The Eversolo PLAY! Is this THE BEST WAY to get into HiFi?

The Eversolo PLAY. Is this the BEST way to get into HIFI? 

By Steve Huff

Eversolo is ON FIRE. I have been testing and experiencing their latest product called The PLAY and what a product it is. Before I start this review do not think for a second that because this piece costs under $1k ($770) that it is not great at what it does. This is a bonafide affordable audio product for 2025 that is excellent and one that is quiet as a mouse, looks gorgeous, is very well made and has sound quality better than its price would dictate. Oh, and it is also easy to use. Yes, it’s made in China but Eversolo doesn’t do the cheap crappy stuff that breaks down after a month or two, they make “affordable quality” as I like to call it. The PLAY is a piece that does everything you need it to do if you want to stream digital music.

Imagine if something like this came out in 1978! Today we have audio products that allow us to enjoy music more than ever, and for lower prices than ever. Sure, the high end exists but so does this mid end and today this genre is better than it has ever been. 

The PLAY brings not only quality music streaming that streams just about everything from every service, it is also an amp that delivers 80 WPC into 8 Ohms and over 110 WPC into 4 ohms. The coolest part about this piece is that it also houses a DAC, and a great one at that.

This one uses an AKM “Velvet Sound” DAC and I always prefer AKM to the other chip based DACs. More on this later but the PLAY is for those who want to get into HiFi and do not want to deal with the whole “synergy” thing, or adding and paying for extra boxes, cables and taking up loads of space. This can also be for someone who wants a 2nd system for a bedroom or office, but watch out, this sturdy well made music box will really surprise you with its capabilities and sound quality.

For some this could be the all out perfect budget all in one. Those who seek a budget price but great performance.

EVERSOLO vs WIIM

Wiim is also a budget HiFi brand that I enjoy and they make some very cool pieces as well such as the Wiim Amp, Wiim Ultra and the Vibelink Amp. Wiim also just announced their own all in one to compete with the PLAY, the Wiim Amp Ultra and as far as I can see, no price has been announced but they do say it will offer up 100 WPC into 8 OHMS and 200 WPC into 4 Ohms, so a bit more than the PLAY. 

While I have the Wiim Ultra and Vibelink here, I do not have the latest Wiim all in one here as it is not being released until 3rd quarter of this year. With that said, I have tested all but the newest Wiim Amp Ultra, I can say with confidence Eversolo’s build quality is well above the Wiim.

The Wiim Ultra is a steamer and DAC for $329. Wiim has a lower level of build vs Eversolo and the LCD screen is not even close to the PLAY in Clarity and Brightness. 

Compared to the Wiim Ultra and Vibelink Amp which are the “separates” in the Wiim lineup, the PLAY from Eversolo looks, feels and sounds better and with more detail being presented vs the warmer more muted vibe of the Wiim. The screen on the play makes the one on the Wiim Ultra look like it was made in 1987.

When the Ultra came out I was shocked at the performace vs the $329 price but that piece doesn’t have an amp. The PLAY does, and it also sounds better due to the DAC being used vs the DAC in the Wiim, which is good but not great. The Wiim stack is slightly less expensive than the Eversolo PLAY and will set you back $629 plus tax vs the $770 of the PLAY.

Is the PLAY worth the extra? In my opinion, yes, but the Wiim is also going to make music for you, albeit with a lower level of build quality and a different kind of sound quality. The PLAY is more alive sounding with fantastic bass. The Wiim is softer sounding. Take your pick. The touch screen on the Eversolo is the same screen they use on the $1400 A6 GEN II and it’s lovely. Sharp, bright and responsive. This screen makes the piece look higher end and that is awesome. The volume dial also has a light halo around it that can be turned off as well.

On thing I enjoy about Eversolo is that they do a great job on the build here, for what this costs. The jacks, inputs and outputs on the back of the PLAY are all solid and these connectors are not as solid on the Wiim Ultra. My first Wiim ultras coax out broke after a few cable swaps as the jacks are not attached to the inside as solid as the PLAY. The Eversolo play is just so solid, so good looking and they even upgraded their class leading app to an all new design that is easy as 1, 2, 3 to set up and use. 

