Eversolo Play CD (Feat. Fiio R2R Warmer) : DAC to the future? (UPDATED)
Here’s something a bit more worthy of my time and hopefully yours too.
My HiFi is in the process of getting a few upgrades. This time I’m introducing it to something called ‘Streaming Music’. Yes, sounds bizarre to me too, but if you want to see how I got on with this 'streaming music' and an Eversolo Play CD then here’s the video link you need:
https://youtu.be/UlayEIw4MUI
Up until now I’ve never really got along with the concept of playing streaming music through a HiFi. It’s fine in a car, or for listening to on earbuds via a smartphone. However when I get to sit down for half an hour, in a comfortable chair, with a cup of coffee in front of my big speakers, I don’t want to be messing about with a phone to send audio across to my HiFi as if it were a giant bluetooth speaker.
I might may be old fashioned, but if I'm going to embrace the future, I need a component responsible for streaming duties, sitting in amongst my rack of equipment.
The last time I attempted to find a device to perform this task was over eleven years ago when I tested out the Pioneer NP-01S. That experience was so miserable I sent it back, got a refund and didn’t return to the idea, until now. It turns out that music streamers have progressed considerably over the last few years - they’re actually functional devices now. Who knew?
One thing I took away from this was that Sony pretty much had an earlier generation of this device on the market over a decade ago with their HAP-S1. But like so many of their good ideas, they just threw it away. It was discontinued alongside all the other Sony separate HiFi components, probably getting on for a decade ago.
It appears that the Chinese manufacturers picked up the consumer HiFi baton. I believe these products are referred to as Chi-Fi in some circles. Much like many things now though, product longevity does not appear to be of paramount importance.
Anyway, it’s good to get a video finished that I’m not disappointed with. Enjoy the rest of your week and take care.
(UPDATED)
Sorry had to make a quick fix to the video, which involved swapping it out.
UPDATE 2: Added in an overlay showing all the available apps (at 19:25 for 14 seconds)
https://youtu.be/UlayEIw4MUI
Comments (86)
These days with my 60+ year old ears I mostly care about content than absolute FLAC quality and use Spotify. I can download say every Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, Beatles, Miles Davis album, and play them on a local computer.
Hey Matt, I'm sure a number of your Patreons have considerable hi-res digital music collections, and I for one would be happy to contribute to your 'Update Matt's Music Library' project. Post a wish list here and link to a cloud folder. We'll fill it up! :-)
Thanks for the offer, but I’m planning on taking a long time over this, one CD every now and then.
Great video as always but I’m curious how this device differs from the Sony streaming box you already have other than dead apps? Why would you need both?
I definitely don’t need both, the Sony is being retired. This one has an internal CD ripper but will also grab the album art and track names for any CD being played. It receives Internet radio and has built in support for Apple iTunes. It also has some nice VU meter and spectrum analyser displays The Sony does none of these things.
Gosh I remember the pioneer streamer, with the small screen (smaller than available 'black space') and I also remember the superior Sony thingy as well. I guess this dates my sub to Mat's wonderful channel! Streaming is a bit of a farce, case in point being tonight when I was cooking a meal for the fam, I asked the awful Alexa thing for "The Chauffeur" (Duran Duran) and it outright rejected me - once more trying to persuade me to sign up for the "full" amazon music experience. I've tried to circumvent this more than once - initially by getting a Sonos device and attempting to to link it to some mythical server somewhere, which was supposed to be my Mac. It never QUITE worked - either I had to have the Mac switched on or it failed completely and just kept giving me error messages. I'm sure it was my own incompetence that gave me this bad experience but it put me off streaming forever. I'll keep my 600-odd CDs, thank you. Or stick with the ubiquitous Youtube which does at least through the playlist system, give me some sort of ongoing satisfaction. I look forward to this review with interest.
Typically the only music streaming service I have an account with is YouTube Music, bundled in free with Premium, and I couldn't see that featured. You've also reminded me of my Sony UHD player that last year dropped support for the BBC iPlayer. Also, I've been ripping some CDs recently, and the track information it's grabbed has been all over the place. Some double compilation albums have the artists for CD 2 for CD 1 and vice versa! I wonder if you can edit them on this device, if it does that. Craig David, as far as I know, didn't record The Millennium Prayer. Can't stand either guy, but he'd have done a better job of it than Cliff...
