In September 2019, classic British hi-fi brand Naim launched its groundbreaking Muso speaker. At the time, it was revolutionary: this large wireless music streamer featured multiple speakers and huge amplification. The Muso seemed to change the wireless speaker market and influence countless imitators. Then Covid came and the development of many new audio products came to a halt and supply chains were disrupted.
Since the Muso’s launch, Naim has released a second, improved version, but few other audio brands seem to have taken inspiration from the Muso’s size and looks – at least until now. Almost five years after the Muso’s launch, British brand Cambridge Audio has unveiled Evo One, a stunning wireless speaker similar in size to the Muso and with the same room-filling sound that consumers love.
The Cambridge Audio Evo One is a beautiful looking device designed by Red Dot Award winner Ged Martin. The Evo One exudes the same classy aura that Bang & Olufsen perfected back in the 1970s. The real walnut veneer of this behemoth is reminiscent of the look of Cambridge Audio’s Evo 75 and Evo 150 streamers.
With 14 separate speakers spaced all around, the Evo One’s perfectly tuned drivers are powered by a massive 700W Class D amplifier, making it the ideal speaker for larger rooms or open plan living areas. The surround speaker grille protects the 14 drivers with acoustically transparent fabric that allows sound to flow unhindered.
On the front of the Evo One is a gorgeously large 6.8″ color display that lets you view album art, time, track information, and optional virtual VU meters. The remote control makes it easy to scroll through the display options, and the large album art option is brilliant. If you don’t want to be distracted by the screen, you can dim it or turn it off completely using the remote.
Evo One has been designed with sustainability in mind and many of its plastic parts are made from at least 50% recycled material. The walnut veneer cabinet is made from FSC-certified wood and the unit’s power consumption has been optimised. Finally, Cambridge Audio is also a founding donor to the eco-music charity EarthPercent, co-founded by Brian Eno.
Powering the Evo One is Cambridge Audio’s excellent StreamMagic platform. In my opinion, this system has become one of the most user-friendly streaming systems on the market, making it easy to select music from a variety of sources when controlling multi-room audio setups.
The Evo One’s 14 drivers consist of four 1-inch silk dome tweeters, four 2.25-inch aluminum-cone midrange drivers, and half a dozen 2.75-inch long-throw woofers for bass. The speakers are positioned at the front, sides, and rear of the Evo One, projecting 360-degree sound with a super-wide dispersion that creates a compelling soundstage.
Thanks to the speakers’ wide range, you don’t have to be in a specific sweet spot to experience the best sound. With this speaker system, the listener can move freely and still experience the full sound stage with instruments and vocals in the right place.
The 700W of Class D amplification is split into 50W (RMS) per driver to allow fine control of the soundstage. At the same time, the Evo One’s digital signal processing has been tuned to produce Cambridge Audio’s signature sound. The classic British hi-fi sound was perfected at the company’s London headquarters and the team is particularly proud of the system’s bass response.
The StreamMagic smartphone app allows you to personalize all of the Evo One’s audio options. For example, there is a seven-band EQ for manually fine-tuning the sound, as well as numerous presets for saving favorite radio stations, playlists and even TV scenarios. Cambridge Audio has also integrated a room optimization function into the app, which can be used to adapt the sound to the acoustics of a room.
This is the fourth generation of the StreamMagic platform and it now includes direct streaming from Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Deezer, Qobuz, Roon Ready, UPnP and thousands of internet radio stations. It also supports playback of audio files up to 192kHz and 32-bit resolution over Wi-Fi or Ethernet. And because Cambridge Audio owns and develops the StreamMagic platform, it is constantly receiving new features, services and improvements.
Evo One allows streaming via Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Cast, so the device can be integrated into an existing multi-room audio system that uses one of these protocols. One feature that isn’t built in is direct voice control for Alexa or Google Assistant. It seems the gatekeepers of these systems take forever to approve products and the cost can be prohibitive. However, Cambridge Audio says it’s still possible to control Evo One with voice commands via any other device in the system that supports the protocol.
