The US$149.95 Eve Play, Eve’s first smart audio streaming interface with AirPlay, will definitely appeal to audiophiles. Whether it has appeal for other consumers remains to be seen.
The Eve Play allows you to stream your music to existing amplifiers, powered speakers or soundbars with AirPlay and works with Apple’s Home app or Apple Music. AirPlay, if you’r not familiar with it, allows users to stream, control and share videos, photos, music and more from their iPhone or iPad
The Eve Play adds streaming capabilities to existing amplifiers, active speakers or soundbars, and also synchronizes them in multi-room setups with other AirPlay speakers. The latencies can be adjusted either automatically or manually via the Eve app’s Audio Sync feature.
There’s no shortage off connectivity options: the Eve Play sports an Ethernet port, 2.4/5 GHz Wi-Fi, RCA connectors, and optical and coaxial digital outputs. A digital-to-analog converter with a signal-to-noise ratio of 112 dB offers a pleasing sound experience.
The Eve Play is easy to set up by using Eve’s app or Apple Home. You can combine Eve Play with amplifiers, active speakers or soundbars. What’s more, you can choose between RCA connections, an optical and a coaxial connection.
The Eve Play is aesthetically appealing thanks to its classic aluminum and glossy black finish in an almost minimalist design. There’s no screen, no on/off button and no remote. It’s the back of the device that’s home to all the connectivity ports.
You should note that when it comes to local network connectivity, the Eve Play is limited to Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n on 2.4 or 5 GHz networks). That’s why the folks at Eve also included an Ethernet port for reliable connectivity.
There aren’t a whole lot of wireless receivers with AirPlay 2 support. Apple and Sonos and make such products, but it’s good to see Eve enter the market though the Eve Play is a bit pricey.
The Eve Play is available for order on both the Eve Store and Amazon for US$149.95. To use it you’ll need to have iPhone or iPad with the latest version of iOS/iPadOS and a Wi-Fi network (2.4/5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n) or Ethernet.
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