Amusingly, the TV I use it with isn't a smart one! Or 4K. I don't have a 4K TV, just the player!
Does it play CD's (and CD tracks saved as WAV or FLAC) without interruption between the tracks? Nowadays, many CD players get that wrong: they play a CD track-by-track and at the end of each track, the computer has to start buffering the start of the next track which always takes a fraction of a second. If they did it right, the computer just tells the drive to start playing and the computer just gets the current track time to update the display and there's no interruption between tracks.
I haven’t had a chance to find out, but there is a toggle for gapless plsy so I assume it does this.
UPDATE Since recording this video an update to the software has occurred which most notably for me added a few new VU displays including a cassette… here are the full update notes: The new version of the system: v1.5.75 Optimizations and Fixes 1. Optimized an occasional issue of automatic track skipping during media streaming. 2. Fixed an occasional issue where metadata on the Play Details did not match the actual content. 3. Optimized the "Add WebDAV Server" functionality in the Music Library. 4. Improved the reliability of discovering DLNA-compatible devices on the network. 5. Fixed an issue where cover art for certain TIDAL albums would not display. 6. Optimized the clarity of audio format/resolution display on the Play Details. 7. Fixed an occasional bug preventing access to album details from the Album Screensaver. 8. Optimized the accuracy of playback order when switching discs in multi-disc CD sets. 9. Optimized an occasional issue where app icons failed to display for shortcuts in the Classic Theme. 10. Smoothened the scrolling experience for artist and album names on the Play Details. 11. Enhanced the "Add to Device Playlist" function for more reliable operation. 12. Improved volume control responsiveness and stability with LMS. 13. Optimized the parsing and display reliability of embedded lyrics for tracks in the Music Library. 14. Further refined the gapless playback experience between consecutive tracks. 15. Improved overall compatibility with various UPnP media servers. 16. Enhanced the stability and connection experience for Spotify Connect playback. 17. Optimized the interface for editing music services in the Simple Theme. 18. Improved the stability of radio stations playback under the Music Services module. 19. Optimized KKBOX track playback. 20. Fixed an issue where Tuneln Radio occasionally failed to fetch data. 21. Optimized seamless playback for Radio Paradise. New Features 1. Support displaying playback information from third-party apps on Play Details 2. Added shortcuts to Connect Services on the Classic Theme home page. 3. Added display of the device's MAC address in WiFi settings. 4. Added a notification when seeking is unavailable on the front panel during TIDAL Connect playback. 5. Added several new VU meter styles. 6. Added a switch for Spotify Connect's "Normalize Volume". (Default: Disabled) 7. Added a user-configurable bit depth setting for the optical audio output. 8. Added the Airable Radio music service functionality.
Holy mackerel, that's a lot.
i dig that it pulls in CD text and artwork. wish the CD drive wasn't a literal laptop drive.
Just in time! https://www.stereonet.com/news/sony-to-pull-streaming-from-beloved-hap-audio-players?fbclid=IwY2xjawSXw51leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFGOHozTW1JUng1TXdYQjcyc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHuvFTd6PQ62b0pOWVzHuADvn2d7C226VHI0suYbuNG0-VY_AGzYTzAP6wbb6_aem_7H_aVFIhSBUYK3oFNjIzpA That's a huge list of devices being killed November 2026 by Sony.
Wow. Funnily enough I’ve never used any of those functions, but while it’s not mentioned here I suspect the network upload file tools with be kiboshed too.
I am happy to see you happy with the decision. I am holding fast to my Sony hap. I do love the thing and I do upload my CDs to it... I bought an external reader per USB. Works fine. I do have a digital radio and I do avoid subscriptions (in general).
Interesting! To start with I was more interested in the DAC with the VU meters at the front. Honestly, the black version of that looks rad, would be a good replacement to what i have in my system at present, as I have a DAC and a separate VU unit - neither of them aesthetically compliments each other. Then you got in to the nuts n bolts of the Eversolo unit. Nice machine I reckon, I like the digital VU gauges and spectrum analyser screens, looks easy to use and some good functionality in there too. But yes, the takeaway for me, is that brushed metal DAV VU unit. It’s analogue with real mechanical needles. It’s got me thinking. Cheers Matt, appreciate the video mate. Lee
It might be worth looking through the earlier comments as another patron has one and they seem rather problematic.
