HiFi Rose RS250

I saw one and briefly heard it at a local dealer.  Nice, versatile little guy!

You paid for a DAC you are not using?

$64K question...

Can you easily access local files via a remote without the Internet?

Is there an ADC for the analog inputs?

@fuzztone  Yes. There wasn't an option on the market with the features I wanted, at a price I could live with, that didn't have an internal DAC.  I also paid for a DAC in my preamp that I'll no longer be using when the Pontus arrives.  That's how upgrading goes, sometimes.  On the upside, it gives me the ability to move components in and out of systems more easily.  If I decide I don't like the Pontus and return it, I'll have 2 chip-based DACs to compare and choose from.  If I decide to use the Rose in a system that doesn't have a DAC, well, now it'll have one.

Since I use Roon, I haven't tried accessing local files with the remote.  Not sure why the internet would be relevant to that.  I can try it sometime, if you like.  (And by "local," do you mean on the local network, or attached directly to the Rose?)

I've seen nothing to indicate the presence of an ADC, but nothing says if the built-in volume control operates in the digital or analog domain, so I couldn't say for sure.

@mapman Yeah, it seems well built and all.  No software glitches thus far, either.  Hopefully, it stays that way.

There is a $2.k model and a $5k model. Yours is the $5k?

I read a positive review and heard it used at a retailer.

I asked why he chose it and was told It did everything

he wanted it to do. 

Looks very attractive. 

BTW- You will not be returning the Pontus. That's a one-way sale.

You may sell it though. Might last a day on the market.

But you will keep it.

Hi, @chorus .  This is the less expensive one.  The more expensive one is the RS150.  The numbering seems to throw a lot of people off; it's backwards from what one would expect.  And yes, it is an attractive little box.  Heavy for its size, too.  Both side plates are heat sinks.

Good to hear about the Pontus.  What I've heard about it (and other ladder DACs) sounds promising.

Local I mean actual "owned" tracks, like plugged into the USD input. Because when the Internet is down all play usually stops. I'm glad you got the features you desire but I suspect that they are available cheaper.

I've had my RS250 for almost 2 months and I'm impressed with its sound quality as well as some of the features it has. I have it plugged into my Luxman L-509x and they sound really good together.

@fuzztone Oh, I see.  I know of no reason one wouldn't be able to play tracks one owns, without needing internet access.  The RS250 is on the local network, the files are on the local network (or attached directly to the 250).  The software on the 250 doesn't need to go check if your license is current or anything like that; there's no license that has to be paid for monthly or annually or anything.  You bought the software when you bought the unit. 

@beatlebum Glad you're liking it!  That's promising for me. :)  Those Luxman integrateds are nice pieces of kit.

I bought a 150 model from music direct.  It sells for 4995.00.  If you order on phone instead of online they give a 10% discount and free shipping.  I watched several utube videos and could not find a negative review.  My unit arrives tomorrow.  I will let you know how it sounds out of the box.  It takes a 4tb ssd if you want that much. Just watch the utubes, they have several for each model.

I've had the RS150B for a few months now, and absolutely love it.  I'm using it's internal DAC feeding my Accuphase integrated.  Roon via ethernet.  I also have my Leak transport feeding the RS150B. 

Not the best DAC I've owned, but sound quality is excellent enough and I like having a one box solution.  When I get the itch to upgrade to a new DAC I'll still keep the RS150 and use as just a streamer, but currently have no desire to do so (this week).

I had the RS 250 for about a month.  Great unit.  Decent build quality and loved the front panel look.  

Used it as a Roon endpoint and streamed Qobuz.   Utilized the internal DAC and had it also connected to our LG TV (toslink).  Feeding GaN based Class D Audio and older Hypex UcD 700s. 

Unfortunately, I experienced audio drop outs and unit lock ups.   It drove my wife nuts, so shipped it back to Music Direct.   I really don't know if it was network issues or the unit itself.  I did read a Rose forum post that they experienced the same problems.  

Contemplating if I should replace it or maybe move up to the 150.  Currently using a MiniDSP SHD and really want to keep the Dirac functionality.

@mbolek Hm, sorry to hear that.  With so few of them in use so far, it's probably hard to say if it was a faulty unit or a design flaw (or something else).  Were you using ethernet, or WiFi?

I’ve had a 150 for about a month now. I absolutely love it and was blown away by the sound quality of the DAC. I’ve gone back-and-forth between that and the DAC that comes in my Macintosh C8 preamp. I hate to say it but I like the DAC in the High Fidelity rose better.

@raysmtb1 Why hate to say it?  If you like it better than the DAC you were using, you can be twice as happy!  What's the DAC design in the 150?  I assume it has upgrades from the 250.  Different chips?  Balanced circuit?

Don't expect the system to sound considerably improved with the Pontus. I tried it with my Exemplar SACD player/ Van Alstine pre and couldn't hear a difference. The Pontus is a good DAC but there are better for around the same price and ultimately it depends on the rest of your equipment. The Pontus will not improve SQ much if you have all tube gear. 

I was looking to try a streamer with video capability and there are few choices.  This HiFi Rose unit seemed interesting, so I ordered one.

