Cambridge Audio Evo 300 review

Powered by its excellent StreamMagic streaming platform, Cambridge Audio has done a fine job with its Evo range of just-add-speakers streaming amplifiers in recent years.

They’ve delivered convenience and quality in pretty much equal measure, which isn’t always a given when you’re asking a single product to perform multiple functions.

The Evo 300 is the brand’s fourth such system and sits above the Evo 150 SE in Cambridge Audio’s current line-up.

The new model boasts double the power of the 150 SE (300W vs 150W), and the company has gone to great lengths to highlight the fact that it is its most powerful streaming amplifier ever.

But this increase in power comes with an increase in price, which not only makes it Cambridge Audio’s most expensive streaming amplifier ever, but also moves the Evo into new territory, and into the sights of new rivals.

Cambridge Audio has cooked up a solid recipe for its streaming systems so far, but does the Evo 300 have the ingredients needed to impress?

Price

The Evo 300 costs £3499 / $3999 / AU$6399, which places it slightly above our current favourite around that price, the Award-winning Arcam SA35. The Arcam costs £2999 / $3300 / AU$6495 and launched back in May 2024. Despite its comparative age, we haven’t seen much in the way of online discounts on the Arcam.

To give you some extra context, the Cambridge Audio Evo 75 and Evo 150 launched in 2021 for £1799 / $2250 / AU$3299 and £2249 / $3000 / AU$4299, respectively, while the current Evo 150 SE arrived in 2025 with a price tag of £1999 / $3299 / AU$5795. As you can see, that’s quite a jump in price to the new model.

Design & build

If you’re familiar with any previous Evo models, you’ll know what to expect from the Evo 300 on the design front. And it’s overwhelmingly positive.

Cambridge Audio has really nailed the design language – the Evo 300 is a good-looking unit, with styling that should look at home in a wide range of listening environments.

It has a premium-looking and feeling black aluminium cabinet which boasts the Evo’s party piece – interchangeable, magnetic side panels. You get two options in the box: a real wood veneer or a black slatted option, should you want a traditional or more modern aesthetic.

On the front of the amp is a large 7.8-inch display, which is the biggest Cambridge Audio has used to date. It’s an inch bigger than the screen on the Evo 150 SE, and it really helps the system stand out.

It’s bright, crisp and punchy when it comes to showing album artwork and track information. The way it makes use of that real estate means you shouldn’t have any problems reading it from your sofa.

You have several display options to cycle through, whether you want one packed with track information or simple album artwork – there’s even a VU meter for those wanting something a little different. Whichever you pick, it’s always legible. The fonts used are clean and crisp and the sizes well-judged.

A small strip of control buttons runs down the right side of the screen – these relate to system set-up, playback and power. At the far right of the screen is Cambridge Audio’s trademark volume dial/control wheel combination.

The outer wheel has a knurled pattern running around it, which makes it relatively easy to grip, although some members of the team thought the edge could be a touch wider. As it turns, the Evo 300 responds with a confident click. The volume dial turns smoothly.

Bonus points, too, for the supplied remote. The neat design makes a refreshing change from some of the dull, generic-looking wands we’ve come across at this and even higher levels. The shape and positioning of the buttons make it simple to grip and easy to navigate.

But it's Cambridge Audio’s StreamMagic app which will be your main point of interaction with the Evo 300. And it's as intuitive and impressive as ever.

The way it integrates all the various features of the system with a plethora of streaming services, and presents them all in a way which is satisfying to navigate, means it’s ideal for beginners and more advanced streamers alike.

Features

Besides 300 watts per channel (into 8 ohms) courtesy of Hypex NCOREx power modules, the Evo 300 has a broad range of features at its disposal.

On the rear of the streaming amp are two sets of speaker terminals should you want to power an extra pair in a different room.

Want to add a subwoofer to your hi-fi set-up? An adjustable sub output is included and, using the StreamMagic app, you can control crossover, level and phase to make integration as smooth as possible.

In the Evo’s audio settings, you have a seven-band equaliser to play with, plus a number of EQ presets for shifting the sonic balance.

We’d also suggest you experiment with the product’s room compensation feature, which allows you to tweak the sound to match the “reflectiveness” of your room. Move the slider across the screen to the corresponding image, and you’ll hear the Evo 300 change its tonal balance to suit either a damped room or a minimalist one full of glass and hard surfaces..

Beneath the unit’s aluminium chassis you’ll find a dual-mono layout, a balanced pre-amplifier stage and an ESS Sabre ES9038Q2M DAC which supports up to 32-bit/768kHz PCM and DSD 512 files, plus the likes of ALAC, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, WMA, MP3, AAC and OGG Vorbis.

