HiFi Rose RS150B Streaming DAC Review

The world is changing. We’ve all experienced that dramatically in the past year. Audio is changing, as well. I’ve been a fairly steadfast analog audiophile for years and have kept my vinyl collection, dating back to when I was in high school. It’s interesting that this format has outlived the cassette tape and now appears as if it will do the same with the compact disc. Though digital formats may never replace records, with their convenience and ability to stream high-resolution files they are no doubt here to stay. Indeed, the plethora of new DACs and streaming systems on the market has accelerated exponentially in the last five years. There’s certainly no shortage of options.

Robert Harley asked if I might be interested in reviewing a HiFi Rose streaming DAC. I had not heard of HiFi Rose, so I reviewed its website and quickly responded, “Yes.” HiFi Rose’s systems appeared to be very well thought out, with incredible flexibility in installation. Could they be the proverbial “Swiss Army knives” of streaming DACs?  With integral streaming support, MQA decoding, Roon certification, a pair of analog input jacks with variable output level, and compatibility with DSD all the way up to DSD512, the HiFi rose RS150B certainly had potential. You can even add storage: 4TB via an SSD card installed in an under-chassis bay, 400GB on Micro SD card in the rear panel, and up to 10TB of external storage such as a NAS or USB drive. Moreover, the build-quality is extraordinary at the $4995 price, with a chassis machined from a block of solid aluminum. Although HiFi Rose is new to the U.S. (just this year it began sales through MoFi Distribution), it is not a new company. Its parent firm Citech was founded in Korea in 1954 to make set-top boxes for TVs. In 2017, its Director Sean Kim decided to create a division within the company for audio. Hence, HiFi Rose. 

I had the pleasure of speaking to Mr. Kim via Zoom one evening. He described his passion for applying the expertise of the parent company to audio. Streaming DACs were an area, he felt, that lacked a comprehensive product. I asked him about his design philosophy, and it was a bit like asking a realtor the three most important things about buying a house: “Location, location, location.” Kim’s response was similar: “Sound quality, sound quality, sound quality.” I’m certainly not one to argue. He did add, though, that since a streaming DAC frequently accesses thousands, if not millions, of files from a NAS device or the Internet, the user interface is very important. He felt this is where many companies fell short, and he placed an emphasis on making the user experience enjoyable. HiFi Rose has 24 employees; seventy percent are engineering, and the remainder are sales/marketing and production. All manufacturing is done in Korea.

Initial Setup

I received the unit just two days after a review sample was requested. Unpacking the RS150B revealed a formidable, beautifully finished piece of gear. I decided to start by using it in my office system, for two reasons. First, I knew it would require some break-in before I could do any critical listening; second, I could get accustomed to the user interface and setup. This device is incredibly versatile, but versatility can often times result in complexity. 

Connection and initial setup turned out to be very easy. So easy many would not need the manual (except for the remote Bluetooth connection). A typical complaint of mine is poorly written or poorly translated manuals. Not the case here. The manual was clear and well written, though it could have been expanded in some areas. In my office I usually listen to FM radio, either our local independent jazz or classical stations. The analog outputs on the Rose can be set up as fixed or variable. I set them to variable and was able to use the RS150B as a linestage preamp as well as a streaming DAC. My other general source of music is from my PC to an external DAC, which I also replaced with the RS150B via a USB connection. Next, I set up the network connection to my NAS and selected the folder on the NAS with my music files. The RS150B scanned the drive for a few hours (over 21,000 music files), and cataloged all the music it found. Then, I connected my Qobuz account to the RS150B. Lastly, I updated the software to the latest version. All of this was very straightforward through the settings menu. 

Another aspect of the RS150B that I like is the ability to add or remove items from the main menu, and sort them. There is a “Bugs” app, which is kind of like Qobuz, but for Korea. I removed that from the menu, and if you only use Qobuz or Tidal you can remove the one you don’t use. It makes the menu cleaner and easier to navigate and is a nice feature.

There is one thing in the setup that I would have liked to see. In settings, it would have been nice if you could select which inputs were being used and perhaps assign names to them like “PC,” “CD,” “tuner,” etc. You could then ignore the inputs that are not being used, similar to the main-menu settings operation. I would not be surprised if this tweak comes out in a future software update. 

Getting Familiar

With a product as versatile as the RS150B, I expected to take a little time getting familiar with the user interface. I had used the front-panel touchscreen for the majority of setup. The screen is reasonably large and functions well, but for listening there was no question I would be using my phone or tablet (both Android) to select music. HiFi Rose’s Android app works extremely well. You can access everything that can be accessed via the touchscreen, and have the control right at your listening chair. The layout is very similar to many other programs out there, where you can browse by artist, album, genre, and easily scroll through the list alphabetically. A search will return the artist, album name, song title as reliably as the data imported into the database. I had a few issues with metadata on WMA and WAV files. Probably 95% of my files were catalogued correctly, but a few were missing the artist, even though the metadata had contained the artist’s name correctly. Since WMA files are rarely used anymore, I converted them to FLAC or re-ripped the CDs entirely; after that, the issue with metadata was resolved. (It’s been well documented that FLAC is more robust in terms of metadata.) This is not the first time I’ve run into this problem. My Sony Walkman has just about the same issue. 