I had this unit for about 48 hours before returning it. 

Upon firing up the unit for the first time, it would cycle on and off.  I was unsure as to what the unit was doing, so I just left it do its thing.  After 3-4 minutes of cycling through its boot up screen, then a black screen, I rebooted the unit.  After about a minute re-boot process, it came fully alive, and I continued on the set-up process.

I could not get it to reliably connect to my WiFi by my main audio systems.  I fought for quite a bit of time as the unit would drop the connection, then I'd have to reconnect, it would drop the connection, redo the WiFi connection only to have it drop the WiFi connection yet again, etc., rinse, repeat.  The unit sat on top of an audio rack, unobstructed with nothing else electronic running in the room.

I finally moved the unit into my office and placed it about 2 feet from my router, then it connected.  Got it to finally finish the software update. I hooked it up to my inexpensive Audio Engine A2's that are located on my desk where the router is located just to test it and it sounded good, though these speakers are certainly not a good test of the unit's audio quality (3.5" two-way computer speakers).

After the setup was complete and WiFi connection seemed stable, I moved it back out to one of my systems and the issues started all over again.  At one point the unit froze up and some very odd screens appeared with odd symbols and goofy code visible.  Rose app on my phone locked up fully as well several times. 

I have zero issues with WiFi anywhere in the house with all the various PC's and devices accessing our reasonably good router.

On the plus side, it has nice weight to the unit, it's attractive looking, touch screen responds well, and the back panel seems very robust.  Unfortunately, I could not get it to play anything into my main systems, so I can't comment on sound quality.  Others that don't need the WiFi capability may not have any issues, though the unit locking up with odd screens seems, well, pretty odd for a $2500 unit.  Looks like HiFi Rose may have a few bugs to work out or I simply got a faulty one.

It's good to hear others are enjoying their units without issue and I hope my situation is isolated.  Again, it seems like a well built unit with great features.

@jheppe815 That had to be a hair-pulling exercise.  I haven't tried mine with WiFi.  I already have the ethernet cable run to where my equipment is, so I just use it.  With yours, I wonder if the firmware update process hiccuping all those times at the beginning might have left something screwed up even after it finally succeeded.  Impossible to know, obviously.  Anyway, sorry you had all that aggravation.  Hopefully my experience will stay positive. 🤞

@trentmemphis - I was using wifi.

Gotcha, @mbolek .  Sounds like they may have some QC issues to work out with their WiFi functionality.

I still have Wi-Fi issues too. I was waiting to have a buddy of mine come by and see if he could get it to hook up thinking that maybe I was doing something wrong. I’m gonna find out this weekend. I’ll let you guys know if I have issues. I hope I don’t I really love the unit bury the internal DAC sounds amazing and I’ve had some nice DAC’s…Bricasti m1 and Meitner m3..etc.

I don't know if any of you guys have a USB WiFi dongle, but I'd be curious if you get different results.  Might indicate whether the problem is the software, or the internal WiFi hardware.

@raysmtb1 

Do you have the RS150 (with ES9038PRO DAC chip) or the RS150B (with AK4499EQ DAC chip)?

Thanks!

I tried both the RS150 and 250. The more expensive 150 is a definite step up in sound. The 250 is good as a stand-alone but will benefit from running to better dac. The only fault I found was being able to connect to and organize your local NAS files...still needs software improvements in that area. If it did that better the RS150 would have been a keeper.

I have the AK chip

Looks like the 150 is built like a tank. Does the upgraded 9038 and additional connection flexibility (HDMI ARC, XLRs, I2S, etc) justify the cost increase. It might for me...

Consensus is that streaming functionality is the same for both units.

With AKM coming back online, I wonder if they will look at their new Velvet chips or stick with ESS.

Back to the 250...They do need to work out some usability bugs but it is a solid product that will do well in this space.

I've had my 150 2 weeks now.  Ethernet connection.

Streaming Qobuz, and with quality source material, sounds fantastic.

Is it as good as top flight analog?  Not sure yet as I've not made direct comparisons yet, but the mere thought that it at least comes close is thrilling, to me at least!

The unit has functioned flawlessly so far, and has a ton of cool features.

I'm glad I didn't take the DCS plunge ($$$), as a few friends of mine have.  Totally happy so far.

Is it as good as top flight analog?  Not sure yet as I've not made direct comparisons yet, but the mere thought that it at least comes close is thrilling, to me at least!

@bobbydd Same here. Streaming has become a big part of my listening.  It's the main way I find new [to me] music.  Sitting there with Roon and a good streaming service almost feels like going to the record store with an unlimited budget.  Almost.  One new thing leads to another, and you just add all of them to your "library."

I received my hifi rose 150B from Music Direct yesterday. I opened factory sealed box and installed a 2tb ssd as per instructions.  Turned on switch in back of unit and touched power icon.  After 5 seconds Rose logo appears in motion and in 5 more seconds it clicks off.  I am sending it back monday for new unit.  Wish me luck.

Wow I am sure glad I went with the Bel Canto e.stream. Not a single issue and a US Company.

No fancy color screen just fantastic sound!

