Cambridge Audio EVO 150 - The Future of Hifi
Most consumers barring the audiophiles, loathe clunky, space-eating large amplifiers. Audiophiles love big knobs, massive chassis, amps that hurt their back and gear that makes their presence felt. For most of their existence, Cambridge audio has made traditional stereo amps that have stood the test of time and made consumers worldwide happy. They came out with their Minx Mini stereo amp a decade ago for a more casual listener. Still, it managed to woo audiophiles alike with its quirkiness, neat design and exciting sound. The Evo is Cambridge’s bold entry into the modern hi-fi market, where a product needs to impress the more demanding customer and satisfy aesthetic and sound presentation.
With surprisingly compact dimensions of just 317 x 89 x 352mm, Evo 150 is tiny enough to sit on any shelf or bookcase. The Evo is an all in one integrated streaming amplifier that entices you to engage with it by a widescreen LCD, a large volume dial and a silver ring to control the sources.
Evo is built for customers that want ease of use, wireless music at the touch of a button and a demanding audio experience without cumbersome connectivity and clumsy wiring. It lets you play music over wifi using Airplay, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and even Bluetooth. You can use built-in Online radio services or even plug in a USB for stored music. Did I mention it can connect to your NAS drive at home and is also Roon compatible.
The EVO pushes out uncompromised audio quality thanks to its 24 bit ESS Sabre DAC and newly developed HYPEX amplification. While 75w of pure stereo is enough to power most speakers, the EVO 150 churns out an enormous 150w at 8ohms for more demanding speakers, and if that’s not enough, you can attach a power amp by employing the pre-outs and rock your boat.
Cambridge has also launched a new CD player to match the EVO and plans to launch a pair of speakers to complete the kit. While we are excited to get our hands on this, we are already sold on the amp’s capabilities.
Tech Specs:
Power output: 75W and 150W into 8 Ohms
Amplification: Class-D Hypex Ncore®
DAC: ESS Sabre ES9018K2M
Frequency response: 20Hz – 20kHz +0/-3dB
Analogue audio inputs: 1 x RCA, 1 x balanced XLR, 1 x Moving Magnet Phonostage
Digital audio inputs: 2 x TOSLINK optical, 1 x S/PDIF coaxial, 1 x TV ARC
USB audio input: USB Type B conforming to USB Audio Class 1 or USB Audio Class 2 (user selectable)
Bluetooth: 4.2 A2DP/AVRCP supporting SBC, aptX and aptX HD codecs
Compatibility: TOSLINK optical: 16/24bit 32-96kHz PCM only S/PDIF coaxial: 16/24bit 32-192kHz PCM only USB Audio Class 1: Up to 24-bit 96kHz (asynchronous) USB Audio Class 2: Up to 32-bit 384kHz (asynchronous) and up to DSD 256 Bluetooth: 4.2 A2DP/AVRCP supporting up to aptX HD (24bit 48kHz) UPnP, Local USB media, Airplay 2, Chromecast built-in, Internet Radio, Spotify Connect, TIDAL, MQA, Qobuz, Roon Ready.
Audio formats: ALAC, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, DSD (x256), WMA, MP3, AAC, HE AAC AAC+, OGG Vorbis
Outputs: Speakers A+B, 3.5mm headphone, Preamp Output, Subwoofer Output, Bluetooth: 4.2 A2DP/AVRCP supporting up to aptX HD
Ethernet: IEEE 802.3, 10 Base-T or 100 Base-T
Wi-Fi: Dual Band 2.4/5GHz
Max power consumption: 700w
Standby power consumption: <0.5w
Oh, and It connects to a vinyl player too, they got you covered on that one!