Very good, Mat. I will remember your wise words at the end. You make a good point.
Sorry, my previous (deleted) comment was about the old version. The weird audio jump is at 23:49 on the new version.
You’re right, something has got deleted. I’ll have to take a look at it later today.
If you are indeed planning on getting your music library into shape, check out Navidrome, which works as a personal music server akin to Spotify et al. I've been having a lot of fun with that lately. Could be a fun augmentation once your have all your discs ripped!
Wow, I used to listen to Radio Paradise ~20 years ago maybe? Completely forgot about it!
Wait until Mat stumbles onto the KFAT station...
This is one reason I have always built things (or used normal computers) for things like this - it doesn't turn into a paperweight as easily. That said, not even close to ease of use as a HiFi component like this one. RE you talking about sound quality, my old Pioneer amp I was using in the office as a means to hookup bookshelf speakers to the things in my office (via a mixer) died. I replaced it with a cheap Pyle box from Amazon. I was a bit leery since the price was so low, but it sounds "good enough" - I think that description fits most things these days.
A wonderful bit of new tech. I’ve got a humble system but appreciate something that really works. Also… been listening to Radio Paradise for over 15 years now. Hands down the greatest internet station on air. Thrilled you mentioned it. It’s so good I never hear it mentioned 😎
You could stream from your pc, mac, nas, i guess also the old Sony you have. Strange it didn’t have the cassette imitation, maybe you only updated the firmware and not the software, the cassette imitation have been out for some time now. Add album art connected over WiFi, Ethernet, make folders etc. the dmp-a6 it’s really the one you should have got Mat. It have analog outputs and slot for ssd(max 4tb). It doesn’t have a cd player but you could connect any usb ones. Anyway a great buy.
I got this one because I wanted the built in CD player.
The weak link in these systems in the Android OS. I have an Fiio M11 DAP which is a great iPod alternative and has twin Micro SD card storage which is brilliant. However, it is forever locked at Android 7.0. I dread to think what version we are up to now! I use Jellyfin for home streaming my own media and it just won't work on the player, I suspect due to the prehistoric OS.
When you’re scrolling through the 2 Hype album tracks, the display says ‘mp3’ and ‘32 bit’. Surely that’s not possible?
Highly recommend you try to see if you can connect the devices together via usb connection instead of coax. This will allow you to test dsd playback or play files above 44.1khz if it's supported that is.
My Eversolo A6 has a lovely cassette tape simulation display. It appeared after a firmware update so keep an eye out for that; you’ll love it.
Yep. The only thing I think they could make it like the Sony android Walkmans, displaying a type 1 if the bitrate is low and type 4 if high. Type 0 if 128kb MP3’s 😁
Hello Mat, For £699 I think alot for your money. Personally I might need the remote not to sure how I would get on with the app on the phone. Great Video Thanks
"We're gonna need a bigger shed"
Funny you mention hi-fi components and longevity. As I watch this video, I'm rewiring my modest hi-fi for the third time in a fortnight due to failing components.
Hahahah, I love your impression of what a "proper" hi-fi reviewer would do. Thank you for that! XD
The tubes in my Warmer fail if I don't leave 3 inches on top to both sides and the front and rear. I also put it on very tall spongy rubber feet to raise it up as the heat killed 2 of my tubes, I'm glad you noticed the requirement for feet. Fiio were good at sending me new tubes. If you start to get tweeter wrecking screaming please note the channel affected and refer to the tube replacement guide. Only 2 of the 4 tubes are used for RCA output so in your use case you can shuffle the good ones in when the bad ones fail. I winced when you put the Warmer on top of another component. The sheer heat coming out the bottom plate of the Warmer will fry that cd ripper. It sits alone on a veneered table now and it has indeed warped the veneer under it.
If that’s the case I think I might have to move it out of the rack. That’s a shame but I’m quite restricted with placement.
