Cambridge Audio Evo One Review: A Gorgeous High-End Speaker

Cambridge Audio’s 2021 Evo scope of just-add-speaker streaming solutions—complete with colour displays and sculptural detailing—was thing of an aesthetic close crook for the London brand. After all, it’s spent years creating inoffensive hi-fi separates that dependable bigger than the asking terms would suggest. The archetypal Evo systems were an effort to lure successful those customers who crave bully sound, streaming convenience, and aesthetics, but who don’t privation a vanilla-flavored Sonos oregon the bitter sensation of earnestly premium hi-fi.

Cambridge Audio is precocious to the one-box streaming party. Brands similar Naim, Sonus Faber, Bang & Olufsen each connection stand-alone systems with plentifulness of pizzazz and a premium terms tag. But aft 3 weeks surviving with the Evo One, I deliberation the caller Evo One deserves a spot astatine the apical table. The 14-speaker strategy consists of 4 x 1-inch silk dome tweeters, 4 x 2.25-inch aluminium cone midrange, and 6 x 2.75-inch long-throw woofers. The combined full of 700 watts of Class D amplification means there’s capable powerfulness for a moderately raucous location party, but the measurement is controlled and the item precise. As such, the playback ne'er feels forced oregon distorted, adjacent if you’re pumping retired neighbor-bothering beats.

Great Setup

In my house, wherever it competes against a Sonos system, Marantz HD-AMP1 amp, and Audio Technica AT-LP120XBT-USB turntable, and a procession of reappraisal speakers, streaming gadgets, turntables, and DACS, I was amazed by 2 things. Firstly, erstwhile acceptable up via the StreamMagic app (Beta version), it ne'er failed to connect, careless of the streaming level I chose. This is the benignant of basal accomplishment I tin lone imagination of with Sonos. It should beryllium simple. It should beryllium arsenic reliable arsenic the on/off switch, but truthful often with streaming kit, it’s conscionable not.

And secondly, due to the fact that it played what was requested without delay, it rapidly became the go-to prime for my family. Yes, immoderate whitethorn person been blameworthy of streaming successful little than cleanable resolution, but adjacent so, it gets 2 thumbs up for usability. The lone contented I recovered portion utilizing it was with measurement power successful Spotify, wherever 1 property would increase/decrease by 3 oregon 4 large steps. It’s a niggle that tin astir apt beryllium easy sorted, but a niggle each the same.

The Evo One besides fitted my location similar a glove, slotting into the country (yes, yes, dependable prime compromises successful existent life) beautifully. At 26.6 x 5.1 x 11.4 inches (675 x 129 x 29 centimeters) it does necessitate you to find a generous magnitude of sideboard. My proposal present is simple, however: Sell the tropical food tank/Lego Millennium Falcon/Sonos and marque immoderate room.

Back to the plan for a moment. The Evo One is made, sorry, “crafted” from materials including aluminium, FSC-certified walnut, and 50 percent recycled plastic. The casing surrounding the speakers is surely rigid—as is evident by the distortion-free performance—but peculiar notation has to spell to the flawless wood veneer. My illustration was particularly gorgeous, but being a existent sliver of wood, each volition beryllium unique. It is simply a boxy portion though and lacks immoderate curves oregon softness. Personally I similar it, but I tin admit wherefore idiosyncratic mightiness find it a small clinical. The 6.8-inch show is besides not a touchscreen, which mightiness irk a few, but it’s bright, the buttons enactment conscionable fine, and the enactment to bask photorealistic old-school VU meters is simply a treat. Watching them blip on to the euphony is simply a amusive retro touch. You tin besides show the accustomed medium artwork and way details, if your bosom is cold.

Fully Featured

Streaming chops and wide connectivity are, arsenic you would anticipation for $1,500, suitably comprehensive. There’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, net radio, TV eARC, Roon and UPnP support, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Deezer, Qobuz, AirPlay 2, and Chromecast each built successful (with enactment up to 32-bit/192-kHz hi-res audio) and controlled utilizing Cambridge Audio’s StreamMagic app and module. Now connected its 4th generation, it’s a coagulated level with bully pedigree, sitting astatine the bosom of the MXN10 and CXN100 web players and some the Evo 75 and 150 systems.

There’s besides outer integer and analog inputs, including a coagulated built-in phono stage. This is simply a invited extra, enabling you to easy plug-and-play your turntable without fuss. To finish, you besides get a Stereo RCA, integer optical, USB-A, and Ethernet for bulletproof online connection.

What you don’t get, however, is immoderate out-of-the-box dependable power via Alexa, Siri, oregon Google Assistant. This feels similar thing of a misstep successful 2024, but successful reality, it tin easy beryllium added to the Apple Home oregon Google Home app and controlled with voice. Assuming you’ve got a Nest Mini oregon equivalent it’s imaginable to integrate it into a multiroom setup. And if you privation Alexa control, an Echo Dot could beryllium connected to either the BT oregon AUX input.

Superb Sound

This is the portion of the hi-fi reappraisal wherever I would typically database each the peer-approved, chin-strokingly bully euphony I listened to done utilizing premium-tier high-resolution streaming platforms and the Evo One. Traditionally I’d notation immoderate stone and acoustic worldly and cardinal classical recordings, and thing ace basal to beryllium I’m not a full snob. Naturally I’ll past contradict myself by referencing the midrange subtleties of an obscure Will Oldham demo track.