The original Cambridge Audio Evo 150 earned our “Editor’s Choice” Award for a reason—it combined smart design, serious streaming capabilities, and Class D efficiency without sacrificing musicality. With the new Evo 150 SE, Cambridge hasn’t reinvented the wheel, but it has refined nearly every spoke.
Built around upgraded “Tuned by Cambridge” NCOREx Class D modules, the Evo 150 SE delivers 150W per channel into 8 ohms with greater detail, openness, and control. Class D has come a long way, and the Evo 150 SE makes a strong case for just how far it can go in a compact chassis.
Aesthetically, the SE keeps the original’s Red Dot Award-winning form but adds a more premium finish, an improved display, and revised internals where they count most. The updated StreamMagic app also brings a more polished user experience, including a customizable 7-band EQ and genre-specific presets.
Of course, progress doesn’t come cheap. The Evo 150 SE steps up in both performance and price. But for those looking for a future-proof, design-forward streaming amp with real hi-fi credibility, it’s a logical and well-executed evolution.
Cambridge Audio Evo 150 SE: Because Your Bookshelf Deserves a Class D Amp with a British Accent
Designed and engineered in London, the Evo 150 SE continues Cambridge Audio’s mission to pack serious hi-fi performance into a compact, elegant box. It’s powered by their excellent StreamMagic platform and delivers enough muscle to drive real speakers—no extra boxes or cables required. Just add speakers and you’re off.
“The Evo 150 was a big moment for us,” says Matt Dore, Cambridge Audio’s Chief Technical Officer. “It struck the right balance between proper hi-fi sound and modern convenience—something that clearly resonated with listeners. With the SE, we’ve taken that foundation and pushed Class D further, making it even more musical and engaging, while fine-tuning the design inside and out.”
The original Evo 150 earned a Red Dot Design Award for a reason—Ged Martin’s clean, retro-modern aesthetic hit that sweet spot between lifestyle and hi-fi. The new Evo 150 SE doesn’t mess with success, but it does tighten things up. Same elegant silhouette, just more refined for today’s homes where gear has to look as good as it sounds.
Its 12” x 12” footprint is no accident—it mirrors the size of a vinyl sleeve, which is both a clever nod and a practical win for space-conscious setups. Despite the compact form, Cambridge managed to fit in a bold 6.8″ color screen that lets you toggle between album art, track info, a clock, or a pair of retro-style virtual VU meters that are hypnotic enough to distract you from whatever’s burning in the kitchen.
Side panels? You get two. They’re magnetically attached and easy to swap—choose between real wood if you’re feeling warm and vintage, or an industrial finish for that brushed-metal, loft-dwelling look. It’s an actual design choice, not a gimmick.
Even the dual-concentric knob got a makeover. The inner control ring now wears Cambridge’s Lunar Grey finish and feels every bit as smooth and intentional as the rest of the unit. Form and function, in one confident spin.
Connectivity That Would Make a Swiss Army Knife Jealous
The Evo 150 SE doesn’t just play nice with your gear—it practically begs for more things to connect to. At its core is Cambridge Audio’s 4th-gen StreamMagic platform, developed in-house and updated regularly like a well-behaved British butler who also knows how to code. It’s stable, fast, and supports just about every streaming service worth your bandwidth: Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Qobuz, Amazon Music, Deezer, Internet Radio, and it’s fully Roon Ready and UPnP compatible.
On the wireless front, you get Bluetooth aptX HD, Apple AirPlay 2, and Chromecast built-in. If you’re running a multiroom setup through Google Home, AirPlay, or Roon, Evo 150 SE slots right in like it’s been living there for years.
Need to go wired? Evo 150 SE obliges with HDMI ARC (because apparently soundbars aren’t the only game in town), a moving magnet phono stage for your turntable, balanced XLR and RCA inputs for analog sources, and a buffet of digital inputs: two optical, one coaxial, USB Audio, and USB Media. Everything flows through the same ESS Sabre ES9018K2M DAC, which has been quietly doing its job in much more expensive gear for years.
There’s a subwoofer out if you want to rattle the floorboards, and pre-outs if you plan to use the Evo as a source or preamp. Two sets of speaker terminals let you run a second zone—handy if you’re trying to impress guests in the garden or just want some tunes in the kitchen while burning toast.
And for those still spinning silver discs, Evo CD is the perfect match—Cambridge’s dedicated CD transport built to integrate seamlessly with Evo 150 SE, without looking like an awkward afterthought.
Everything’s controlled via the StreamMagic app (which, thankfully, doesn’t require a PhD in UX design), or you can use your TV remote through HDMI ARC. Still not satisfied? A proper remote is included, because some of us still appreciate physical buttons and not yelling at Alexa to change albums.
Key Features
- Power Output: 2 x 150W (8 Ohms)
- Amplification: Hypex NCOREx Class D, “Tuned by Cambridge”
- Streaming Platform: Built-in StreamMagic Gen 4 (Spotify, TIDAL, Amazon Music, Qobuz, Deezer, Internet Radio, and more)
- Multiroom Compatibility: Google Home, Apple AirPlay, Roon
- DAC: ESS SABRE ES9018k2m
- Phono Stage: Moving-magnet (MM)
- HDMI: ARC for TV connection and volume control
- Wireless: Bluetooth aptX HD, AirPlay 2, Google Cast
- Inputs:
- RCA line input
- Balanced XLR input
- 2x TOSLINK optical inputs
- Coaxial digital input
- USB Media & USB Audio
- Dedicated Evo CD input
- Outputs:
- Subwoofer output
- RCA pre-out
- Two sets of 4mm banana plug speaker outputs for dual zones
- Control: 12V trigger input and pass-through for auto power on/off
- Design: Customisable magnetically attached side panels (real wood & modern ridged finishes included)
The Bottom Line
The Cambridge Audio Evo 150 SE builds on a proven, award-winning design, adding meaningful improvements that push it ahead of aging rivals like the Naim Uniti Atom—which frankly looks and feels overdue for a refresh.
Sure, it’s priced higher than budget-friendly options like the WiiM Amp Ultra, EverSolo Play, Marantz M1, or NAD alternatives, all of which pack plenty of features and tempt buyers to ask, “Why spend more?”
Fair question.
After more than two years spent listening to the original Evo 150, we have every reason to believe the new Evo 150 SE, priced at $3,299, could be the best streaming amplifier under $5,000. It builds on a proven foundation with meaningful upgrades—offering better sound, a more flexible path for expansion, and a user experience that simply works. If you’re in the market for a streaming amp that doesn’t cut corners or rely on gimmicks, this one’s definitely worth checking out.
Related Reading:
- Cambridge Audio’s Evo 150 DeLorean Edition Network Amplifier Goes Back To The Future
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- Elipson Connect 2130 Xi: Ugly, Boxy, Brilliant — Welcome To The Future Of Audiophile Streaming
- Cambridge Audio Evo 150: The Audiophile System Builder
- Cambridge Audio Evo CD: Review