One user aspect I missed with the RS150B is an infrared remote. The remote is Bluetooth via a USB Bluetooth receiver connection. It works well, but it’s unlikely many will use it, since using your phone or tablet is far easier for all operations, especially for selecting music. I would like an infrared remote to have direct access to the input selection and, in some installations, the volume control, as well. It’s a minor concern, but for custom installers/integrators this would be desirable. Perhaps, in the future, an infrared input even with a mini-jack connection and discrete infrared hex codes for the various inputs and volume control could be added. 

Building playlists is straightforward, and I used the Rose Connect app to do this. The process is similar if not identical to that of many other systems: Select a track, click on the three-dot icon, select add to playlist, and choose the appropriate playlist (or create a new playlist). To change the order within a playlist simply hold the track and move it to a new location within the playlist. One thing I would like to see is the ability to import a playlist that may have been exported from another program. I have about a dozen playlists, some containing hundreds of tracks, in jRiver, which can be exported in various formats. It would be convenient to import those playlists rather than trying to rebuild them. I’m told this feature may be added in a future software release, along with the ability to build playlists that can access multiple sources from Qobuz, Tidal, and a local server. Overall, I found the Rose Connect app to be enjoyable to use. It’s intuitive, has all the functions that are accessible on the front panel, and responds quickly without any noticeable latency. If you are a Roon user, the RS150B is a Roon Certified Endpoint. I made one modification to my audiophile PC so that it could run the Roon Core and was quickly up and running. I have to say I absolutely love Roon’s interface and the ability to explore artists and works I had not listened to before. 

Listening in My Office

During the day, while I work, I listen mostly to classical and jazz though my FM tuner, and I decided to start there. Since one of the primary purposes of starting with my office system was to allow the Rose to burn in, I wasn’t too critical about the sound; however, after only one day of listening, it was clear to me that this was a special unit. Used solely as a preamp, with my tuner as a source, its sound quality was superior to that of the two other preamps I used in this same setup, one costing significantly more than the RS150B. 

I experimented with the many ways the 150B can access music. Everything from running jRiver from my computer via USB, to Qobuz, to digital files from my NAS, to Rose Radio, to Rose FM. When I began this review, Rose Radio had over 40 streaming stations pre-programmed from three locations (Korea, UK, and Switzerland); it has added many since then, as well as many more locations, including the USA. It also gives you the ability to add your own channels and tag them as favorites. I spent little time listening to many of these, except for the Linn Jazz and Linn Classical stations, which I enjoyed, but I will compliment Rose on having this feature and laying it out so nicely. 

Rose FM is also interesting. It displays as an analog tuner, with a flywheel to change the station. There are presets, although like Rose Radio they were initially only from three locations, but (as with the radio) that has been expanded and now has one for the USA. I don’t know how often this feature will be used, as the Rose Radio is easier and more flexible. 

The sound on everything from the Magnum Dynalab tuner that I regularly use, to digital files from a server, to (most notably) Qobuz hi-res streaming files was noticeably superior, and this was with RS150B only being used for background music in my office. 

The Main Room

In the main room, the Rose 150B would be used solely as a DAC and streamer. The variable volume control was disabled, and fixed output was selected. There is a large range of fixed-output level-settings to match the Rose with other sources in a system, which is a welcome and often overlooked feature. 

I have three primary digital sources: CDs played the old fashion way with a transport; digital files, either ripped from CD or downloaded on a server and previously played with jRiver off a dedicated, custom-built, audio computer; and Qobuz, which I can access remotely with Audirvana on the same computer that runs jRiver. I always expected that hi-res files from Qobuz would sound better than digital files of lower resolution on the NAS and certainly better than CDs played through the transport. But this had not been the case in my setup. CDs were the best-sounding source, followed by ripped versions of those CDs, followed by Qobuz hi-res streaming files. The majority of the issue is no doubt jitter, both from the streaming and data-transferring from the NAS to the computer and then to the DAC. This system was built over time and started long before streaming was much of a reality; it is certainly not optimized by today’s standards.

I suspected a modern streaming DAC that was built ground-up for hi-res files would have significantly different results, and it certainly did. Everything about the Rose improved my digital listening experience. There was more air, space between instruments, and speed of attack, as with rim shots off a drum. The entire soundstage moved forward in the room with better presence than I was accustomed to. Vocals were particularly impressive, as they took on a three-dimensional character that I’d previously only experienced with analog sources in my system. I decided to do a number of listening tests to see if I could better quantify the differences of various configurations.

