Hifi Rose RA180

I believe MoFi just became the US distributor for Rose:

https://mofidistribution.com/our-brands/

Yep.  Just bought their RS250 from MusicDirect.  Hoping this integrated gets added to their portfolio.

Wow! The cosmetic design of the face is as far from the hi def screen of their streamer as you can get. It's part Swiss watch, maybe Nagra inspiration and laboratory equipment all in one

Looks really cool. I hope they sell here in the US!

Yeah. I hope to give it a try.  I now have the 150B and couldn't be happier with their streamer/dac.

I heard it at AXPONA.  Crystal clear, transparent and power to spare.  

Of course the $20,000.00 Piega coaxial ribbon speakers had a contribution.  

Very impressed.  

I’d definitely be interested in a review from an Audiogner once they have this beautiful integrated in their possession. IMO the aesthetics for this unit are stunning and the class AD amp design sounds intriguing. 

@hifihandyman 

is a Audiogon member and a Hifi Rose dealer in USA

Hey there.  I’ve had the new RA180 for a couple months now and right off the bat it has amazing detail and clarity and bass.  Bass was immediately more substantial when compared to the NAD M33 that I have on hand.  This was in bridge mode, so it’s twice the power of the NAD.  Really detailed with wide soundstage.  It easily runs the KEF Blade and Reference 5 Meta speakers.  I never tried bi-amping, just running bridge mode which is 400 watts per channel.  Build quality is great but the buttons and controls are not made of metal.  My mind made them metal when looking at the photos, but they aren’t.  They still feel and operate with a solid feel.  Add the RS150B and ANY speakers and you’ll have an incredible system.

It is $7000 and available everywhere.  You still need a DAC or DAC/streamer.  The Peachtree Gan 1 is $1400 and all you need is a $400 IFI Zen Streamer and you probably have sound quality in the same league (or better)....than using the RS150B with the RS180 ($12K total).  Of course, the streamer DAC and integraded amp have a LOT more features (but do you need them?).  If you need more power there will be inexpensive amps available soon using the 400 watt a channel digital amp board from Elegant Audio Solutions (the 200 watt stereo board is what is in the GaN 1).  GaNs are an improvement....but if you use a GaN based digital amp then you are another sonic step ahead.....and way cheaper, as you do not need a DAC, preamp, and analog interconnects.  In five years you will see digital amps everywhere.....including inside speakers....this is the revolution many of us have been waiting for.....less stuff, better sound, less money spent.

I would sincerely urge you ricevs to listen to a pair of KEF LS60 speakers.  The sound quality is INSANE.  Everything you just mentioned.  

The Kef LS60 is great for the money.  However, uses ordinary DACs and amps.  If they used digital amps inside it would sound way, way better.

LS60 has a combination of class D and class AB amps inside.  I truly believe that the implementation of different technologies is definitely more important than making blanket statements that one technology is always better than another.  In my system, I have used all current available technologies and they each have their own advantages.

I have been using the RA180 again and today I decided to add a powered sub to the “subwoofer “ output and to my horror, this is a FIXED LEVEL OUTPUT!!!  I tested it three times to be absolutely sure, but I was correct.  At volume zero, the sub output turns off, but at ANY other volume, the sub output is fixed.

why on Earth would they do that?  I have never seen another amp set up like this.  Be advised, if you are planning to buy the RA180 and use a subwoofer, DON’T DO IT.  Unless of course, you use a REL with speaker level inputs.  
 

Anyone else noticed this?  This could be a deal breaker for a lot of systems.

Goldprint Audio is a dealer in NC.  Taylor is very reasonable and great to work with. 

He always has your best interest in mind.

Apparently that “sub out” wasn’t tested in the prototype and pre production samples.   Some issues that a small new company has I can forgive or overlook but that is a serious omission.  
 

That would be a total deal breaker for me.  Thanks for mentioning it, you just saved a lot of subwoofers, frustration, and buyer’s remorse 

Thanks @testrun !

 

Don't forget to grease the gears.