When it comes to high-fidelity audio streaming, the landscape is full of compromise—either you get convenience without quality, or you chase sonic purity at the expense of usability. That is, until now. The Eversolo Play arrives not just as another streamer, but as a true audiophile tool—meticulously engineered for those of us who value both the art and the science of listening.
From the moment you unbox it, the Eversolo Play signals that it means business. Its brushed aluminum chassis is not only very elegant, but acoustically inert—a necessary detail for those of us who know that resonance doesn’t belong anywhere near our DAC. It feels solid, deliberate. Every connection port is snug and gold-plated, ensuring optimal signal integrity. This isn't just consumer electronics—this is gear, built to perform.
Let’s get to what matters most: the sound. Whether streaming from Qobuz, TIDAL, or a local NAS, the Eversolo Play is stunningly transparent. It doesn’t just reproduce music—it resolves it. With support for native DSD, MQA unfolding, and PCM up to 32-bit/768kHz, it is future-proofed for the most demanding digital audiophiles. Paired with an AKM AK4493SEQ DAC, the soundstage it enables is holographic. Vocals are intimate and dimensional, cymbals shimmer with air and realism, and low-end transients have that tautness we obsess over.
For those of us with shelves of CDs collected over decades—meticulously curated, lovingly played, and never fully replaced—the Eversolo Play CD Edition is an absolute gift. Eversolo didn’t just slap a drive onto a streamer and call it a day. They implemented a bit-perfect CD transport that honors the audiophile ethos. The slot-load mechanism is whisper-quiet, the disc handling is precise, and the digital output is engineered to deliver ultra-low jitter performance—ideal for feeding into a high-end external DAC.
The CD playback is handled through the same refined UI as the streaming side, and it sounds stunning. There's a sense of immediacy in CD playback that, when handled correctly, rivals even high-resolution streaming. On several occasions, I found redbook CDs—via the Play CD Edition—outperforming their hi-res counterparts in microdynamics and tonal richness. It’s a nod to the fact that how you extract and process bits matters just as much as their format.
What’s more, you can even rip CDs directly to an attached SSD or network storage, making it an all-in-one archiving and playback hub—ideal for those who are digitizing their collection but don’t want to compromise sound quality in the process.
What sets the Eversolo Play series apart is that it’s designed by audiophiles, for audiophiles. The user interface is clean, responsive, and customizable. There's no unnecessary fluff. Just robust streaming capabilities, intuitive control (via a gorgeous touchscreen or the excellent app), and support for every major audiophile platform—Roon Ready? Check. DLNA? Absolutely. UPnP? Of course.
Internally, the Play features a high-precision clock architecture that virtually eliminates jitter, and the power supply has been engineered with obsessive attention to noise isolation. For those of us running fully balanced systems, the balanced outputs are a welcome addition—rare in this price bracket.
Whether integrated into a minimalist headphone rig or a full-fledged two-channel reference system, the Play adapts beautifully. Want to pair it with a discrete R2R DAC? Perfect. Using it to feed your tube preamp? Even better. It respects the sonic chain and never colors the sound with digital harshness or bloated warmth. It’s simply neutral and true.
The Eversolo Play is not just a great product—it’s a statement in an age where audiophile-grade streaming is often over-engineered or overpriced. And with the CD Edition, it bridges the gap between legacy and modern formats without compromise. It dares to prioritize sonic integrity while embracing convenience and elegance. For those of us who believe that great sound shouldn’t require a user manual the size of a novella, the Play is a revelation.
In short, if you’re serious about sound—and serious about streaming and CDs—the Eversolo Play and Play CD Edition are not just worth your attention. They belong in your rack.
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