With the EXA switched to USB Audio Class 1, the EXA will work with Windows 7 or above and accept audio up to 24-bit/96kHz.
With the EXA switched to USB Audio Class 2, the EXA needs the Cambridge Audio USB Audio 2.0 Driver to be loaded and can then accept up to 24-bit/384kHz.
Our range of drivers can be downloaded from our Driver Updates page
The default configuration is USB Audio Class 2.
1. With the EXA in Standby mode and/or the volume set to minimum, connect your PC to the EXA via a USB A to B cable.
2. For the highest quality play back, ensure that the EXA is set to USB 2.0 mode.
See this FAQ for a guide on how to change USB mode. (The default configuration is USB Audio Class 2)
3. Download the Windows USB 2.0 driver.
You can download our latest Windows USB 2.0 driver here
4. Select the USB Audio source on the front panel of the EXA.
5. Choose the EXA as your output speaker via your Windows PC’s sound settings.
Note: To ensure you are getting the highest quality play back possible, ensure that the maximum sample rate for the EXA is selected, up to 384 kHz.
This can be done via your Windows PC by selecting ‘Control Panel’ > ‘Sound’ > ‘Speaker Properties’ > ‘Advanced’ Tab, and selecting the maximum sample rate and bit depth from the drop down menu.