Am I getting on, or is some alternate parallel universe compressing our dimension’s linear timeline? Has it really been a year already? Get out! It feels like only weeks have passed since I was sifting through products for last year’s awards… and now here I am once again, compiling the shortlist for SoundStage! Australia’s Products of the Year 2025. It’s a process that, once finalised, bestows recognition to this year’s most remarkable designs while celebrating products that signal the very best performance, innovation, and creativity in high-end audio.
Awardees 2025
As we approach the Holiday Season, the audio industry turns its attention to celebrating the year’s best products. Here at SoundStage! Australia, we’re in synch with the SoundStage! Network’s awards, which recognise outstanding products across all our publications.
As we’ve done over the last couple years, the SoundStage! Network has once again invited a renowned industry artist to present our annual awards. While we’ve had audiophile favourites Dominique Fils-Aimé and Kellylee Evans host in 2023 and 2024 respectively, for 2025 we’re thrilled to have Erica Ehm as our awards presenter. Ehm is an author, TV presenter, and podcaster who is renowned both in her native Canada and internationally. Her pioneering Video Jockey work at Toronto’s MuchMusic TV channel launched a long and high profile career across diverse entertainment platforms. Ehm will be presenting all of the SoundStage! Network’s Products of the Year awards.
So, as far as the reviews published on SoundStage! Australia in 2025? Well, we’ve reviewed what can only be described as an exemplary cross-section of products representing just about every sector of the high-end audio landscape. Of course, while performance excellence is the launchpad for the award evaluations, a select few have also distinguished themselves across a mix of criteria such as performance, engineering, aesthetic design, value, and overall execution.
As far as the structure for the award selection process, we evaluate products across a range of parameters. As mentioned above, the most important of these being sonic performance, a non-negotiable aspect of the music playing experience. Like I often say, “if it don’t shake it, it ain’t gonna cut it”. Beyond that, other important metrics are build quality, engineering proficiency, the feature set, etc. Even value for money may come into play, as would a product’s heritage and its broader historic relevance.
Lastly, SoundStage! Australia owes its exponential growth this year to our loyal and steadily expanding readership, along with our growing viewership across the varied series on our YouTube channel and Instagram. The same gratitude extends to our strong network of corporate supporters… all part of our expanding global universe. A big thank you to all for your continued support. Wishing each and every one of you a musical Festive Season.
… Edgar Kramer
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Innovation in Design places importance on a product that offers a point of difference in terms of unique features, advanced engineering or innovative design, in addition to excellent sound performance.
Aesthetics & Sound Quality is self-explanatory but with an emphasis on high-performance components (on par with the ‘Outstanding Performance’ category) that are also aesthetically beautiful.
Outstanding Performance is awarded to a fine-tuned product presenting exceptional sound quality and is among ‘the best of the best’.
Exceptional Value combines dollar mileage with superb performance aspects.
Extraordinary Auxiliaries honours the excellence of essentials which are in supplementary support to audio components.
Products of the Year 2025
Please note: We include a short reviewer’s ‘grab’ as a general prompt, however, we suggest reading the originally-published review (click on the product title) for the complete reviewer’s evaluation.
Innovation in Design
Estelon Extreme Mk.II Loudspeakers, Reviewed by Edgar Kramer – December 2025
“Art is what materialises as an expression of a creative urge… the result of an idea, a vision, or a craft. You can say the same for gifted engineering where at Estelon the designers’ concepts and disciplines, converge in the Extreme Mk.II, a singular manifestation embodied in an exceptional loudspeaker system.”
Focal Diva Utopia Active Wireless Loudspeakers, Reviewed by Edgar Kramer – June 2025
“Enter Focal’s Diva Utopia, abridging the entire multi-component signal chain to two minimalist, high performance, elegant loudspeakers incorporating proprietary drivers and advanced digital technologies. Yes, by providing sonic attributes in line with the expectations of keen listeners, and by doing so in a simple, user friendly form, Diva Utopia also liberates the audiophile from the shackles of excessive complexities.”
