Arcam ST5
The ST5 delivers a warm, vocal-rich presentation with clean detail, textured bass and an expansive, orderly soundstage. What Hi-Fi? highlights its natural sweetness with voices, while StereoNET praises its polished, engaging character. Add broad hi-res support and seamless Radia amplifier integration, and it is a compelling match for relaxed, refined digital listening.
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Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
89/100
Build Quality
84/100
Features Usability
78/100
Value for Money
77/100
Pros
Warm, natural vocal reproduction with smooth, non-fatiguing treble and clean detail.
Strong resolution, dynamic punch, wide soundstaging and precise imaging.
Excellent functional integration with Arcam Radia amplifiers, including coordinated power, input selection and volume control.
Cons
The Radia app and split remote/app control experience are widely considered fragmented and less intuitive than rival streamers.
Its smooth tuning can soften treble bite, rhythmic attack and three-dimensional layering compared with leading rivals.
No Bluetooth connectivity, despite its usefulness for convenient wireless playback.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 89/100
The ST5 is widely heard as a smooth, warm and inviting streamer with particularly appealing vocal reproduction. It retrieves plenty of detail and can sound spacious and dynamically punchy, though several reviewers find its presentation softer, less neutral and less three-dimensional than leading rivals.
Tonal Balance Musicality
88/100
What Hi-Fi? found a genial, composed and full-bodied sound, praising the natural warmth, sweetness and immediacy it brings to voices. StereoNET similarly describes a warm-side-of-neutral balance with strong bass weight, but notes softened treble attack and a tendency to round off sharper musical edges.
Resolution Detail
89/100
SoundStage Solo heard oodles of detail, strong image specificity and exceptional width and depth, while Hans Beekhuyzen praised resolution, textured bass and clearly placed performers. What Hi-Fi? confirms that better files bring richer detail, although it found rival streamers more adept at separating elements in a convincingly layered soundstage.
Digital Performance
90/100
The ST5 handles high-resolution material confidently, with StereoNET reporting strong detail and dynamic potency from 24-bit/192kHz playback. Hans Beekhuyzen found highs remarkably clean, with stable stereo imaging and no apparent jitter-related harshness, and also praised its performance when used as a digital source into an amplifier DAC.
FEATURES USABILITY PERFORMANCE 78/100
Streaming support is broad and the ST5 integrates particularly neatly with Arcam's Radia amplifiers. Its appeal is held back by recurring criticism of the control experience, which reviewers describe as disjointed and insufficiently developed.
Streaming Software
73/100
The Radia app provides access to Qobuz, Amazon Music and podcasts, alongside Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, AirPlay 2, Chromecast and Roon Ready operation. However, SoundStage Solo describes the software and overall user experience as half-hearted and disjointed, while What Hi-Fi? says the streamer does not feel like a fully developed product.
Features Connectivity
89/100
The ST5 supports a comprehensive range of streaming protocols and formats, including PCM to 24-bit/192kHz, DSD128, MQA and gapless playback. It provides Wi-Fi, Ethernet capability, RCA analogue output, optical and coaxial digital outputs, plus trigger and RJ11 control connections for close integration with Radia amplifiers.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
84/100
SoundStage Solo calls it solid hardware in a gorgeous chassis, suggesting a well-finished and reassuringly substantial unit. The available reviews say little about internal construction, long-term durability or the quality of its physical controls.
Value for Money
77/100
At its £799 list price, StereoNET and Hans Beekhuyzen consider the sound quality strong for the money, with the latter judging it worth its asking price. But SoundStage Solo calls it hard to recommend outside a complete Arcam Radia system, and What Hi-Fi? finds its incomplete-feeling user experience difficult to accept against competing streamers.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
Online Reviews & Mentions
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Forum Mentions
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Specifications
- Type
- • Streamer / Network Media Player
- Supported Hi-res media
- • FLAC, WAS (LPCM), MQA, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DSD (128)
- Supported Hi-res Bit depth
- • 16, 24
- Supported samples rates (k Hz)
- • 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192
- Supported media
- • MP3, MP4, OGG, WMA
- Supported Bit depth
- • 16
- Supported samples rates (k Hz)
- • 44.1, 48
- Gapless Playback
- • Yes
- Digital Outputs
- • 1x Coaxial (RCA), 1x Optical (Toslink)
- Analogue Outputs
- • 1x Stereo (RCA) pair
- Frequency response (fi lter 1)
- • 20Hz—20k Hz ± 0.05dB
- Specification
- • Mains voltage 100V or 110–120V or 220–240V, 50–60Hz
- Specification
- • Power consumption 12W
- Specification
- • Power consumption (Eco standby) <0.5W
- Specification
- • Dimensions W x D (including speaker terminals) x H (including feet) 431 x 344 x 57mm
- Specification
- • Weight (net) 3.5 kg
- Specification
- • Weight (packed) 5.6 kg
- Specification
- • Supplied accessories
- Specification
- • Mains lead(s)
- Specification
- • Remote control with 2 x AAA batteries
- Specification
- • Control Cable
- Specification
- • Quick Start Guide
- Specification
- • Important Safety Instructions
Manufacturer's Description — Arcam
The ARCAM ST5 is the high resolution upgrade for our Radia integrated amplifiers. The slim form factor includes a control link to these amplifiers, allowing the 2 components to act as one from your device. Sonically, this combination offers better sound quality due to the benefits of isolated components with individual power supplies.
The ARCAM ST5 provides an inclusive feature set supporting the majority of smart phones and tables, as well as popular streaming services. Connect the ST5 to your home network with Wi-Fi or Ethernet to enjoy instant playback using Apple Airplay or Google Cast.
The ST5 will playback music directly from Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, and it is Roon Ready, all with Hi-res and MQA support. All digital audio is output on the analogue outputs using an ESS ES9018 high resolution DAC with time domain jitter elimination for perfect sound, every time.
- Perfect match for the ARCAM A5+ and A15+ - with comms link for input and volume control
- Spotify Connect
- Tidal Connect
- Qobuz Connect
- Apple Airplay
- Google Cast
- Roon Ready
- Works with new ARCAM Radia app - for Wi-Fi setup and internet radio presets and Podcasts
- Hi-Res Audio - up to 24 bit / 192 kHz
- Plastic Free Packaging - for easy disposal of natural materials
Verified Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Arcam ST5
- 110Hz — online and in-store — Kielce, Województwo świętokrzyskie, Poland (website)
- Accent On Music — in-store — Mount Kisco, New York, United States (website)
- Acoustic Technologies — online and in-store — Montréal, Québec, Canada (website)
- Acoustica — online and in-store — Chester, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Acton Gate Audio — online and in-store — Cymru, United Kingdom (website)
- Alen Audio — in-store — Extramurs, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (website)
- Alpha High End — online and in-store — Brasschaat, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium (website)
- Alpha Stereo — in-store — Plattsburgh, New York, United States (website)
- Ambiance Concert — in-store — Angers, Pays de la Loire, France (website)
- AMPL’HIFI — online and in-store — Nîmes, Occitanie, France (website)
and 201 more verified dealers