Cambridge Audio’s A100 SE blends hi-fi ambitions with practical features in a competitive wireless earbud market

Cambridge Audio launches the A100 SE, a new true wireless earbud designed with high-fidelity features, extensive battery life, and practical controls, aiming to stand out amid fierce competition.

Cambridge Audio has added a new variant to an already crowded field of true wireless earbuds, and the A100 SE enters it with a specification list that is unusually serious for the price. The model builds on the earlier A100, adding a dark blue finish and Dolby Audio processing to a package that already included Class A/B amplification, Bluetooth 5.4, aptX Lossless and LDAC support, adaptive hybrid noise cancellation and claimed battery life of up to 39 hours with the charging case. Cambridge’s own product material says the earbuds also support wireless charging, IPX5 water resistance and six microphones for calls and voice assistant use, while the company continues to pitch them as a hi-fi-minded option rather than a generic lifestyle product.

That approach is apparent as soon as the A100 SE are put to work. They present music with a sense of width and order that is uncommon at this level, and the optional Dolby Audio mode pushes that further by opening out the presentation rather than trapping it close to the ear. Cambridge’s tuning is generally restrained and even-handed, with a balanced tonal profile that avoids obvious exaggeration. The company has also leaned on 10mm dynamic drivers using recycled neodymium magnets, a detail that reflects its effort to present the product as both technically ambitious and relatively responsible in materials use.

The main criticism is not that the earbuds lack detail or scale, but that they are a little less convincing with timing and rhythmic snap than the best of their rivals. Notes start and stop cleanly enough, and bass lines do not feel slow, yet the flow of a track can sound slightly stiff rather than fully elastic. That is the point at which the Cambridge earbuds begin to look less like a universal recommendation and more like a carefully judged compromise: strong on separation, ambience and control, but not quite as naturally propulsive as the most fluent alternatives.

Design and control are similarly practical rather than luxurious. The A100 SE follow the stem-style layout now common among wireless earbuds, and the finish is neat without being especially premium. Touch controls are present, but they are not the most dependable part of the package. Cambridge’s Melomania Connect app is more useful, offering remapping for the controls, a seven-band equaliser with presets and custom slots, wear detection, game mode, firmware updates and selectable audible feedback. That feedback feature remains one of the more unusual touches in the category, particularly with the company’s Matt Berry voice option, which Cambridge has retained as a piece of deliberate whimsy.

Battery life remains one of the A100 SE’s strongest claims. Cambridge says the earbuds can run for up to 11 hours from a charge with noise cancellation switched off, or up to 6.5 hours with ANC enabled, with the case extending total playback to 39 hours or 21 hours respectively. That puts them in broadly competitive territory, although some rivals now edge higher on endurance. The IPX5 rating should also make them suitable for commuting and light exercise, and the inclusion of multi-point connectivity adds everyday practicality for users moving between devices.

Taken together, the A100 SE make a credible case for themselves in a highly contested price band. They are not the obvious answer for listeners who prioritise rhythmic liveliness above all else, and their touch controls still ask for patience. But Cambridge has delivered a product with genuine hi-fi credentials, proper codec support, useful app control and a spacious, well-organised sound. For buyers who value openness, detail and stamina more than showroom polish, that is enough to make them one of the more interesting options in their class.