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Yes, you love your novelty Minion-shaped Bluetooth speaker… but why not enhance your living space with properly premium sound?
ARCAM ST5
£799 /go.stuff.tv/ST5
Arcam’s ST5 is a fresh face in the competitive world of music streamers. Priced competitively, this high-end home audio device shares the same design language as the brand’s Radia range, which has bagged wide acclaim for its hi-fi separates. Now it’s the ST5’s turn under the spotlight… but does it hit all the right notes?
With its anodised aluminium casing, the ST5’s all-black build is robust and stylish, though with a more discreet appearance than its siblings. The design, free of any knobs or buttons, features a simple one-line text display; this is perfectly readable, if lacking the sharpness of full-colour displays as seen on competitors like the Cambridge CXN V2.
Arcam’s focus on performance is pretty clear in that streamlined design, shunning elements like an OLED display. On the inside, it’s an evolution of the (much pricier) ST60, with a more efficient single microprocessor and upgraded components, including an improved power supply.
Sound and wishin’
Tech-wise, the ST5 is more than capable: UPnP, AirPlay 2, Chromecast and internet radio are supported, along with Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Amazon Music. The connectivity options are comprehensive, with Wi-Fi, USB-A, optical and coaxial outputs, and line-level RCA. But it notably lacks a headphone output and Bluetooth.
As for hi-res audio, the ST5 supports a maximum resolution of 24-bit/192kHz and DSD128, putting it behind some rivals.
While we enjoyed the sleek and compact aesthetics of the remote control, it’s missing some features and commands that are only accessible through the on-unit menu –which can be less intuitive to navigate. On the other hand, the digital output options are versatile, with settings for different types of audio processing and output.
Place oddity
If we had to nitpick, we’d say the user experience on the ST5 can feel a bit all over the shop. Unlike more seamless interfaces from competitors, there isn’t a central place where you can manage and control everything. The app is simple and functional for daily operations but doesn’t integrate all of the ST5’s features in a user-friendly way, which can be frustrating.
Sound-wise, however, the ST5 delivers full, easy-going and well balanced audio. Where it truly shines is with higher-quality digital files, offering rich d