As has been the case with previous Evo models, Cambridge Audio has been more than generous on the connectivity front. You have a choice between balanced XLR inputs and the standard RCA line-level variety. There are optical and coaxial digital inputs and a USB-Type B socket for connecting external digital sources.

HDMI connectivity is all the rage on products like this, and the Evo 300 duly obliges with an eARC-compatible socket. You also have a moving magnet phono stage for connecting a turntable.

As we’ve mentioned, Cambridge Audio’s excellent StreamMagic platform caters for all your streaming wants, with support for Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Amazon Music, Deezer and Qobuz Connect, UPnP and Internet Radio. The amp also supports Bluetooth 5.4 (including aptX HD), AirPlay 2 and is Roon Ready.

Last, but by no means least, anyone after a more private listening experience can plug a pair of headphones into the 6.35mm headphone input on the front of the unit.

Sound

It really is a case of so far, so good for the Cambridge Audio Evo 300.

During testing, we use the streaming amp with our reference ATC SMC50 speakers, the five-star Epos ES14N and multi-Award-winning KEF LS50 Meta to get a feel for the breadth of the Cambridge Audio’s abilities.

And in isolation, the Evo 300 is a confident, capable performer. We start with a blast of Starstruck by Lady Gaga and the Evo 300 dispatches several meaty, solid-sounding bass notes and crisp-sounding claps before it opens up a spacious, welcoming stereo image.

There's real power and weight behind the streaming amp’s delivery – you’re left in no doubt that the Cambridge has big muscles, and it’s not afraid to flex them given half an opportunity.

There’s good depth and height to the image too, with a decent amount of space around her vocal and the electropoppy, synthy highs that prod around at the top of the frequency range.

Similarly, the switch to Jupiter from Holst's The Planets shows the regimented delivery of the Evo 300. The tightly controlled string sections are neatly arranged alongside percussion and wind, and it’s a pleasant, straightforward enough listen with no hidden surprises.

Highs and lows are nicely balanced – the strings don’t exhibit any uncomfortable, harsh edges and low frequencies don’t overplay their hand and remain well controlled at all times even when pushed to antisocial levels.

But there’s something missing. The track lacks energy. The strings lack sparkle. The Orchestra Symphonique de Montreal sounds like it’s slumped in its chairs instead of standing to attention.

Dynamically, the whole ensemble just struggles to connect with us. Yes, it’s a powerful, robust sound, but the Evo 300 struggles to convey the sense of life with each instrument. Instead of sounding energetic and rising and falling as the orchestra stretches itself across the frequency range, it just sounds a little flat and lacks drama.

We unbox the Arcam SA35, the Evo 300’s closest rival (it’s actually £500 cheaper) and try the same track. Immediately there's a different feel.

The Arcam breathes instant life into the music, aided by a wonderfully quiet background which allows more detail to shine through, more texture for your ears to unravel and, most importantly, it turns the song into a proper orchestral performance with feeling.

Switching back to the Lady Gaga track, the Arcam’s dynamism hits you as soon as that first bass note kicks in. Set against a super-quiet background, the track’s energy and drive shine through.

Not only does the SA35 reveal more detail and texture in the bass notes and synthy highs, but the whole presentation is more infectious, encouraging you to tap along in time. It communicates with you much more clearly than the Cambridge Audio; Gaga’s vocal sounds more expressive and emotive.

The Evo 300 struggles to strike up a real connection across its other inputs too. We reach for a pair of Austrian Audio The Composer over-ears and the headphone output mirrors that of the speaker terminals. It’s a solid enough performance, but we are looking for more at this level.

The Cambridge’s moving magnet phono stage isn’t at the same level as the SA35, either – plugged into our reference Technics SL-1000R/Nagaoka MP-200 record deck, the Arcam produces a more balanced and more convincing sound.

Verdict

As a proposition, the Cambridge Audio Evo 300 ticks several boxes. It’s a smart-looking, well-built, feature-packed unit that comes with a streaming platform and control app which many brands could only dream about creating.

It also produces a weighty, powerful sound with a decent amount of detail. However, in our opinion, despite all that power, the sound it produces falls flat.

Music should take you on an emotional journey where you feel it just as much as you can hear it, but the Evo 300's lack of dynamism and expression leaves you feeling distant. By contrast, Arcam SA35 draws you into the music and keeps you there, and it’s quite a bit cheaper, too.

We had big hopes for the Evo 300, but in that search for more power it feels like something has been lost along the way.

Review published: 20th August 2026

SCORES

• Sound 3
• Build 5
• Features 5

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