Arcam ST25 review

Generally speaking, we’ve had nothing but love for Arcam’s recent Radia range of hi-fi separates. It’s delivered multiple five-star products, including a pair of Award-winning stereo amplifiers and CD player. Next up for the eyes and ears of our crack team of reviewers is its premium ST25 music streamer.

Ironically, the only blot on Radia’s copybook so far has been the Arcam ST25’s cheaper sibling, the ST5. It disappointed us with a three-star performance when it passed through our test rooms a couple of years ago.

Now it’s time for the pricier model to go on the test bench, and, to put it rather bluntly, we are hoping for bigger and better things from the step-up streamer…

Price

Priced at £1499 / $1650 / AU$2995, the Arcam ST25 is a clear step above entry-level music streamers and will need to deliver the sound performance befitting a premium model.

The closest rival we have tested is the Cambridge Audio EXN100 at £1599 / $1799, a formidable five-star rival and What Hi-Fi? Awards 2024 winner.

Build & design

We’re a fan of the design language Arcam adopted for its Radia range and our opinion isn’t shifted by the ST25.

It’s a modern, clean-looking, solidly made hi-fi separate – the full-width all-black chassis makes quite the impression, especially against lighter-coloured racks and kit.

The top panel shows some nice attention to detail, with furrows running front to back that gradually get deeper as you reach the streamer’s front panel.

And, speaking of the front panel, a large chunk of it is dedicated to a 6.5-inch high-resolution display. It looks great; the album artwork appears bright, punchy and colourful with good viewing angles, while the accompanying metadata is easy enough to read too.

The front of the ST25 is also zero fuss, with not even a power button in sight.

Inside the ST25’s chassis, you’ll find a new six-layer digital audio and streaming platform. Arcam has included a ground plane through the board to keep noise and interference away from the audio components.

These components include the latest Hyperstream iV DAC topology from ESS in a balanced configuration with advanced jitter elimination to minimise digital timing errors.

The ST25 also uses a new linear, low-noise toroidal power supply and a switching power supply, which takes over when in standby for improved efficiency.

Features

While that 6.5-inch display dominates the front of the Arcam ST25, the rear of the unit is a more stripped-back and minimalist affair.

Tucked beneath the hood, which extends over the rear of the streamer (we understand it helps keep dust off the sockets, but it does get in the way a tad if you’re a hi-fi reviewer who constantly needs to keep switching between it and rival products), you’ll find a pair of analogue line-level outputs, an Ethernet connection, and coaxial and optical digital outputs.

There’s also a USB port for connecting an external drive and a control port – the latter comes into play if you want to pair the streamer with one of Arcam’s Radia stereo amplifiers (such as the A5+ or A15+) and use the two together.

Arcam’s menu of streaming support includes Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, Amazon Music and Roon, which should be more than enough to cater for most streaming needs.

Of course, if all your music is stored on a server on your connected home network, the ST25 can stream from there too, and it supports high-res audio up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256 files.

The ST25 comes with a small remote control, which you’ll need to use to carry out some functions, including selecting your favourite DAC filter and dimming or turning the display off.

When it comes to choosing your preferred DAC filter, you have four options: minimum phase, linear phase apodizing, linear phase slow roll-off, and minimum phase slow roll-off. The effects are extremely subtle, but we settle on linear phase apodizing for the bulk of our testing.

If you’re not using a streaming service like Tidal or Spotify with ‘Connect’ functionality, you’ll be using the Arcam Radia app to control the streamer. Here you can set internet radio presets, access podcasts and other services such as Amazon Music.

In an ideal world, it would be nice to be able to access all settings through the app, including the filter options mentioned above, as jumping between the app on a phone or tablet and the on-unit menu with the remote wand does feel a little jarring.

It’s also a shame Amazon doesn’t have ‘Connect’ functionality like Tidal and Spotify, because its implementation in the Radia app does feel a little clunky when trying to navigate tunes and playlists.

Similarly, accessing music stored on our review network is fine, but it could be slightly easier to navigate than having to scroll through long lists of artists, for example.

Having the ability to jump to different letters in the alphabet and navigate that way could make the experience slightly slicker.

Rival apps from the likes of Cambridge Audio and Bluesound do feel a little more intuitive, clearer and more rewarding to use.

There’s no Bluetooth functionality on the Arcam, which some users might find a strange omission, but for us, it isn’t a deal-breaker.

Sound

We carry out our testing using a variety of streaming options, including Tidal Connect, Amazon Music, internet radio and high-res tracks stored on our Naim Uniti Core server.

We start testing with a CD-quality stream of Madonna's Sky Fits Heaven from our Uniti Core server.

The first thing we notice about the Arcam 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.

We switch over to something a little calmer, and play Einaudi: Experience by Ludovico Einaudi, as a 24-bit/48kHz stream from Tidal Connect.

The Arcam’s quietness plus attention to detail means the precision and delicacy of the piano play leaves a sonic mark on the listener.

Notes hang in open space, with differences in dynamics explicitly presented. You can hear the intent and intensity behind each key strike change as the track flows gracefully along.

While the piano remains pacesetter for the track, strings slide into view with precision – they’re tightly defined, natural-sounding strokes, and you can feel the intent behind each one.

The Arcam layers the track beautifully as more elements come together in a bountiful soundstage. The drama blossoms into a beautiful crescendo before all those extra layers fall away, leaving just the piano exposed.

We compared the Arcam to its closest rival, the Cambridge Audio EXN100, and while the Cambridge streamer sounds big, bold and confident in its own right, we think the Arcam opens up an even bigger window into the music being streamed.

The ST25 and its quieter background allow for an even greater level of insight and subtlety, which allows it to form an even stronger connection with the listener.

Verdict

If you’re looking to add a great all-round streamer to your hi-fi system, and it warrants a standalone unit at this price, the Arcam is a fantastic option.

Whether it’s internet radio or high-res audio streams, the ST25 presents them in a hugely enjoyable and musical way.

Okay, so the control app isn’t the slickest we’ve used, but the class with which it presents music, and in such a detailed and dynamic manner, needs to be heard.

Review published: 13th October 2025

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 4
• Build 5

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