Cadence Distribution is thrilled to share that the SME Model 35 turntable — one of the standout products in our portfolio — has been recognised with a 2025 SoundStage! Products of the Year award, receiving the honour for Outstanding Performance.

For nearly 30 years, the SoundStage! Network has presented its annual Products of the Year awards, celebrating the finest hi-fi components reviewed across its global family of publications. These awards are the result of extensive listening, careful evaluation, and real-world use throughout the year by SoundStage!’s editorial teams — making them among the most credible recognitions in the industry.

To qualify, a product must first have earned a Reviewers’ Choice award from one of SoundStage!’s publications within the previous 12 months — a demanding filter that ensures every Product of the Year recipient has already been validated through their established review process. The Model 35 earned that first distinction in Jonathan Gorse’s review, where it was awarded Reviewers’ Choice, securing its place among the standout components eligible for SoundStage!’s year-end honours.

Read Jonathan Gorse’s review on the SME Model 35

The 2025 recipients were revealed in an official video presentation hosted by Erica Ehm — former MuchMusic VJ, songwriter, and now podcaster, panel moderator, and public speaker — celebrating both the products and the people behind them.

Cadence Distribution would like to echo SME’s thanks to SoundStage! and its editorial teams for this honour, and for the care and rigour they bring to their evaluations.

Read the SoundStage! Hi-Fi awards article