Six thousand pounds is a lot of money. Of course it is. But break it down, and consider what you’re getting for your six and a quarter grand here, and things start to look not quite so bad.
And by “what you’re getting”, we don’t mean simply five boxes (with the two speakers) of hi-fi equipment. We mean the many, many years of joy that that money will give you via those individual bits of kit, working together to bring you the music you love at a quality that simply can’t be bettered for the money.
This is a level where performance leaps from good to truly great, all while avoiding the threshold of the outright extravagant (we’ll do one of those systems as well, though).
Article continues belowThe system
- Turntable: Rega Planar 6/Nd7 – £1655
- Music streamer: Arcam ST25 – £1499
- Integrated amplifier: Arcam A15+ – £1199
- Stereo speakers: Epos ES-7N – £1890
- Total system price: £6243
Turntable: Rega Planar 6/Nd7
Rega's Planar 6 turntable has been picking up What Hi-Fi? Awards since 2017 – and it continues to offer a terrifically capable and enjoyable performance at this level.
We originally tested the Planar 6 with the Ania moving-coil cartridge, with the package costing £1400. That is still available, but Rega now offers the new Nd5 and Nd7 moving magnet cartridges, and the Ania Pro (MC), as the standard factory-fitted options for this package.
The Nd7 uses the same ‘fine-line’ nude diamond profile as Rega’s high-end moving coil designs, and this premium moving magnet (£450) is proving to be the most popular pairing and upgrade path for the Planar 6.
What marks this Rega Planar 6 out from its rivals (and as a step up from the Planar 3 models) is that it doesn’t go for immediacy to grab your attention.
As we say in our review, “Boldness isn’t put to the forefront – instead, its party-piece is the unnerving ability to juggle balance, subtlety and timing in the most understated way.
“It’s a frankly astonishing refined and mature sound.”
Basslines have no hint of flab – they are pulled taut and are utterly punctual, and with a great deal of muscular solidity underpinning the notes.
It’s not all about the bass by any means: “There’s a huge amount of space conveyed when playing The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Dukas. You can gauge exactly where all the sections of the orchestra are seated in the precise soundstage.
“Once again, the Rega shows off its maturity during the opening moments: the swift, high notes are crisply delivered and shine just enough without sounding too sharp.
“The rhythmic ebb and flow is effortlessly precise – and when it goes quiet, it really goes silent. Timing is spot-on, and the clarity with which every instrument is presented is wonderful to hear.
We like how the Rega Planar 6 doesn’t shout about what it’s doing. It just gets on and does it.”
Music streamer: Arcam ST25
Rather as with the Rega turntable, the first thing we notice about the Arcam ST25 streamer, when we set it to play a CD-quality stream of Madonna's Sky Fits Heaven, is its crystal clear and clean delivery. It sets an eerily quiet backdrop for the music, which allows all the instruments space to breathe.
“The track starts with rapid pulsing synths, which exhibit great texture and fine detail.
There’s a real sense of pace, agility and power to the bassline as it pounds along, laying a robust foundation for all the electronica poured on top.
“The ST25 is really easy to listen to and doesn’t leave any unpleasant aftertaste. Madonna’s vocal sounds effortless and comes at you covered in texture and oozing emotion.
“All the different elements mix like a perfectly crafted cocktail; drum machine, vocal and synths all move around in unison, with the Arcam really capturing the high-energy tempo of the track.”
The easiest thing to say about the Arcam streamer is that, whether it’s internet radio or hi-res audio streams, the ST25 presents them in a hugely enjoyable and musical way.
Integrated amplifier: Arcam A15+
Especially, not too surprisingly, when it is presenting them via its stablemate A15+ stereo amplifier. The original A15 was a superb all-rounder, delivering a combination of detail, dynamics and overall balance that we felt was class-leading. This new + version, introduced in 2025, retains that character but takes small steps forward across the board.
The + version has more expressive dynamics and seems to go from quiet to loud with greater fluency. We don’t note any significant difference in scale or absolute authority, but do find that the newer amplifier is more emphatic in the way it renders crescendos and shifts in musical intensity.
There aren’t any notable changes in terms of tonality, which remains a well-judged balance of evenness with just enough smoothness for the amplifier to remain enjoyable with rough or coarse recordings.
The A15+ has the transparency to reveal flaws in a recording or partnering source, but it won’t go out of its way to emphasise those shortcomings. This is arguably the ideal balance for something at this level, we think.
Stereo speakers: Epos ES-7N
And we finish up this quartet with a pair of double Award-winning loudspeakers. The Epos ES-7N are small standmounters that have a wonderful trick up their sleeves to be as practical as possible in regards placement.
There’s a toggle switch on the ES-7N’s back panel. Click it up and the speakers are tuned for what the company calls a semi-free standing position, with the speakers on taller 70cm stands, typically 30-50cm from the rear wall.
Move the switch down and the output through midrange and treble frequencies is raised relative to the bass, giving a surprisingly even sound when the speakers are used up against a wall or on (or even in) a bookshelf.
These are relatively small speakers, so can’t compete with larger rivals when it comes to bass weight, overall scale and dynamic reach. Yet, they do so much well that we don’t really mind the losses. The ES-7N are bold and confident performers that resolve high levels of detail and organise it in a cohesive and musical way.
It’s surprising just how solid and full-bodied they sound at low frequencies. They may not dig as deeply as some rivals, but they do sound more controlled and grippy than many.
The Epos are supplied in mirror-imaged pairs and we experiment with the speakers positioned with the tweeters on the inside edge and then the outer. We prefer them as the company recommends, with the tweeters positioned on the inside. This configuration renders more solid and focused results.
Our review verdict states: “Overall, the Epos ES-7N are charmers. They are small, hugely capable and surprisingly unfussy in use.”
Hugely capable and surprisingly unfussy in use sums up this brilliant system rather well; this is just over six grand extremely well spent.
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