', and largest 'X' – hit the shelves; the release dates are staggered from March through to July, as you can see in the table below (along with pricing):

Cambridge L/R: Price & Release Date

Now, I love my Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro, I really do. It sits proudly on my work desk and, as a T3 Awards-winning product, it's earned its spot there. But now I think it's on borrowed time – as, having heard the Cambridge L/R X, my tiny little mind was blown.

Sure, comparing a wireless speaker to a stereo pair of powered speakers isn't a like-for-like, and I'm not suggesting that the L/R X's footprint would necessarily be in sync with my desk's scale either – an oddity, therefore, that no stand-mounts will be on sale for these speakers to tie-in with their release date.

Feed me the doughnut

So just what's so impressive about Cambridge Audio's new L/R speakers? It's the inclusion of a 28mm Torus Tweeter – a patented design, which is doughnut-shaped, hence its name – in combination with dual woofers and dual force-cancelling passive radiators that makes for massive audio output. The X is 400W apiece, so 800W total.

The 28mm diaphragm might not sound like much more than a 25mm dome, but it's actually got 25% more surface area, so can deliver ample high-end output to offset the other drivers' considerable output. That doughnut-shape, contained within the speaker by and large, is also reinforced to resist internal air from the woofers and remain consistent in its delivery.

This Torus Tweeter is only featured in the X and M models, mind, with the S being a rather different prospect. I've laid out a table below to highlight the biggest differences between the trio of speakers in the range:

Bass in your face

At the listening session I experienced, Cambridge showed-off a wide range of sonic talent, from about as wide-ranging a set of genres as you could imagine. From Prince to Alice In Chains, to Hans Zimmer, even with some Camo & Krooked & Mefjus drum and bass to finish up.

Take that line-up in reverse order and the face-slapping bass levels from these speakers is astonishing. It sounds as though there's a subwoofer present, frankly, thanks to that 'double double' woofer and radiator arrangement being able to hit those low frequencies so well – the side ports warbled just as much as the front driver, but always remained clean-sounding.

At the opposite end of the scale, while Hans Zimmer's Mountains has considerable bass presence, it's a more orchestral arrangement, which these speakers delivered with a classically wide soundstage, great separation and, importantly, considered balance to the full frequency range. That Torus Tweeter quietly flexes its muscles, even if you can't see it working quite so hard.

Wire me up

The L/R X is able to wirelessly connect from its left and right speakers, but both require a power source via a fig-8 cable. The M, conversely, only requires one power source and is wired between left and right via USB-C – no wireless option is available, which I find odd. The S, meanwhile, uses a four-pin cable to left-right pair – again, there's no wireless option.

I'm focusing on the L/R X here specifically, as that's the model I heard demoed. As you can see from the shot above, its rear houses plenty of connectivity. So while wireless via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth is available – and Cambridge's StreamMagic caters for AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Lossless, Amazon Music, Qobuz Connect and EQ adjustment – you can also plug into a TV, connect a CD player or record deck, or whatever you may wish.

I must also mention the colour options, which certainly caught my eye and – as you can see from my pictures, are particularly eye-catching. While flavour-of-the-month orange isn't going to please everyone, the blue and green options are far more subtle. There's also classic white or black, plus a real walnut veneer (with a to-be-announced price supplement). I think they all look great in their own way.

Now, the Cambridge L/R X's asking price certainly isn't small, and with a footprint like this I suspect you'll be seeking stands, too. Realistically, the M model is the sweet spot for me, I suspect. But in pricing terms, it's only really the S model that's threatening my Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin in terms of price. You know what, it might be time to kit out the living room with a new speaker system instead...