A thread for Hifi ROSE products.
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I traded my Modwright power amp that was collecting dust for one of the flagship RS150b streamer/server/entertainment hub. It’s burning in and opening up at the moment.
First impressions are pretty good, but will talk about more things in detail later.
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It’s a beautiful peace of kit as is pretty much all their stuff… Hoping that it sounds nearly as good as it looks.
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It’s definitely a fun piece of kit. It certainly doesn’t beat my main setup at the moment, but if I started all over, would I be happy with it? Yes. It does everything and more.
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What is your main setup?
Antipodes CX/EX combination to LampizatOr Golden Gate DAC to Ayre AX-5 Twenty amp to Harbeth 30.2XD.
The RS150b would fit into replacing the Antipodes alone or the Antipodes + LampizatOr, in which, it’s doing neither 
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You’re just mesmerized by the beautiful led display VU meters!
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Yum 
I love me some VU meters but i actually turn them off 
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How would you compare tonality and technical chops vs EX/CX?
Credit where credit is due. It’s certainly impressive, especially that it can do so much. Will it replace my CX/EX? No. Read the note at the bottom. These impressions are Rose streamer + Rose DAC vs. LampizatOr + CX/EX
The Rose excels with a wide immersive sound. The presentation is pretty impressive, beating something like an Amber 3 (but only for the presentation). The imaging is quite good too. The signature is warm, but not overly so. It also has good sparkle.
The CX/EX beats it in regards that it also does all of those, but better. On top of it, it has a sense of naturalness as well. Dumb saying, but it sounds more analog. If you close your eyes, you can tell the Rose is a bit digital, especially when things get busy or punchy. The ring and reverb is not as natural as the Antipodes. Again, still impressive. Would do laps around a BF2. Would trade punches with an Amber 3 and likely beat a P6Pro.
*Note: I haven’t done a fair comparison by attaching the Rose to my LampizatOr to do a head-to-head. I assume it would get a bit closer.
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For the price you sure should expect it to crush BF2 but the Amber 3 and P6P make it a much more promising option.
Does it feel super gimmicky? Their amp with the complex physical controls sure looks like it (didn’t see one in person)
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I listened a bit more intentionally for a couple of hours with my gf (for a second set of ears).
The CX/EX + LampizatOr is quite noticeably better (of course). It is blacker, more refined, more composed, more natural, better time domain, better texture. Cleaner overall and never breaks a sweat if you crank the volume or if the song gets busy.
Again, I’ll have to see what happens when I connect a DAC to the streamer.
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It can for some, depending on use case. I originally thought so myself, but I actually use the gimmicks. I suppose that’s why I called it an entertainment hub. I still think it’s a strong showing considering it comes with a pre, TV connectivity, DAC, streamer, Roon endpoint, server, and hub. If they upcharged for the digital meters and random software, then I’d be more up in arms.
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I’m meh on the looks of that. I heard it sounds decent. What would impress me are the multiple sets of speaker posts. You can do A + B setup + individual bi amping if you wanted.
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Good to know there are decent AIO options out there. I believe this list also describes the Bluesound Node but it also sounds like how much it costs.
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You’ve compared it to Amber 3 …How would it compare to a Baltic 3 with a decent streamer?? I like the AIO approach just want to make sure the SQ is worth the price.
Not knowing what you paid for it, from a value standpoint it sits in a nice area free of competition. There are used Lumin and Aries DAC streamers that can be had for under $2k and then on the low end is the ever popular Bluesound Node.
I was pretty certain that it wouldn’t go head to head as a DAC on the more established $5K plus used offerings out there but it doesn’t have to. It’s its own product, it’s attractive from a design standpoint with the bling screen as a real value add for a lot of buyers.
All it really had to be is better than the lower end dedicated streamers and a good enough DAC. Sounds like it delivering more than that which I’m happy to hear.
I’m not the target buyer based on what I’m looking for at this point in my journey, but the reality is that for many in the hobby that are moving up to it, it’s probably better than anything else they’ve ever had as an AIO digital solution.
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I think having a 150 like this with a turntable and active speakers can be a super clean living room setup that covers everything you need and seems to have more than good sound quality with it. I’m sure there’s a big market for that simple and good looking setup.
Personally I’m missing a subwoofer out that makes it a bit harder to integrate to a home theater setup but I’m sure there are many ways to get that done if you really want to.
I’d love to see it connected to a Buchardt A700.
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I haven’t made that comparison, but I can safely assume it would not beat a Baltic 3 + decent streamer.