HiFi Rose RS250

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.