I was in the market for a new streamer. After following a couple fellow AAs journey (George Prentice’s and Bart’s threads on their experience on streamers, thank you guys!), I was skeptical but remained inspired to learn more about how important sources can affect the listening experience.
Read all about the entry offerings from Auralic Altair G2.1, Aurender A200, and newcomer Hifi Rose RS150B. From a Dac standpoint, the Altair G2.1 and Rose RS150 have raved reviews on their implementation. No local demos were available for these contenders so I took a leap of faith with the RS150B. What’s the worst case scenario with a 60 days return policy?
Hifi Rose’s in its audio infancy but its parent company has been in the electronics business for over 50 years. As expected, early reviewers and owners reported software bugs but also shared Hifi Rose was very responsive in addressing user concerns. Firmwares were consistent and alleviated some concerns I had.
System background, I was upgrading from a Bluesound Node 2i connected to a Mac C2300 preamp and MC501s powering B&W 802D2s. The Node was and still is a great value for a streamer. As the years past, music from the same sources (both CDs and streaming Tidal) just seemed to sound brighter in my living/listening room. The brightness frustration lead to an actual listening demo at a Sonus faber dealer. Almost pulled a trade-in offer for the SF Serafinos but my gut warned me not act impulsive. For the record, the SF Serafinos are drop dead gorgeous art pieces in person!
Back to the RS150B. It came safe in a double box. Unboxing showed a very well thought out packaging with durable foams and a cloth-like cover protecting the unit from scratches. The manual speaks mostly about the unit connections and hardware features. The Bluetooth remote is practical but could be made better. Overall, hook up and a few clicks to Hifi Rose Connect iPad app and website took less than an hour. Fortunately, I didn’t experience any software glitches.
The RS150B is equipped with an ESS Pro vs the AKM chip from the Hifi Rose early release of the RS150. There are no knobs, buttons on the unit. Real estate is dedicated all to its impressive 14.9 inch touch screen. I am totally comfortable with the screen design but user experience will definitely vary.
The RS150B has an endless list of features and more inputs/outputs than I’ll ever need. It’s fully listed on the Hifi Rose website so I won’t bore you here.
So how does it sound? The RS150B was connected via XLRs to the C2300 preamp replacing the Node 2i. There were no other changes made to my current system.
Less than 5 hours of burn-in….within a couple songs from Norah Jones (Come Away With Me, Tidal MQA), my jaws dropped. I have listened to this album dozens of times on Tidal and on SACD. The system brightness literally disappeared. Soundstage, depth, clarity came alive but it was the separation, placement, and sense of air and space around the instruments that sold me.
I have always believed that the room, speakers, preamps, amps, and sources (in that order) mostly affect our music listening. Just so surprised that a source can have such an enormous effect on the overall listening experience! OMG! George/Bart, thank you so much for saving my system!!!
This is not an endorsement for the Hifi Rose RS150B. There are many other options out there, YMMV with system synergy, and your own ears. Just wanted to share my personal experience.
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