Telos Audio Design Monster Series Power Station Standard Edition & Earth Grounding Standard Edition, Reviewed by Barry Johnston – October 2025
“… if you’ve got the readies and can truly afford it, the Telos Audio Design Monster series Power Station and Earth Grounding units will elevate your system in a way you will not believe until you try it. And if your system is already “no-budget, no-compromise”? Then you don’t just need these… You’re incomplete without them.”
Aesthetics & Sound Quality
Marantz MODEL 10 Integrated Amplifier, Reviewed by Edgar Kramer – February 2025
“… the MODEL 10 performs superbly. It tenaciously controls the loudspeakers with grip, power and subtlety, despite those characteristics being seemingly contradictory. And MODEL 10 totally smashes other aspects of excellent audio reproduction such as spatial information, tonal qualities, dynamic expression and overall presentational precision… the MODEL 10 is a single chassis wunderkind.”
Musical Fidelity M6xTT Turntable, Reviewed by Mark Busby – August 2025
“Adding to all of this is the refined and elegant design that, while looking reasonably simple, has a lot of high tech engineering and thought gone into it. The Musical Fidelity M6xTT turntable balances elegance and playability and is a very welcome addition to the vinyl replay world. Highly recommended.”
SpectraFlora Celata 88 Loudspeakers, Reviewed by Edgar Kramer – March 2025
“… Celata 88 can be seen as an homage to vintage designs… SpectraFlora is also cognisant of the demands of modern reproduction and listener tastes. It caters to that by incorporating modern, high quality drivers, a mix of bespoke and premium crossover parts, a meticulous design process, and extensive sessions of scrupulous voicing.”
Outstanding Performance
Albedo Audio Achema Loudspeakers, Reviewed by Edgar Kramer – December 2025
“The Achema narrative is one of delivering performance that far exceeds expectations for a speaker of its size, even if its 2.5-way topology is, alas, seldom explored. Albedo Audio’s Achema is complete… and utterly compelling, proving that intelligent design embodied in a compact form can confidently inhabit the high-end space. Unequivocally and enthusiastically recommended.”
Antipodes Audio Oladra Music Server/Streamer, Reviewed by Edgar Kramer – April 2025
“Oladra reaches a zenith point in engineering, hardware, and software savvy which reflects Antipodes Audio’s determination to offer the ultimate digital source. Technology aside, Oladra boats an attractive and unique industrial design, is built to a super-high standard bearing exceptional finish and, most importantly, it performs sonically to the highest degree.”
Audio Research Reference 330M Monoblock Amplifier, Reviewed by Edgar Kramer – February 2025
“… the new Audio Research Reference 330M monos reflect the over-half-century DNA of the revered American company. These flagship amplifiers are intelligently engineered, superbly built, elegantly styled and, most importantly, perform to a sonic standard which epitomises the meaning of the word ‘Reference’. In terms of vacuum tube design… actually, no, side-by-side against any type of technology, the Audio Research 330M is a blindingly powerful valve-glow beacon of amplification excellence.”
PrimaLuna EVO 300 Hybrid Power Amplifier, Reviewed by Edgar Kramer – August 2025
“… the EVO 300 presents a compelling case for sonic excellence. Plus, at its relatively affordable price point, PrimaLuna’s EVO 300 Hybrid Power Amplifier stands poised to bring high-end audio reproduction within reach of a broad and what should surely be a receptive network of music lovers.”
Exceptional Value
Bluesound NODE ICON Reference Music Streamer, Reviewed by Barry Jones – September 2025
“The Bluesound NODE ICON is simply the perfect way for music lovers or someone launching into an audiophile journey to experience seriously good playback of their favourite music at home. For the price I can’t think of a better way… NODE ICON is compact, understated, looks great on any rack, cabinet or bookshelf and will integrate well into any living environment.”
Extraordinary Auxiliaries
Siltech Master Crown Cables, Reviewed by Edgar Kramer – September 2025
“The Master Crown cable loom is for those who not only are lucky enough to afford such luxuries… but they are also for those with the passion and courage to manifest their audio ambitions. They are for those who aspire to reach the highest high-end peaks where oxygen is thin. And for those who will also find themselves listening deeply, because that’s what these cables inspire. They’ll savour nuance, and control, and scale, and vivid soundscapes, all a product of deeply committed engineering.”