You can show VU meters or the album art or even an audio analyzer. The clarity is so good the meters look pretty realistic. 

What can the PLAY do?

Eversolo also released a CD version with a CD drive built in if one has a CD collection or wants to dabble in buying used CD’s, which can be a fun experience. I was sent the standard streaming “play” which is set up to be an instant digital streaming amp. Just add speakers and you are good to go.

This Play version works with all streaming services such as Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and also work with Amazon Music, Apple Music and Qobuz. This has a sub output as well, so feel free to add a sub if you need it. How about a phono stage? Sure, this has a built in MM AND MC phono stage and it sounds very good with my UTurn Orbit SE.

This box has it all and then some. There is also a COAX out, USB out, Optical and COAX in, HDMI ARC and an Analog Input.

The new app interface

ROOM CORRECTION? YES!

Let’s face it, most of us have imperfect rooms and spaces and this can be hard to get great sound. The PLAY has room correction built in and can measure the room with your phone and then apply the corrections. Usually when I try room corrections I prefer it without but this time it really improved the sound. The process takes only about 5 minutes to do. Just hit the “Correction” button in the app and it will do its thing and use the microphones in your smart0phone. I tested the correction and it did indeed improve the sound in my space, bringing more bass and flesh to the midrange.

More on the PLAY

“Eversolo play seamlessly integrates amplification, DAC, and streaming into a single unit, allowing users to enjoy lossless audio and effortlessly build a home HIFI music system. Equipped with the high-performance AK4493 DAC chip, it achieves an SNR ≥109dB (A-wt) and ultra-low THD of 0.0037%. The Class D amplifier delivers robust power output of 60W at 8Ω and 110W at 4Ω, effortlessly driving bookshelf speakers to recreate every nuanced detail of live performances.”

(Oh, and these can also drive towers if sensitive enough, they make my Icon 12’s and Duet 15 horns come alive without issue and sound pretty amazing with the Pure Audio Project Duet 15 Horns)

“Eversolo play achieves deep integration with music streaming platforms including but not limited to TIDAL, Qobuz, TuneIn Radio, Deezer, and Amazon Music. This comprehensive integration ensures uniform operational logic and interface layout for smooth user experience. Crucially, by natively supporting streaming protocols like ROON Ready and TIDAL Connect, it enables direct music streaming to the decoding unit, delivering optimal sound quality and ultimate listening experience.”

This unit is also multi room capable. Just add a play in each room with speakers and you can control them all with the app, easily choosing which to play. Yep, it’s ready for ROON as well.

INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

The rear panel boasts comprehensive I/O configurations for enhanced device compatibility:

• TRIGGER IN: Enables synchronized system control, seamlessly integrating HiFi components with one-touch synchronization.
• HDMI ARC: Delivers high-fidelity audio transmission directly from TVs via HDMI ARC, eliminating extra cables for cinematic audio enhancement.
• OPTICAL IN & COAXIAL IN: Premium digital inputs for CD players/streamers, preserving lossless audio quality.
• SUB OUT: Dedicated subwoofer output optimizes low-frequency performance for immersive music/movie experiences.
• PHONO INPUT: Professional-grade phono stage supporting both MM/MC cartridges, bridging analog vinyl warmth with modern HiFi systems.
• SPEAKER OUTPUT: Direct speaker connection for effortless audio system expansion.
• USB 3.0 OTG: Expands storage capacity via external hard drives, unlocking massive music libraries.
• USB AUDIO OUT: Supports reference-grade Stereo DSD512 Native and PCM 768kHz/32-bit formats, delivering pure digital streams to flagship DACs.

HOW DOES IT SOUND?

OK, when this arrived I let it sit in the box for a few days but I knew I wanted to use it as is, without an external DAC. But yea, you can even attach a high end DAC to the USB Audio out if you desire but I feel this is made to be “ONE” box. I did attach the LAIV Micro DAC and the sound improved by quite a bit but this LAIV is a stunning DAC for under a grand. More refined and open but I ultimately tested the PLAY on its own as this is how most will use it.

