HiFi Rose RS250

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.

@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?

@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.

@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?

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

@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. 🤞

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.

@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.

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.

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

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

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."

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.

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.