The Cambridge Audio Evo One: Is This £1000 'Gaming Soundbar' a Sonic Spell or Just Overkill?
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
The Cambridge Audio Evo One, a high-end all-in-one music system, surprised with its impressive gaming performance for cinematic titles, despite its hefty price tag and classic hi-fi origins. It's a versatile beast packing 14 speakers and incredible sound, proving that sometimes, 'overkill' can actually be a delightful sonic spell for the right gamer.
Alright, gather 'round, mates, because I’ve been tinkering with a rather peculiar artefact this week – something that initially had my eyebrow raised so high it nearly merged with my hairline. We're talking about the Cambridge Audio Evo One, a gadget that landed on my desk with a rather bold claim: it's an 'all-in-one music system' that also happens to be a 'gaming soundbar.' And, well, it costs a cool £999 / $1499. Bloody hell, right? That’s not exactly pocket change for a 'soundbar,' even for the most dedicated digital wizard.
My first thought, I'll admit, was a scoff of gentle skepticism. 'Gaming,' they say? For a grand? Is this just another piece of glorious hi-fi kit trying to muscle into our pixelated playgrounds with a hefty price tag and a shiny new label? Or is there some genuine magic brewing beneath that walnut finish? Reece Bithrey over at Eurogamer had a similar initial reaction, but dove deep, and fair dinkum, what he found is wilder than it first appeared.
The Evo One isn’t trying to hide its classic hi-fi roots. It looks like someone snatched a gorgeous piece of audio tech from the 70s, fed it some mana potions, and dragged it kicking and screaming into the future. That large 6.8-inch IPS display on the front, paired with a removable black fabric grille and a proper walnut top? Chef's kiss, honestly. It’s the kind of device that sits on your sideboard looking sophisticated, not lurking under your monitor trying to be 'gamer chic.' And speaking of physical presence, this beast weighs in at 14.5kg and stretches 67.5cm wide. You’ll need a sturdy surface, mate. It’s more like a well-built chest of digital wonders than a flimsy speaker.
Now, about connectivity, because this is where the Evo One starts flexing its magical muscles. It’s got everything but the kitchen sink. HDMI eARC for your TV or monitor (yes, a monitor!), USB for direct playback, Ethernet for a rock-solid network connection, and even a moving magnet phono stage if you’re still spinning vinyl – a lovely nod to the analog wizards out there. But for us digital adventurers, the streaming options are truly bountiful: Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, Deezer, Qobuz, AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Bluetooth 5.1, and Roon Ready. Reece even noted how smoothly it integrates with a network server via UPnP – that's some serious digital alchemy right there.
One particularly cool discovery was the multi-room audio over Wi-Fi using Google Cast. Now, I might be behind the curve here, but the idea that you can knit together different brand speakers across your home via Google Home to create a unified soundscape without being locked into a single ecosystem (looking at you, Sonos!) is genuinely brilliant. It’s like casting a spatial sound spell that works across multiple dimensions of your living space. Reece tested it with a Naim Mu-So Qb 2 in one room and the Evo One in another, and it worked without a hitch. That's the kind of practical, player-friendly tech innovation I get genuinely enthusiastic about.
But let's talk about the real wizardry: the sound itself. Underneath that elegant exterior, the Evo One packs a frankly absurd 14 drive units, powered by a whopping 700W of amplification, all aided by digital signal processing. We're talking four silk dome tweeters, four aluminium cone mid-range units, and six massive woofers. Fourteen speakers in one box! That’s less a soundbar and more a sonic orchestra packed into a single, elegant chassis. Cambridge Audio says this setup is designed for deep, controlled bass, and after Reece put it through its paces with everything from Earth, Wind & Fire to Rush, it sounds like they delivered.
The immediate takeaway was the sheer width and expanse of the audio. It’s not just sound coming *from* the box; it’s like the box blew a hole in reality and the music is flowing in from a much larger, more detailed soundscape. Separation of instruments – like bongos far off in the distance or the subtle running water in Rush’s '2112' – was incredibly precise. Bass was deep and controlled, though occasionally a 'smidgen' heavy-handed, which, thankfully, can be tweaked with the seven-band EQ in the Streammagic app. Mids were rich, vocals warm, and the treble, surprisingly, wasn't sharp or overbearing, but bright and sparkly. It's not a V-shaped sound profile, which means you're getting a balanced, detailed sonic tapestry rather than just booming bass and piercing highs.
So, back to the big question: 'gaming soundbar.' Is this where the spell falters? Surprisingly, no. While Reece rightly points out it's not for competitive eSports (where pinpoint directional audio is king and latency is death), for cinematic titles, it absolutely shines. Hook it up to your TV or even a compatible monitor via HDMI eARC, and those 14 speakers go to work. The powerful low-end creates incredible atmosphere for explosions and engine noises in games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Forza Horizon 5. The expansive soundstage and clear mids/highs mean dialogue and subtle environmental cues don’t get lost in the chaos. Imagine the rumble of an engine or the distant roar of a crowd in EA FC, rendered with this level of depth and clarity. It’s not just sound; it’s immersion.
In the end, the Cambridge Audio Evo One isn't just a powerful music system; it’s a genuinely impressive piece of audio engineering that also happens to elevate the gaming experience, particularly for those who crave cinematic scale and deep immersion over competitive edge. It's gorgeous, versatile, and its sound quality is, by all accounts, fantastic. Is it overkill for many gamers? Absolutely, mate. But for the discerning audiophile who also happens to dabble in digital worlds and wants a single, elegant system that performs beautifully across the board, this beast might just be the sonic wizardry you've been looking for. It ticks nearly every box, assuming you've got the space (and the gold coins) for it. Reece Bithrey, writing for Eurogamer, has certainly given us plenty to think about.
Tags: gaming audio, soundbar, hi-fi, tech review, immersive gaming
Original article: Eurogamer