If I can be honest, I wasn’t that excited to try it out at first. I mean, I knew what it said it did but I assumed it would be something that had laggy performance or a clouded veiled sound. I mean, I expected it to be as good as it costs. When I did get around to unboxing it, I was first very impressed with how solid it was feeling vs the Wiim I have here. When I inspected the back panel and how solid everything was I was even more impressed. I was bummed that they did not include a physical remote control. Sure, your phone or smart device acts as one but still, I like a solid remote for song skipping and volume. Keeps my phones battery from being used up. You can buy a remote on Amazon for $12 or so.

Booting Up

When I installed the PLAY I took out over $100k (retail cost) of electronics and placed this $770+ box in its place. Hmmmm. I started with my $7k Pure Audio Project Duet 15 HORN speakers as they are an easy drive and they also love AKM DACs because they are usually of the warmer variety.

I hooked up my ethernet cable, but this will also hook up to your wifi if you are not near your router. I booted it up and it needed an update so I let its do its thing for 10 minutes or so. When it was all updated I opened the new updated app and started by connecting using Spotify Connect. It instantly connected and when I played the music my jaw dropped as it was much better in sound that I expected, at least with the Duet 15’s. Sounds nuts to use a $770 all in one to drive $7k speakers but it’s more about synergy than cost really and it was powering them to soft or loud levels, with bass that really had those 15″ open baffle woofers moving.

I called my wife Debby in and she was also shocked to hear how good it sounded. She then said “We paid how much for the Nagra”? When I told her this would cost $770 she was very surprised. Even so, she also loves the Nagra and what it does but she also recognizes, like I do, that we can enjoy music with gear such as this. It’s just a different experience and vibe but still very enjoyable.

There was zero noise from the very sensitive Duet speakers so no hiss I could hear, no noise, no grunge.

I recently had a $13k integrated amp here that made my speakers hiss, which was odd to me. The Eversolo was dead silent with my super efficient horn speakers but most Class D amps are like this. They run cool, are dead quiet and usually have a smoother more powerful kind of sound. This is good. When the music started I was hearing decent clarity but with a nice full bodied sound and a touch of that velvet sound tech of the AKM DAC. The sound was somewhat smooth, silky even, and my speakers sounded as they should, projecting the artist into the room.

Imaging was no where near as good as my reference, nor was the refinement,  but we cannot expect miracles here and really, it didn’t matter. I was moving my feet, rocking back and forth and hearing a lot of musical sound coming from this box. This PLAY doesn’t sound analog and yes, you can tell you are listening to digital but in today’s audio world you have to spend big to get this. Even so, this isn’t a raggedy sounding box as some have been and is relatively smooth, open, clear and electric in sound.

I pulled up a track from Jessica Pratt called “By Hook of by Crook” and her voice sounded spooky good. This is a track with some reverb and spatial qualities and I felt it was more open than the Wiim stack here, more details as well. Nice.

The is a screen grab from the Eversolo app. You can cast the screen of the PLAY to the phone by pressing the “SCREEN” button. You can then control it as if you were at the device itself. Pretty cool. 

No this isn’t going to deliver “Ultra High End” sound but how does it compare to the higher end realm of audio? Some still feel all amps, dacs and streamers sound the same so of course I have to compare, just for fun. 

Some will wonder what an all in one at a budget price sound like compared to my Nagra Pre and amp which cost a ton of money. Well, the Nagra exudes quality and perfection in build and design and it has changed what my definition of “Exotic High End Sound” is. It’s made in Switzerland which is one of the reasons for the high cost. Sound wise, the Nagra uses tubes in the preamp and while it doesn’t sound fat and mushy as some old school tubes do, it sounds organic, spatial, very detailed but with body to the music without ever being lean or strident, sounds like analog on steroids really, even when using the LAIV Micro DAC. In fact, this DAC with the Nagra is a super synergistic match. 

There are layers to the music with the Nagra setup where you can hear front to back instruments in the stage. There’s a transparency as well that allows all of this to be heard without having to struggle to do so. All while staying organic and musical. Timbre of instruments is amazing with Nagra and true to life and this my friends is what us crazies pay dearly for. This Nagra pre and amp retail for over $100k so there is no way an under $800 piece can compete but how much of a difference is there really? 

