Key Points

The Eve Play is an AirPlay 2 device designed to add HomeKit intelligence to older audio devices. The device has a solid construction, a sleek design, and offers a variety of analog and digital outputs. The Eve Play is a great solution for Apple users, especially those who want to stream music from Apple Music, but it's not the best choice for multi-platform listeners. Apple HomeKit is great for managing smart products, but if you want to use it for whole-home audio, it can be tricky to implement older audio receivers and stereo systems. The Eve Play is an AirPlay 2 device with the sole purpose of adding HomeKit intelligence to your older audio devices. A quick look at the Eve Play shows that it's a device aimed at audio enthusiasts, with all the analog and digital outputs you could want. There's even a wired Ethernet port in case you don't want to rely on Wi-Fi for your music streaming. Compared to some other similar audio streamers I've looked at, the Eve Play is more limited in scope, as it focuses solely on Apple compatibility. For the right person this is a big plus, but for others it's just a sign to choose another option.

Eve Play

The Eve Play is a simple and easy way to bring CD-quality wireless sound to older analog stereo components and bring them into your HomeKit setup, but it's only for those who are all-in with Apple.

• Dimensions: 5.17 x 4.96 x 1.01 inches
• Connection technology: AirPlay 2
• Brand: Eve Home
• What is included: Eve Play, power adapter
• Audio outputs: RCA output, coaxial digital out, optical digital out
• Integrations: Apple HomeKit
• Bluetooth codecs: Wi-Fi 2, 4GHz / 5GHz
• Wi-Fi: Yes
• Ethernet: Yes
• Buttons: No
• Rotary Knobs: No
• Display: None

Pros: Adds wireless connectivity to your hi-fi setup, plenty of digital and analog outputs, high-quality Texas Instruments DAC chip, subtle but nice-looking design

Cons: No Bluetooth connectivity, only for those who have invested heavily in Apple's ecosystem, solid construction and sleek design

Sergio Rodriguez / How-To Geek

If you look at the Eve Play without a direct comparison, it looks like an Apple TV. Up close, it's wider and flatter than an Apple TV 4K, but not nearly as wide as a Mac mini. Regardless of where you want to place it, the footprint shouldn't be a big problem. The device feels relatively solid, and certainly not fragile. On the other hand, it is so light that it can be easily picked up and turned over. This is useful because you'll need to scan the QR code on the bottom of the Eve Play when it's time to set it up and start using it. Although the Eve Play fits anywhere, you may want to make sure you place it somewhere out of reach. This isn't because there are controls that can be accidentally activated (the Eve Play has no real built-in controls), but simply because it's a fingerprint magnet.

Connectivity: Lots of Outputs, But Only AirPlay

When it's time to add Eve Play to your network, you can choose Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Wi-Fi should be fine for most people, as I used when I reviewed the Play, but it's nice to have an Ethernet port on board in case you live in a building buzzing with Wi-Fi signals. As for actually playing music through the Eve Play, it comes equipped with AirPlay 2, something you won't find in many audio streamers on the market. That said, AirPlay is the only connectivity supported here, so you can't even connect to the Play via Bluetooth and there's no wired input. Fortunately, the outputs are varied and plentiful, available in both analog and digital varieties. Most people will probably use the two RCA outputs to connect to a stereo receiver or amplifier, but if you'd rather leave the digital-to-analog conversion to your stereo, you can output digital audio via optical or coaxial connections on the backside.

Eve Software

Since there are no built-in controls, setting up Eve Play takes place entirely within the Eve for Matter & HomeKit app, available for iPhone and iPad. For me this took a few tries, but it finally worked. There was one more surprise. When you start the setup process, the app offers to automatically determine latency so that music playback in multiple rooms is seamless. The app uses a series of beeps to do this, but doesn't slowly increase the volume like other apps do, so I was shocked when loud beeps started blaring from my stereo system. I also noticed some other curiosities with the software. Instead of Apple Music, I usually use my own music library and a Plex Media Server that I listen to via PlexAmp. I could listen to music just fine, but the Eve software always showed Eve Play as paused. When I listened through Apple Music, everything worked as expected.

Sergio Rodriguez / How-To Geek

The Eve Play doesn't do much except deliver music streams to the audio device of your choice, be it a headphone amp, stereo, or even a pair of powered speakers. That said, the digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is an important component in this regard, and Eve has used a high-quality DAC chip from Texas Instruments. To start listening, play music on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac and then select Eve Play as the output device, just as you would with AirPods or any other device. By selecting multiple output devices you can have music playing in multiple rooms, and the Eve software ensures everything stays in sync. For most of my testing, I used the Eve Play, connected to my living room stereo system. That said, I also connected the digital output to my Schiit Modi DAC to test with the Texas Instruments chip. While I'm sure better ears than mine can pick up huge differences, I didn't notice any significant differences. For the first test, I played Sun Ra's "That's How I Feel," a CD-quality recording, and it sounded great. Compared to listening to the song on my Sony NW-A35 Walkman plugged into the same input on the stereo, the DAC in the Eve Play seems nice, as there was a very slight difference in the amount of high-end detail. When I listened to Music Band's "Keep Living," my CD-quality digital copy of the album sounded great. As I mentioned above, I couldn't find any noticeable differences between the Texas Instruments DAC and the Schiit Modi DAC that I use in my headphone setup. I chose CD-quality albums for a reason: this is all that supports AirPlay. You can play high-resolution files through the Eve Play, but they will be downsampled to 44.1 kHz regardless of their quality. If you stream from Apple Music, you may get slightly better quality because it uses an Apple-optimized codec, so the Play is a great choice for Apple Music users.

Price and Availability

The Eve Play retails for $150 and is only available in the single color variant. In case you're not familiar, Eve Home, the company behind Play, also makes several other smart home products, including lighting, indoor and outdoor cameras, and weather measuring equipment. Looking at the competition, the WiiM Pro that I reviewed in 2023 is a very similar type of device that also sells for $150. The difference is that, unlike the Eve Home, the WiiM Pro also features Bluetooth, analog inputs, and true 24-bit/192kHz streaming. Most people probably won't notice the differences in sound character between the two, so it comes down to the ecosystems. The WiiM Pro may require a few more setups, but it works with many more devices and components. The Eve Play is simple and streamlined, but only available to Apple users. Should you buy the Eve Play? The Eve Play is a fantastic solution if all you want to do is play music on AirPlay devices, especially because it makes whole-home audio so easy. If you're an Apple Music user, this is the perfect device to easily stream music to your beloved hi-fi system. If you're a heavy HomeKit user, or already own other Eve Home products, Eve Play is an even better idea. On the other hand, if you're looking for a more cross-platform solution, the Eve Play is about as effective as a similarly shaped rock. It all comes down to what you use on a daily basis. If the Eve Play fits the bill as the solution to a problem you have, it's hard to beat as an AirPlay streamer. That said, while they may not be as simple or aesthetically pleasing, competitors like the WiiM Pro are more effective one-size-fits-all solutions.