Starting with CD only, I wanted to see how this DAC measured up. I picked a few CDs that I had ripped via FLAC using jRiver. I was also fortunate enough to find standard Red Book versions on Qobuz, as well. Amos Lee’s self-titled album is a good example and typical of other titles I tested. The transport was slightly better than the ripped files, with more top end air and improved definition from the guitar, but it was a subtle difference. If I were not comparing one after the other, I might not have noticed the difference. The Qobuz Red Book file and ripped file sounded virtually identical. I was not able to detect which was which in multiple cases. There may have been a difference, but it was so minor that I would have to call it a draw.

Where the Rose RS150B really stood out was with high-resolution files from Qobuz. Any files I had ripped that I could compare to high-resolution files on Qobuz were demonstrably inferior. Through the RS150B everything imaginable was improved, and not in a subtle fashion. The soundstage was larger and slightly more forward. More importantly, there was significantly more depth to the stage, and instruments took on a more three-dimensional aspect, like true instruments rather than photographs of same. Vocals were more natural and realistic compared with any digital sources I had experienced before. Separation of instruments and vocals within the soundstage also improved significantly. While the RS150B would not replace my analog setup (nor did I feel it gave a better musical presentation), it was still a game changer for me. For the first time, I really felt I could be very satisfied listening intently to a digital source—and that had never been the case before. To put this in perspective, my cartridge costs nearly twice what the HiFi Rose RS150B costs; add in the price of the turntable, tonearm, and the phono- stage, and one would expect the analog source to sound better. 

I was also given a temporary Tidal account from MoFi distribution, so that I could evaluate MQA. I’ve read several reports, some touting how great MQA is and others with quite the opposite view. I compared several tracks between Qobuz hi-res files and Tidal MQA. On Melody Gardot’s Sunset in the Blue title cut there was a little more top end as well as reverberation on the MQA and I preferred it over the Qobuz hi-res presentation, although both were excellent and the differences small. On Diana Krall’s “How Deep is the Ocean” off her Love Scenes album, I also found the high frequencies to be slightly more pronounced on the MQA versus the Qobuz files, but in this case I preferred the Qobuz presentation. Diana Krall’s voice was more natural with less sibilance from Qobuz. These are just two examples, but in listening to several head-to-head comparisons I found similar results, with no clear winner in sound quality, only which was subjectively preferred. That preference would have more to do with the original engineering mix of the music, my system, and my personal taste. My current take on MQA and hi-res files from Qobuz is that both can be superb formats and provide a great listening experience. The biggest difference may be the bandwidth being so low on MQA, which could be a plus in some situations.

The Rose also has a video output, which is most likely due in part to the history of the original parent company. The video has one really unique and enjoyable feature called “RoseTube.” This section has numerous pre-selected YouTube videos that are predominantly classical performances. They have been curated by Rose, with the best resolution and audio stream available and with all advertising removed. While I prefer listening to music without video in general, I did enjoy these selections, and for some users this may be a nice value-add. I did not spend very much time on video, do not consider myself a “videophile,” and will refrain from evaluating the image quality. My thought is to consider the HiFi Rose RS150B as a high-end two-channel audio device that happens to have video capability. Those that subscribe to Tidal may find this an attractive feature, as well. 

Conclusion

The Rose 150B gave me many hours of great listening. I was impressed with the build-quality achieved at this price point; both the fit and finish as well as the component selection were all at a level I would expect for a component costing at least double the price of the HiFi Rose RS150B. The system is incredibly flexible, and using it in both my office system as a preamp/streaming DAC and in my main system solely as a streaming DAC illustrates just how much flexibility this system has. The few quirks in the software are very mild, and I think will be overcome by the Rose team, perhaps by the time this review is published. Most importantly, Sean Kim achieved his goal: This unit sounds fantastic. I have never heard streaming quality like this before and thoroughly enjoyed exploring new music with the HiFi Rose. If you are in the market for a streaming DAC with or without preamp capabilities, I strongly recommend that you audition the HiFi Rose RS150B. 

Specs & Pricing

Digital inputs: Coaxial on RCA, AES/EBU, HDMI ARC, USB, TosLink, I2S (on DVI connector), I2S on RJ-45 (one each)
Analog inputs: Unbalanced on RCA, balanced on XLR (one stereo pair each)
Digital formats supported: PCM up to 768kHz/32-bit, DSD up to DSD512
Digital outputs: Coaxial on RCA, TosLink, AES/EBU, I2S (on DVI connector), I2S on RJ-45 (one each)
Video output: HDMI
Display: 14.9″ wide HD IPS Touch Screen LCD
Network: Ethernet, Wi-Fi
DAC: ESS Sabre ES9038PRO
Dimensions: 16.9″ x 4.8″ x 12.4″
Weight: 28.6 lbs.
Price: $4995

HiFi Rose
MoFi Distribution (U.S. distributor)
mofidistribution.com