Yesterday, I connected an Eversolo DMP-A8 streaming DAC via coaxial to a pair of KEF LS60 Wireless. Why? Because I wanted to stream Apple Music bit-perfectly and gaplessly through the streaming active floorstanders and none of the services offered by the KEF – Apple AirPlay 2, Google Cast and HDMI eARC – satisfy those two requirements: 1) Apple AirPlay 2 converts everything to AAC 256kps; 2) Google Cast isn’t gapless; and 3) HDMI eARC sees the interceding TV resample everything to 48kHz (no hi-res for you!).

Sharper-eyed readers might be asking themselves: why didn’t I use the FiiO R7 seen in the recent ‘retirement system‘ coverage? After all, the FiiO has a smartphone-like portrait orientation instead of the landscape orientation offered by the Eversolo. This matters when browsing Apple Music.

Apple AirPlay 2, AAC 256kbps

Last week, Eversolo landed a fresh advantage over FiiO — an Android TV version of its ‘Control’ app. I dug out a Google Chromecast TV 4K from the spare room, connected its HDMI flylead to the Samsung Frame TV in my main listening room, installed the Eversolo Control app from the Google Play Store and started the app. It auto-discovered the DMP-A8 and immediately cut to a now playing screen that puts cover art in the middle of the screen. (My preference would be to the left but that’s a story for another day).

Beneath the cover art, we’re shown the song title, the artist, the streaming protocol and – adding some audiophile catnip – the sample rate. I have confirmed that this ‘now playing’ screen app works as intended with Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, Apple Music and Roon. Did I test that ‘other’ function? No, I did not.

Qobuz Connect, lossless 96kHz

Neither did I test another Android TV device; only the Google Chromecast TV, for which users are advised to disable the screensaver and switch the “auto turn off when inactive” option to ‘never’. You can find both options in the Chromecast TV’s settings panel.

The Android TV Control app is compatible with all DMP-Ax players and Eversolo’s Play products and n Apple TV version is reportedly in the works.

Roon, lossless 44.1kHz

That’s the news but what’s the story?

The Eversolo app’s background colours are pulled from the cover art image but the gradient design here offers more contrast than WiiM’s tvOS app or the third-party tvOS app, TV:Remote, that I use for Roon. This improves readability; and the absence of timecode in the colour-picked progress bar that runs along the bottom of the screen emphasises the Control app’s minimalist design. Very tidy.

Tidal Connect, lossless 44.1kHz

Why does this matter?

The touchscreens found on the front the of many hi-fi products give us the illusion of Future-Fi. It’s easy to be wowed by them but in reality they cause inconvenience. The artist, song and sample rate information displayed on the front of the DMP-A8 – as with WiiM and FiiO devices – are hard to read from the listening position and the 6-inch display reduces covert art to a virtual postage stamp. Moreover, we have to get out of our seat to get hands on with a touchscreen device sitting under the TV or in a hi-fi rack.

Eversolo knows this: why else would it code a ‘screen mirror’ function into the smartphone version of its Control app? Perhaps its software team will consider adding the ability to browse a streaming service’s library to the TV version. Presently, there isn’t any. This makes the app’s name a bit of a misnomer.

However, Eversolo should be applauded for being the first to bring ‘now playing’ screen functionality to Android TV devices. Like WiiM with its tvOS app, Eversolo has stepped ahead of Sonos in adding more ‘real world’ utility to its streaming products than the mainstream incumbent.

Further information: Eversolo