Cambridge Audio has been at the forefront of British hi-fi audio innovation for over 50 years. The new Evo represents an evolution in home audio, with a streamlined and compact all-in-one music player. Designed in Cambridge Audio’s London studio, it offers a minimal and timeless aesthetic that will fit into any interior and lifestyle.
Lead designer Ged Martin chose premium materials and used industrial design principles to create a product that champions simplicity and will endure for many years. Taking inspiration from the wood trims of the iconic P40, Cambridge Audio’s first ever product from 1968, Evo has beautiful walnut wood side panels that complement the sleek, black anodized aluminum cabinet. Evo also comes with a choice of formed black side panels made from Richlite, an innovative new material made primarily from recycled paper. The side panels can be switched out according to user preference. Completing the elegant design is a dual-concentric rotary dial and large 6.8" LCD display panel that shows off album artwork in full color.
More importantly, the Evo audio design distills five decades of Cambridge Audio’s expertise. The music player uses high quality components and is powered by Hypex NCore Class-D amplification, remaining compact and energy efficient. Available in two models, the Evo 150 is rated at 150 watts per channel, and the Evo 75 offers 75 watts per channel (also with simplified connectivity). The Hypex NCore power module was specifically chosen by Cambridge Audio’s engineers for its class-leading audio performance, which they found to produce clear advantages in clarity, resolution and musicality.
At the heart of the Evo lies Cambridge Audio’s powerful StreamMagic platform. "It’s designed to be the best-sounding streaming platform around and supports the latest digital music formats and services," the company states. Both Evo models use powerful ESS Sabre ES9018K2M DACs, and the platform supports Roon, allows users to organize their local digital libraries, or stream high-resolution MQA tracks using TIDAL Connect. And StreamMagic also ensure that all music sources sound their best, no matter the formats, and whatever source quality - which is a key benefit in a dedicated hardware music player.
Cambridge Audio also made sure the Evo supports audio streaming using a variety of methods, with AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, and Chromecast built-in, Qobuz, Roon Ready, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Internet radio. The StreamMagic app offers comprehensive control and allows users to access their favorite streaming services by simply pressing a button. And users can choose to use the app on a smartphone or use the included dedicated remote to easily switch between inputs and play music from every connected source.
Software updates and new features can also be added remotely using the StreamMagic app, so users can be sure that Evo is always evolving and will be at the cutting edge of streaming technology.
"At Cambridge Audio, we think evolution is about even more than improving the quality of the sound you hear and enhancing your enjoyment of music. Evolution is also about transforming the convenience and usability of hi-fi without compromising its performance. Evolution is about bringing hi-fi into the future, making it fit your lifestyle, and ensuring it looks just as good as it sounds," says Stuart George, Managing Director, Cambridge Audio. "Evo is the product we’ve been leading up to for over 50 years."
On the connectivity side, the Evo 150 player offers a wide array of wired digital and analog options, allowing users to connect an existing turntable or CD player, and using the Evo connected to a TV. Along with optical, coaxial, RCA, and balanced XLR inputs there is a TV ARC input for connecting a TV using an HDMI cable. There's even a built-in moving magnet (MM) phono stage for compatible turntables, an asynchronous USB audio input, and a 3.5mm headphone socket for headphones. On the wireless connectivity side, apart from the protocols and services mentioned over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, the Evo supports aptX HD bidirectionally over Bluetooth. Finally, there are two sets of speaker terminals for running two different pairs of speakers.
The simplified 75W per channel Evo 75 model, doesn't include the balanced XLR inputs, USB, or phono stage, only offers two digital inputs (3 on the Evo 150) and only connects to a single pair of speakers. And while the Evo 150 model has RS232 and a trigger in/out for integration, the Evo 75 doesn't.
For the ultimate ‘plug-and-play’ convenience, Cambridge Audio has specifically developed a pair of great-sounding Evo S speakers ($750 USD / €749 EUR) for those wishing to create a complete Evo System. There’s also the option of adding on a dedicated Evo CD transport ($950 USD / €899 EUR). Both are scheduled for release later in 2021. Both additional units are aesthetically and sonically designed to match perfectly with the Evo all-in-one player.
The new Cambridge Audio Evo 150 ($3,000 USD / €2,499 EUR) and Evo 75 ($2,250 USD / €1,999 EUR) will be available from April 2021 at CambridgeAudio.com and authorized retailers.
www.cambridgeaudio.com