It's sort of sad to me that Sony isn't even in the conversation in a lot of these hi-fi gadget categories. I am very tempted to buy their new flagship Bluetooth headphones just because it's one of the few product categories where they are still an industry leader, and it feels like it could be one of the last times we see them put out a really premium model of anything. What a name, though, "Sony 1000X The ColleXion."
An excellent video. One question though, could you show the VU meters on both devices simultaneously to demonstrate how closely they match? It's not necessarily a demonstration of accuracy, i'm just interested, it doesn't even need to be in the main video, it could be a brief section in an Oddcast.
I’m pretty sure there’s a bit in there where this is happening, but perhaps I cropped it out. I’ll try to remember for the next update.
Put the Eversolo ontop and the VU meter on bottom…. Then the cd will have room to open as long as you open the lid on the turntable 🙂
Nothing can cover the vents of the Fiio, there’s a giant orange piece of card just to warn about this in the box. However you might spot that at the end of the video the whole top of the HiFi cabinet has been rearranged.
As always, I love these individual preferences for how we get our music. I have a nostalgic affection for physical media and even vintage media. But in this same month, I upgraded my Sony Walkman NW-A55 to the Android-based 306, and bought a Bluetooth cassette adapter for my old boombox so I can enjoy the 80s aesthetic without having to keep a tape mechanism working, or continue to convert my digital playlists and albums to linear magnetopolyacetate minireels. Given that there's a reliable parade of audiophile suckers willing to pay through the ears for The Highest Quality Transmission, Transport And Reproduction, I wonder if there's such a thing as a HiFi Bluetooth component? A shiny box for people who somehow have a role for Bluetooth in their setup and want to convince themselves they've delivering the "best" signal to their $30,000 amp or somesuch?
That's what Wi-Fi based lossless protocols like Qobuz Connect and Tidal Connect are for.
I bet it does not actually support CD Text. Rather, it just fetches the CD information from the internet, regardless of whether the CD has its own CD Text or not.
Yep.
I think the "feature may not be available due to service provider's user policies" could also cover geographical restrictions. eg I think the BBC sounds app will probably not work with an IP from outside the UK.
Heck, I'm about 10 years younger than you, but feel myself old as such products really don't make me warm... I still prefer an old-fasioned analogue amplifier with reel-to-reel tapedeck, cassettedeck and record player...
My reel-to-reels are original old decks (Revox A-77) I bought in the time that they were about CHF 100 a piece... I think my whole hifi system actually cost me less in total than just this modern piece of equipment...
It's been a while since I had gadget envy from watching one of your videos. It would have been worth testing this with your speakers connected, even if you don't intend to use it that way. Don't Eversolo make a version without the built-in amplifier? I have the Wiim Ultra, from Eversolo's most obvious competitor. The screen isn't as nice but the feature I really envy is the CD playing and ripping. I believe Eversolo devices without the CD drive can use a USB one - a few pounds from your favourite Chinese tat emporium. I was going to point out why you can use the likes of Apple Music and BBC Sounds but you had already realised. I think you're right about the risks of not having long-term support but I don't think this will be an issue for local music and the various inputs. In fact, can your old Sony act as a server (DLNA etc.) with the Eversolo as a client? As for the Fiio, I'm surprised it's taken you this long to check out the current generation of Chinese gadgets with VU meters and spectrum analysers. Anyway, enjoy your new toy. It does look rather nice.
The lack of phono out seems like a missed opportunity. Strange that, for the price, they don't just give you the remote. I didn't see any Spotify compatibility. It must be there since they are biggest music streaming company. I wonder how they curate the apps available on the unit.
I’ve never used Spotify but it was one of the apps I could have installed alongside Apple Music and BBC Sounds at around 7 mins in.
Eversolo do sell a remote on the dutch website https://www.eversolonl.nl/product/11413905/eversolo-btr-12-remote
Yes you can see it in this video, I did order one from a UK store (who still haven’t acknowledged the order yet) after I’d finished editing.
Nice piece of equipment - I have one from WIIM, which is similar - Just a preference really.....
Excellent review Mat, and a very pertinent point on the longevity question.
