The more boxes the better: why the path to sonic heaven is lined with many components

All-in-one systems are great, aren’t they? Recent experiences comparing the likes of the Cambridge Audio Evo 150 with the Naim Uniti Atom brought home just how talented these little just-add-speakers streaming systems have become. Not only do they retain all the well-recognised advantages of the breed – compactness, lack of clutter and extensive features lists that seem to cover every possible use case – but by general standards, they also perform really well now.

That these units pack a fully featured streamer with Bluetooth, AirPlay and Chromecast plus a DAC, preamplifier and stereo power amp in one box that has the footprint of an A4 piece of paper is pretty impressive when you think about