As much as I adore my HiFi stack, it does take up a lot of space. After all, I've got my amplifier alongside a whole host of other devices. There's my streaming box, my Phono pre-amp for my turntable, and my CD player to listen to the silver discs of yore. Those are all quite large, and putting something similar in every room would quickly take up too much space.
But what if I want to listen to high-quality music everywhere in Casa-del-Rogers? Some nice speakers, with some of the flexibility of a separate system? Well, I'd buy one of these — the Cambridge EVO 150. It takes the streaming box and amplifier and mashes them into one device. That's everything you need, while giving you the option to add other devices later on down the line, and choose your own speakers.
Flexibility is king
The whole reason I have a separate system in my main listening room is flexibility. That I can choose each and every component according to performance, preference, and price so that I can put together a music system that serves my needs (and likes).
The trade-off, as you might expect, is space. My stack is big. Some stacks are even bigger than mine, powering monolithic tower speakers that seem to signal the coming of a great, unknowably ancient force.
While I enjoy the best smart speakers, they're not as flexible as I'd like— but they do alleviate the space problem. So I'm looking for something in between that solves my space and flexibility issues.
There are larger smart speakers, like the Cambridge EVO One, that almost fit the bill. They play high-quality sound, but I can't choose my speakers or other components. Back, then, to the drawing board.
Except maybe not. I've got to come to terms with one thing — a flexible system is going to take up some space. But it needn't take up all the space. The Cambridge EVO 150 might be the device that fits the bill.
It marries Cambridge's excellent streaming expertise with a high-quality amplifier. I like it more than other, similar devices because it retains a screen, while looking and feeling premium.
I can choose my own speakers, and then I can even add extra devices down the line, should I want to put a turntable or CD player with it. I like it so much that I want one in every room.
HiFi sound
There's a great deal more control you have over the sound of the EVO 150 than you'll find with something like the EVO One. I paired the amplifier with an older pair of Qacoustics 2010s, and it was able to drive them to the max. I'd say it's overkill for them, so I did check out how it handled some more impressive HiFi heroes.
The Qacoustics sounded great, though. There was some epic detail to be found, and the mid-range (in a small space) was to die for. I could hear every element of each track I played; nothing was missing or sounded out of place.
But I wanted more.
So I hooked the amplifier into my KEF LS50 Meta. Those are some hungry, hungry speakers that like to devour all the power you can give them — they're a great test of any amp, thanks to that thirst for power and lower sensitivity. Thankfully, the EVO One was happy to oblige.
The EVO 150 has a monstrous 150 watts per channel, so driving the LS50 Meta was no problem at all. The speakers could happily be cranked to a decent volume. I found a great musical experience within.
I'm used to the LS50 Meta plugged into a Cambridge amplifier anyway, so the resulting warmth and roundness was expected. Still, there was plenty of detail and mid-range punch to keep me engaged.
Added connections
While you can plug a turntable or other devices into something like the Sonos Era 300, it's a pain. You need a dongle thing, potentially some kind of extra phono pre-amp. It's annoying.
Not so with the Cambridge EVO 150. Instead, you can plug just about anything into the back. There's a USB port so you can hook in a hard drive filled with music, and then a whole host of digital and analog connections for other sources.
My personal favorite is the built-in phone pre-amp, so you can connect a turntable. It works very well, and sounded great with the players that I sampled it with. It all, as you might have guessed, comes back to flexibility.
Streaming smarts
You don't have to plug anything into the back to play music, though. All you really need is a WiFi connection, your phone, and the Cambridge Stream Magic app. It's a great app, and it lets you change the various settings associated with the amplifier.
You can change the sound if you'd like, thanks to an onboard EQ. You can change what the screen displays, from now playing to a digital bouncing VU meter. It's also where you'll find all the streaming bits and bobs that get music to the device wirelessly.
There's Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, Spotify Connect and Airplay for all your Apple streaming needs. There's Chromecast for Android users as well — if it sends music to a speaker, the EVO 150 will do it.
Even better for me, there's Roon support, so I can add it to my system. It all just makes me want a bunch of them even more.
I wish they were cheaper
$3,299 is loads of money. For almost everyone (myself included), it's completely out of the question to get one situated in every room. Add to that the expense of a pair of matching speakers, and you've got something scraping $4,000.
There are cheaper, similar options. There's the excellent Wiim Amp Ultra that has a screen and a powerful internal aplifier, but it doesn't have the same luxe feel or insane power of the EVO 150.
So, I'm left without a house filled with EVO 150s. While that makes me sad, it does show me what I should be saving money towards. Although that new Lego USS Enterprise looks mighty shiny. And there's the new...
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