The Eversolo PLAY has less depth, is not airy and doesn’t have the 3D thing going on but it has some of that flavor, as in you will get a bit of it. It sounds fantastic and most do not care about all of the audiophile stuff anyway. What matters is that this box sounds musical and it does make me move.

The PLAY has plentiful bass that opened up the duet 15 horn woofer with a smooth and slightly velvety midrange with some body to the music. The PLAY is musical as well but I can tell the amp is not as powerful as my high current Nagra amp. Even so, with the right speakers, and this is key, this thing sounds freaking so good. Details are here but they are not presented in an etched way, but a more natural more muted way.

Let me be clear. For this kind of money I have not heard or seen better than the PLAY.

The screen is gorgeous on the PLAY and large enough to see from across the room. 

Skipping songs was fast, without much lag at all. I mean, maybe 1/4 of a second? Scrubbing songs was no issue, no freezes, just a very short lag which is acceptable. The sound was beautiful and listening to some Depeche Mode demo songs it was keeping me in this seat for a good 3 hours. I didn’t want to leave the room and this is a super high compliment for the PLAY.

I did hear a small level of refinement that is rare in this kind of box and the sound was clean, clear and also had body with the big speakers but I wouldn’t say it was overly smooth. I also try these with price appropriate speakers down below but to be honest, the PLAY sounded great with the larger Duet 15 Horns. If I haven’t heard better I would be none the wiser.

I then tried out more streaming and fired up Tidal connect and again was impressed. The sound was excellent here but this is no surprise as tech these days is getting very good with class D amplification. Tidal sounds a bit more detailed than Spotify and I was able to hear everything clearly. The PLAY delivers everything that is in the recording without adding any color.

I moved in my Icon 12 reference speakers which are a $24k investment these days if bought new and this is a price mismatch indeed but I had to see what the PLAY could do with my current fave speakers. If I lost it all and had to sell my Nagra gear one day it would be nice if a $770 box could deliver with them until I got back on my feet. How did it do?

The sound was impactful with big body and that ethereal like treble from the Icon’s sounded good but a little more lit up vs what I am use to, just by a little. Again, this made them sound more electric and alive with energy.  While not nearly as magical as my reference, the sound from the PLAY was easily besting the more pricey Wiim Ultra and Vibelink amp combo I have on hand, which is what it should be compared to. It just had a more electric alive sound that had me moving more and more. More excitement and punch as well and there was spatial things going on with the big Icons as well. Bass was fantastic and punchy but tight. Overall, superb. The midrange of the PLAY is more recessed than forward.

I was listening to a live Erasure album and on “Who needs love like that” the synths did come out a bit in a 3D space though the space was smaller than I am used to. Again, $770 for the whole package and for this cost I have never heard better and that is what makes the PLAY so fantastic. The price is right.

I then placed in some speakers that are more in line with the price of the PLAY.

I set up some Elac DB63’s which are now in the $500 realm and they sound really good for this price range with my reference gear. The Elacs are not what I would call an “easy drive” but they are not too tough of a load at 87db. I was curious to see how it would go. I replaced my Nordost cabling with plain old copper $39 speaker cables and moved the large speakers out. OK, here we go.

The Elac DB63’s are now $499 and are 87DB efficient so like some power but overall are easy to drive. MidFi Beauties indeed. 

The sound was certainly smaller than my other two speakers but the Elac’s  still had punch, a sweet midrange and a top end that was slightly tipped up which make them sound exciting vs dull. They sounded best turned up some with extra juice but in my 13X18 space at moderate volumes they were doing excellent. Bass was plentiful and there was body to the midrange while staying clean and clear.

Also, the treble was a teeny bit hot with the Elac with poorly recorded tracks, as is the usual. It also really depended on the track being played and the quality of the recording. Bad recordings sound like bad recordings here so the PLAY will not polish up a poorly recorded song.

With great recordings I heard more body and soul and this is when the Elac’s started to sound beautiful.

I played a track from “Cigarettes after Sex” called “Dark Vacay” and I was hearing hints of the high end with a spatial vibe, haunting vocals and a smoother top end with body. 

The Elac’s seem to want more power as for moderate volume I had the volume set at -17.5 on the display. With the Duet 15’s I had it set to -30.5 and with the Icon’s I liked it at -24. 

