One Friday evening, about 30 years ago, a man came into the audio store and asked if I would play a record for him. He told me he didn't own a turntable and that after hearing this record once he was going to frame it. But he wanted to hear it one time.

The record was a 45 of the Beatles' "Love Me Do" which was their first single released in 1962. The man, obviously a big Beatles fan, told me that this record was from the first pressing released in England -- a genuine collector's item.

He bought it because of the significance, he shared with me, not to listen to it. He thought it might not sound great because it did not appear to be in great shape. That was an understatement. It was visibly scratched, it was well worn. I was worried the record would damage the stylus or the speakers.

First, I cleaned the record. We then set up to listen on a very good turntable with a nice pair of Bowers & Wilkins bookshelf speakers and a very refined integrated amplifier. When I played the record for him there were huge pops and shattering cracks and 45 years of surface noise.

It was amazing.

It was a moving, change-the-trajectory-of-your-life moment. It was like listening to musical history, as though you had some tenuous connection the the Beatles at their beginning.

When I listened to the Cambridge Audio EVO 150 with the B&W 705 speakers I had that same feeling. The reason is that this system makes it so easy to connect to the music because you feel right there.

The Cambridge EVO 150 does a deft job handling the sources and amplifying the sound. The interplay between the EVO 150 and the 705 speakers is symbiotic. They both work to have a detailed high end that gives a great sense of the air, of the way the instruments are arranged across the state. The combination has a smooth and inviting midrange that gives vocals that unique timber, like the harmonica in "Love Me Do."

This system plays very well in small to mid-sized rooms, where you want to enjoy luxurious sound, but you might not want to have floor-standing speakers. It also has the power and sophistication to play in a large room and really connect you to the dynamics of the music. The range this combination has is impressive.

StreamMagic is the proprietary application Cambridge Audio has authored to control its products. It is simple, easy-to-use...dare I say fun? StreamMagic helps you access your favorite music easily and play it through this remarkable system.

System 403 is priced starting at about $6,400 including delivery and set-up.

Options for a CD player, a turntable, and speaker stands are available. Please contact us for pricing specific to your custom configuration.