Here is the Eversolo Play alongside the Play CD Edition, the two versions of the same all-in-one streaming amplifier, showing what the CD Edition’s built-in disc player adds over the standard model.

The Eversolo Play is an all-in-one streaming amplifier: a network streamer, a DAC, a preamplifier, a phono stage and a power amplifier in one compact box with a 5.5-inch touchscreen. It is designed to be the whole of a system bar the speakers and, if you want them, a turntable, and it is unusually complete for the category. Where many streaming amplifiers leave vinyl to a separate box, the Play builds in a moving-magnet and moving-coil phono stage, so a turntable connects directly. It delivers 60 watts per channel into 8 ohms from a Class D output, enough for most standmount speakers in a normal room, and it runs the streaming services, room correction and multi-room from Eversolo’s well-regarded interface.

Brief product overview

A five-in-one streaming amplifier with a Class D power stage rated at 60 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 110 watts into 4 ohms, an AKM AK4493SEQ DAC supporting PCM to 32-bit/768kHz and DSD512, a preamplifier and a built-in phono stage that takes both moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges, with 60dB and 74dB of gain respectively. Analogue inputs are a stereo RCA line input and the RCA phono input; digital inputs are HDMI ARC, optical, coaxial and Bluetooth; and there is a subwoofer output alongside coaxial and USB digital outputs. Streaming covers Roon Ready, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect and more, and a 5.5-inch touchscreen handles control, with room correction and multi-room built in. The CD Edition adds a built-in CD player; the standard Play omits it.

How it sounds

The Play’s job is to be transparent and complete, and it does that well: the AKM DAC and the Class D output make a clean, composed and quiet presentation that lets the speakers set the character. Sixty watts into 8 ohms is ample for efficient and moderately sensitive standmount speakers at sensible levels, though it is not the amplifier for large, power-hungry floorstanders or very big rooms. The built-in phono stage is genuinely useful and sounds better than the afterthought stages some rivals include, so vinyl is a real source here rather than a token feature. It is a tidy, one-box hi-fi that gets out of the way, with the touchscreen and app making it easy to live with.

What we’d partner it with

The Play is a complete system on its own bar the speakers, so the speaker is the main choice. The Mission 750 is a natural partner, a retro-styled two-way standmount at 86dB sensitivity and a 6-ohm load, which the Play’s 60 watts drive comfortably in a small-to-medium room, and its inverted driver layout places the tweeter near ear level for coherent imaging. As alternative standmounts at this level, stock permitting, the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1, the Dali Oberon 3 and the KEF Q3 Meta are all worth a stock check, each an easy load the Play will drive well.

Because the Play carries its own streamer, DAC and phono stage, it needs no separate source boxes. For vinyl, the Pro-Ject T2 is a fine partner, a belt-drive deck supplied with a Sumiko Rainier moving-magnet cartridge; it has no phono stage of its own, but it does not need one, since it connects straight into the Play’s built-in moving-magnet phono input. As alternative decks, stock permitting, a Pro-Ject Debut PRO or a Rega Planar 1, with a moving-magnet cartridge, suit the same input.

On cabling, use a well-made speaker cable of appropriate gauge. AudioQuest and Chord are the cable brands we stock.

Who shouldn’t buy it

If you want a CD player built in, the Play CD Edition covers that in the same box. If you want more power for large floorstanders or a big room, a more powerful streaming amplifier or a separates system will go further, where the Play’s 60 watts suit standmounts and efficient speakers. And if you would rather choose and upgrade each box separately, a dedicated streamer such as an Eversolo DMP-A6 Gen 2 into a separate amplifier gives you that flexibility, where the Play’s appeal is having everything in one unit.

The Play needs only a mains supply, a network connection and a pair of speakers. Set it up on the network, ideally wired, through the Eversolo app and the touchscreen, and run the room correction if you want it. The Mission 750 is a standmount and wants solid stands that bring the tweeter close to ear level, so add a suitable pair; place the speakers clear of the rear wall where you can. For vinyl, connect the Pro-Ject T2 to the Play’s phono input, set it to moving-magnet for the Sumiko Rainier cartridge, and fit the earth lead to the ground terminal; the built-in phono stage means no separate preamp is needed. Connect a television to the HDMI ARC input if you want one in the system, and add a powered subwoofer to the subwoofer output if you want more bass.