• I'm very happy that you're happy with this item. There's not much to comment because it streams music, does it flawlessly, and sounds great. No need to open it up and marvel at the mechanical ingenuity - in that respect it's a bit depressing. Future archeologists would be unimpressed. Today I'm still fascinated by the Victor Victrola 10-50 Automatic Record Changer - a video of such is 18 years old on YouTube ( https://youtu.be/VztG_60NtRQ ). I can't say the same about this other than it sounds great and the VU meters are cool. • 'im@yourmumshouse' Really? That means you're right here, give me a second to get ready and ... oh. 😓 • Something I just thought of - will you ever need to clear the cache from the apps? I have to occasionally do that on my Fire Cube. Nice Hi-Fi addition. Now I'm thinking about the Tube item you tantalized a while back in the chat. 😁 Take care 🤍
Your concerns about cache etc mirror mine. Old phones can get sluggish and unresponsive. Given that this is probably akin a mid-tier phone of a year or so ago at best, I do wonder what's going to become of it.
The audiophile reviewer/ghost hunter comparison made me lolfr.
Sorry had to make a quick fix to the video, which involved swapping it out - here’s the updated link https://youtu.be/TmbSSo28hRo
was enjoying that and unavailable after about 2/3 through!
Yes - Sorry had to make a quick fix to the video, which involved swapping it out - here’s the updated link https://youtu.be/TmbSSo28hRo
Be interesting to see how robust the CD tray is. Will watch this later during the ingurland match, jeez 3 weeks of this World Cup tripe, so keep the videos coming!
It's just a laptop drive from Hitachi I think - how long do they tend to last?
I have been a fan of Fiio for a long time. Had not heard about the R2R Warmer, but as soon as I saw images, I understood why it's on the channel. :-)
And it can boil your water too!
Do you know that Eversolo do a companion app for your Apple TV that allows you to show the album art and control the playback and volume of the stream? You can then use this with your projector.
I didn't know that.
My Yamaha receiver has some sort of streaming capability but the only time I tried it, it was already obsolete supporting streaming sources that no longer existed. I have a Mac mini connected to my hifi and all streaming is from that, at least I get reliable updates (even if BBC now prevents me getting access to Pick Of The Pops in USA!)
Audio sounds quite low quality at 14:17, might just be uploading error
In what way?
Haven't watched yet, but Eversolo does not sound like a good name. Everso Low is not a good name for anything music-related imo.
I presumed it was some relative of Napoleon and Han.
This has came at an interesting time for me. I’ve had to move recently and got less space and been looking at getting one of these all in one music streaming but having line in and dac options you just add your speakers to for less space. But you’re totally right they become a lot less useful when the apps will no longer work. I’ve been looking at the NAD M10 V3 and the thing that is stopping me is not the price really but how long will it fully work.
Would love to find something that supports Apple Music. It's usually only super "High End" devices that truly support Apple Music. I'm often falling for the "bait and switch" of Apple Music support = Apple Airplay 2 support. Which is pretty shit all told. That thing is great - I can't believe it supports ripping CDs. I'm starting to think all the cloud music is a bit con. I should go back to buying music on CD.
The Eversolo looks like a great device for a home stereo. You could consider it as the modern-day equivalent of the Schaub-Lorenz Music Center. Conversely, it could also be considered the equivalent of a smartphone: a black box that has everything you need and the only thing it doesn't have is a soul!😉 Nevertheless, I'm very interested in one.
Music Centre - a great old fashioned term which takes me right back to the 80s and my wealthier friends who always had a centrepiece music centre in the lounge. ;-)
I disagree; product longevity is absolutely of paramount concern to manufacturers these days. They make very sure none of their products have it.
I'd Argument, companies do not care. It's all short term thinking. I am curious on how the whole video game support discussion is going to pan out, as precedent to such cases
The Eversolo is based on Android and allows to install 3rd party apps. One use case is to connect a DAB/DAB+ USB adapter, install the DAB app and enjoy real DAB.
Yes - the latter half of the video is all about the Android.
Never imagined I would see Technoan reviewing a R2R DAC, which is like an advanced audiofool device, but here we are.
I liked the VUs.
DAC of all trades 😂