Eve Play is the bridge between the past and future of hi-fi. This small but smart box can be used to make a conventional stereo system or active speakers without a wireless interface streamable. This means there are countless applications for the streaming bridge, which can forward analog or digital audio streams to the hi-fi system via WLAN or Ethernet cable. However, there is one major restriction compared to Ritter Sport chocolate: Eve Play is only available in apple flavor. To set it up, you need either the Eve app or the Apple Home Kit (both only in conjunction with the latest iOS) and only Apple AirPlay 2 is available as a streaming protocol. From the point of view of Android users, this fall from grace of Eve with the apple means expulsion from the Play paradise.
Streaming à la Apple
In return, Apple users get the ease of use that also characterizes the products from Cupertino. On the underside of the housing, which is framed by an aluminum frame, there is a QR code for scanning in the Apple Home Kit app. After selecting “Add device”, the app activates a small camera window to read the code. It could hardly be simpler, especially when you consider that many other devices often ask for Bluetooth and enable location services in addition to activating WLAN when connecting to the network. You can then assign the Eve Play to a listening zone and choose your own name for it. Then you can start streaming. The Play is then not only available as an output destination in the Music app or Amazon Music. The small black box also works with Apple TV to output the TV sound lip-synchronously to the stereo system thanks to automatic latency compensation.
Everything you need on board
Measuring 13.1 x 2.6 x 13.1 cm and weighing 237 grams, the small box houses a stereo DAC chip from Texas Instruments. The PCM5122A works according to the delta-sigma principle – commonly referred to as 1-bit conversion. The 26-leg IC has a signal-to-noise ratio of 112 dB and offers a resolution of 32 bit / 384 kHz for PCM input signals. In addition to the analog RCA outputs, for which Eve includes a high-quality stereo cable with the Play, there is also an optical and a coaxial S/PDIF output. An external power supply unit with various plug attachments for different countries is also included. And for those who don’t want to operate the Play with WLAN (2.4 or 5 GHz, 802.11a/b/g/n), there is also an Ethernet connection for RJ-45 network cables on the back.
Of black boxes and wooden boxes – an exciting sound check
For the listening test, it made sense to pack the Eve Play and visit my friend Falk Visarius from the HiFi IFAs. My purist, deep black, British-German hi-fi system (Naim/Phonosophie) is not only less photogenic than the Falk chain, which has a certain glamor factor. It also manages without an external D/A converter. And as it soon turned out, it was precisely this combination that made the little box called Play really come into its own.
There was nothing to complain about the analog inputs of the SPL Director Mk2 – a preamplifier with DAC. What came out of the Diapason Adamantes V high-end compact loudspeakers, driven by the SPL Performer s1200 high-end stereo power amplifier, was extremely homogeneous and coherent in itself. Resolution and transparency were also convincing, especially as the 2-way speakers with the diamond-shaped wooden cabinet are really masters of their trade here. Only the focus showed room for improvement. The individual sound events, especially the lead vocals, which are usually placed in the middle in rock and pop, could only be located somewhat blurred and rather flat.
Analog, digital – it doesn’t matter
In this respect, the reproduction seemed to be replaced when we drove the integrated DAC of the SPL preamplifier with a digital signal. If you have the choice, you should always use the coaxial digital input for this purpose and not the optical fiber. This is due to the higher jitter, those notorious clock fluctuations that lead to increased distortion during D/A conversion. Both the connectors and the common plastic optical fibers of the Toslink connections contribute to this. Due to the higher light attenuation compared to the fiber optic cables used in communications technology, they have to be thicker, which increases the jitter just as much as the less tight fit of the simpler connectors. Just as an aside.
The sun literally rose at the digital input of the SPL preamp. It was not only the aforementioned focus that gained in precision. Resolution and free dynamics also gained. The bass, which previously gave no cause for criticism, nevertheless gained in contour and kick. Transparency has also improved. In short, it suddenly sounded one, if not two, classes better. But even that was not the end of the story. When do you get to experiment with friends from other magazines in peace and quiet? – to the decadently expensive Merason DAC1 Mk II digital-to-analog converter, there was another small step in the same direction, but one that was particularly noticeable in the bass. It kicked more and the bass foundation seemed even deeper and more precise.
Eve Play: Conclusion and alternatives
What the home automation specialist delivers with its first audio component is truly impressive. The inconspicuous little box delivers a flawless high-end performance via the digital outputs. And the ease of use of the streaming bridge, designed exclusively for Apple aficionados, leaves nothing to be desired. However, there is a more versatile alternative with the WiiM Pro, which also includes Android users and Chromecast streaming protocols.
Technical data Eve Play
- Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: 150 Euro
- Dimensions: 13.1 x 2.6 x 13.1 cm
- Weight: 237 g each
- Special features: Cinch cable and external plug-in power supply included. 1 analog and 2 digital outputs (coaxial/optical)
- More at: evehome.com