My 250 replaced a bel canto e.stream, and I'm also happy, so that's a win-win.

I’ve had a 150B purchased from Upscale for about 3 weeks now.  Sources are Qobuz, Spotify and it has every available internet radio, podcast and YouTube  that you tune in on a vintage looking UI - very cool.  There is a Korean gent that does a really good comprehensive review on YouTube.   It has performed flawlessly, and there have been a couple software upgrades that download automatically.  The unit came with a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth dongle that is surprisingly fast, when I make music changes on my phone or iPad, they take place instantly -I was used to a few second lag when switching songs with my previous streamer.  I debated the 250 vs 150, but the 150 has a better DAC, a linear power supply, and of course a bigger screen, but a biggie is it also has way more inputs/outputs including balanced XLR, which 250 doesn’t.  It is a very large and heavy unit, so think twice if you’re spaced constrained-built like a tank.  I haven’t used the remote because the screen and iOS app is so good and responsive.  Very impressed with the overall experiences, and the sound quality Is phenomenal. Clarity, detail and smoothness are well balanced with a full rich sound.  I’m hearing incredible details in familiar songs that I never heard or noticed before.  I also looked at Lumin, Chord, Aurender , Bel Canto and Denefrips before going with the Rose, nothing really compares when I weighed out the full offering and the screen/UI.  The iOS app is making me rethink my need for Roon.  

I bought an aurender A10 and liked it so much a couple weeks later I bought a 250 for the second system.  I'm streaming tidal and qobuz and the available variety is truly mind bongling and wonderful.  Like any source, quality of the specific song/album varies depending on recording, mastering, etc.  It doesn't sound as good as the aurender but its close and is plenty good enough for the more casual second system.  I'm still getting to know the interface.  I highly recommend the unit.   

About a month in, and mine continues to work flawlessly, for whatever that's worth.

I did buy the 150B. Unbelievable unit. Surpassed all my expectations and no longer need to follow the Musetec stand alone DAC train. The integrated ESS 9038 is amazing.

I did find a way to relocate my internet gateway and now have run Onti CAT8 ethernet to the Rose. No more wifi. No issues....

Would concede that the 250 would benefit having the same direct connect.

Very happy!

"Wow I am sure glad I went with the Bel Canto e.stream. Not a single issue and a US Company.

No fancy color screen just fantastic sound!'

Except that the RS150b kind of blows the Bel Canto out of the water from a sonic perspective--and is much more fun.

I did buy the 150B. Unbelievable unit. Surpassed all my expectations and no longer need to follow the Musetec stand alone DAC train.

How is that possible? From what I've been hearing the Musetec DAC is a better DAC than almost anything else in the market regardless of price. One person reported that it is much better than the Mola Mola, another said that it 'smoked' a $40,000 DAC, yet another has claimed that the Musetec can not only play your music better than anything else in the market but it can even boil your eggs and do your taxes, it's that good! I don't understand how anyone can even think of replacing it with another DAC. Not possible, just not possible!

I don’t understand how anyone can even think of replacing it with another DAC. Not possible, just not possible!

DACs...we don’t need any stinking DACs.

Hi all, 

Stopped in at my dealer with the intention of starting a "would a DAC help my BS node" conversation and they introduced me to this.  I didn't listen to it but got a look at the UI and it was impressive.  Also, they recently added Apple music native to the device, which to me puts it ahead of most others on the market since I have many playlists and even some old bootlegs that still reside there.  

Dealer did acknowledge the WiFi issue, but i'm hard wired so no problem here.  

Would like to hear some updated reviews now that people have been living with these for maybe 6 months or so.  

@beatlebum i too use 509x so would like to hear what you upgraded from, if anything.  

Thanks in advance!  

EW

Hi, @mtbiker29 .  Mine continues to function flawlessly, and I am very happy with it.  There have been several software updates already, which strikes me as a good sign for its future.

Hi trentmemphis,  could you share your experience with the pontus/rs250 combo please?  I still enjoy my rs250 with its internal dac for 4 months but I am always curious hearing if we can improve it with a better dan like spring 3 or pontus..  Daniel

Hi @mbolek,

Great information.

Wonderful and intriguing opportunity.

It could be the best gift to many audiophiles just before Christmas!

Happy Christmas to you and all!!!

Sorry to be so long responding, @dandion . Sometimes I don't get my notifications that something new has been posted in a discussion I'm following. Yours was one of those. 

I consider the RS-250 and Pontus an excellent combo. I can't readily compare it to the internal dac, as I never used it, but I like what I'm getting from the combo. I never get any listening fatigue, which has tended to happen even with good chip dacs in the past. I know that's not a ton of help, but hopefully it's some.

Cool, on my side, I decided to go with the Gustard R26 and keep the rs250 as streamer only.   It is difficult going back to sigma dac after trying  r2r ladder dac! 

Sounds good.

I didn't get a notification about your post this time, either. Or from another one of the discussions I'm subscribed to. I guess I just have to keep checking my Following list and not rely on the notifications.

If using the 150b, can anyone comment on the Ess vs. AKM chips.  Does the 150b have better synergy with one over the other?  I typically like the “sound “ of the AKM best, but not always.