I feel this is how the PLAY will be used for most. A $500-$1k set of speakers, the PLAY and some affordable cables that sound awesome. No one on earth will use these with $20k plus speakers but hey, we know it can sound excellent with those to as long as they are not a hard to drive speaker.

If you didn’t snag a set of these $42 speaker cables and are just using generic wire, I urge to you try these out. I love them and they are my #1 pick for budget cables and they mate very well with the Eversolo. I always have a set on hand. Get them HERE. 

Finally I tried a speaker that needs current and is not the easiest drive. The Buchardt E50’s are 85 DB efficient and need some current and power to open them up. The PLAY and the Buchardt were a mismatch really as these need more current to drive them to where they sound best. They sounded good but I heard them sound much better with a higher current amp. My 100 WPC Nagra Classic had the E50’s sounding divine. The PLAY just couldnt muster up the power to bring them to life.

Even so, this PLAY thing does extremely well with speakers that are pretty easy drive. With the Duet 15’s this box is incredible and provides a full sound with a nice fluid soundstage (be sure to set the speakers up right) and just such a pleasing musical vibe. I never sat and thought “oh, it needs more of this or that, or less of this or that” though again, this lies on the neutral side of sound quality. It’s not warm but it’s not bright or lean either. It’s not an etched imager but has more soft borders around the images in the soundstage.

Eversolo has really hit it big with this and if you are starting out in HiFi you may want to start here, with the PLAY. It’s the finest budget all in one I have ever experienced and looks great, has a beautiful large clean and crisp touch display, offers up a quality powerful amp and an AKM DAC, which is  just wonderful to see and hear.

I would have preferred to see 100 WPC into 8 OHMS and 200 into 4 to give an extra boost to speakers that are on the harder to drive scale.

Even so, this piece is a full featured HiFi music box that doesn’t suck and yet it costs so little when compared to higher end competition that it gets so close to for so much less.

VS the Wiim Ultra and Vibelink I like this better, in almost every way. The PLAY costs just $140 more. From design, build, screen quality, sound quality, app experience…you name it, it’s a fantastic buy. Speaking of the App, Eversolo changed it up and it now looks different from before yet is still a piece of cake to use and enjoy.

CONCLUSION

The Eversolo PLAY is almost a no brainer product if you are wanting to start out in HiFi Audio or just add a second system on a budget. This box does it all and will stream from almost any music service such as Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer, Apple, Amazon, etc. It is also ROON READY. Yes indeed it will do all of the high res stuff and the AKM DAC inside is pretty darn good but not as refined as something like the LAIV Micro DAC. It keeps a neutral vibe and with my Duet 15 and Icon 12 there is some warmth as well. With the Elac’s I hear less warmth but plenty of deep bass, a smooth midrange and with the Elac speakers the treble sounds a but boosted. This is a product of the speaker moreso than the PLAY.

While this doesn’t bring a “high end’ or “exotic” sound it will give a taste of it, a sampler of sorts and this just may cause you to go down the rabbit hole of HiFi Audio. If I were starting out the PLAY is what I would buy, with a nice small set of easy to drive speakers. I feel this would pair very well with a Buchardt S400 MKII as those are smooth and silky. The PLAY would open them up nicely and offer up a smooth sound with great bass and top end.

The LCD screen is bright, clean, clear and responsive. I love to display the album art as it’s large and clear, making the Wiim ultra look like a low res oldie in the display dept. The VU meters here are also very nice looking.

Also, to some this will just be incredible in all ways. Remember I have been spoiled by hearing some of the worlds best electronics and while I love my Nagra setup to death, the PLAY is probably even better than I am making it sound and I feel I am being very positive already!

I love the Everoslo PLAY  because it will allow anyone to get into streaming HiFi done right and it doesn’t cost thousands of dollars. This one sells for $770 and my only wish is that offered up a little more power (200WPC 4 ohms) and came with the $12 remote. Other than this, it’s a superb product in the budget realm and I haven’t seen or heard better as of this writing, May 14th 2025.

I will add links here as soon as this is available to buy. I will also add my video review to this page as soon as it is released.