In addition to the wireless options, the Evo One also has plenty of wired inputs. For example, there is an HDMI eARC input for using the Evo One as a TV soundbar. A moving magnet (MM) phono preamp makes it easy to connect a hi-fi turntable for playing vinyl records, while an RCA line input allows you to connect analog sources such as an FM tuner or cassette deck. Finally, an optical digital input and a USB-A media port offer further digital options such as adding a CD player or streaming audio from a computer.
All of Evo One’s inputs and sources can be accessed and controlled via the StreamMagic app. The HDMI eARC connection can also be controlled using a TV remote or the dedicated infrared remote that comes with Evo One. All basic functions can be accessed and there are even three presets on the remote for quick access to favorite channels.
No matter how well designed a product is, it’s worth nothing if it doesn’t sound great. I’ve spent the last three weeks testing the Evo One every day, exploring its features and trying to gauge how good this stunning wireless speaker really is. Frankly, it sounds fantastic and definitely gives the Naim Muso a run for its money. Perhaps the StreamMagic platform should be renamed DreamMagic because it’s so much fun. The sound is truly room-filling, creating a 3D soundstage that’s natural and enjoyable even when you’re moving around. The sound is out of the box and I didn’t feel like I needed to tweak it other than running the room optimisation function.
In terms of bass response, the Evo One has plenty of bass, although the bass never strays from its track or sounds thick and clunky. The different frequencies are well defined to provide a coherent presentation with each frequency working in sync.
The volume control is perfectly graduated, making it easy to get the volume just right. A lot of work has gone into tuning Evo One, and it shows. This is a well-thought-out streamer that will please even the most demanding audiophile. It has everything except a CD player, but you can easily add one if you want.
Verdict: The Cambridge Audio Evo One is probably the classiest wireless speaker/streamer on the market. And considering it has 14 speakers and a massive 700W Class D amplification, as well as a superb colour screen, it’s an absolute bargain. As the centrepiece of a multi-room audio system, the Evo One is hard to beat and has all the inputs you need. However, even the best audio products have a few weak points, but with the Evo One, the only negatives I could find were a lack of native support for Alexa and possibly no pre-amp output for using the system with a PA or power amplifier. If you’re looking for a wireless speaker/streamer that looks as sleek as the Naim Muso and sounds as good or better, the Cambridge Audio Evo One is a real winner. Highly recommended.
Prices and availability: The Cambridge Audio Evo One is available now from cambridgeaudio.com and authorised dealers and is priced at $1499 / £1299 / €1499.
Technical data:
- Drivers: 14 (4 x 1″ silk dome tweeters, 4 x 2.25″ aluminum cone midrange drivers and 6 x 2.75″ long-throw woofers).
- Amplification: 700 W Class D (50 W RMS per driver).
- Display: 6.8 inch 1280 x 480 IPS TFT color screen with a choice of VU meters, album art or clock display.
- Operating system: StreamMagic Gen 4 module with support for TIDAL Connect, Spotify Connect, Qobuz, Deezer, Roon Ready, UPnP and Internet radio.
- Finish: FSC certified walnut veneer and MDF cabinet.
- Supported audio formats: WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, DSD (DSF and DFF), WMA, MP3 (CBR and VBR), AAC, HE-AAC and AAC+ (CBR and VBR), OGG Vorbis.
- Resolution: Up to 32 bit/192 kHz audio resolution.
- EQ: 7-band EQ adjustment with custom EQ memory option and presets.
- Space optimization: Yes.
- Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1 A2DP, AirPlay 2, Google Cast.
- Wired Connectivity: HDMI eARC, Ethernet, RCA line input, MM phono, digital optical, USB-A media.
- Remote control: Yes.
- Dimensions: 675 x 129 x 290 mm.
- Weight: 14.5kg.