HiFi Rose RS150 Network Streamer Review

JohnJ said:
Peter-

Thank you for the details on the NAD. It is certainly an interesting product.
Although my dealer of choice does not carry NAD, I will keep not in mind.

Enjoy the Sounds,

John
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The trouble is that some of these former "mid-fi" brands are overlooked by dealers of fancy stuff! NAD's Master Series is seriously good and is so much better value as they sell in large volumes. In turn, this allows them generous R&D budgets, so the end result compares well with smaller brands where the cost is often 2 to 3 times that of NAD, but at comparable quality.

Try to get a loan M50.2. I now use mine mainly as a server as I also have the M33 all-in-one that includes streamer. The M50.2 is used when I have CDs to play or rip and as the server for my 1500 ripped CDs.

Peter
 
Peter-

You certainly make a case for the NAD; a nice all inclusive digital hardware package just add DAC.

With so much good stuff out there, making a choice can be daunting. It's great to have forums like this to know of other's experiences and preferences and then meld it all into one's own specific desired outcomes.

Enjoy the Sounds!.

John
 
Hear Here said:
My own major criticism of the Rose is it's poor control app.
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Funny... Everything I've read about the RS150B and or watched on YouTube, everyone raves about the HiFi Rose app, saying it's nearly as good as Roon. So I'm not sure where you came up with their app being "poor".
 
Hear Here said:
PS - After my Rose RS150 demo, I've somewhat lost my enthusiasm as the control app is dire and complex and it worries me that there are so many listed on the used market sites.
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I missed this statement yesterday...

And as I have had some time to research it, looking at all of the available "used" audio sites, eBay, AudioGon, USAudiomart, TMR Audio, etc, etc, I only saw one RS150B that was an "open box" unit that was being sold at a slightly reduced price. All of the other RS150B's I saw were all listed as brand new, selling for the listed retail price of $4995.

Any HiFi Rose items that were selling as "used" were anything BUT the RS150B. Heck, I didn't even see a single original RS150 with the AK chipset.

Again, I question where you get your information from regarding the RS150B.



And as a side note, the RS150B really does NOT need Roon to work efficiently. It can and does exceptionally well on its own with its provided apps, save for having a dedicated app for Apple and Windows computer OS'.
 
Mep.
I was the owner of dsj and i love the sound of it.
Im thinking to replace dsj with rs150.
Is is worth it? How you can describe the sound of these two? I'm referring to the the dac section.
My best ..
 
Mep.
I was the owner of dsj and i love the sound of it.
Im thinking to replace dsj with rs150.
Is is worth it? How you can describe the sound of these two? I'm referring to the the dac section.
My best ..
 
mep said:
I'm using the DAC built into the 150B. The DSJ is for sale.
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Mep.
I was the owner of dsj and i love the sound of it.
Im thinking to replace dsj with rs150.
Is is worth it? How you can describe the sound of these two? I'm referring to the the dac section.
My best ..
 
klamia71 said:
Mep.
I was the owner of dsj and i love the sound of it.
Im thinking to replace dsj with rs150.
Is is worth it? How you can describe the sound of these two? I'm referring to the the dac section.
My best ..
Click to expand...

To me, it's unbelievable that the 150B only retails for $1k more than the DSJ. I too loved the sound of the DSJ depending on which software update you are running.

For me, the sound of the 150B is at a higher SQ level than the DSJ. Every recording sounds more real to me. Maybe because the 150B doesn't covert PCM to DSD and then upsample the file.

I could go on and on about all the features the 150B has compared to the DSJ, but the main thing is the SQ. If you choose to buy the 150B, I would be amazed if you weren't happy with your decision.

Which reminds me, I need to put my DSJ up for sale.
 
mep said:
To me, it's unbelievable that the 150B only retails for $1k more than the DSJ. I too loved the sound of the DSJ depending on which software update you are running.

For me, the sound of the 150B is at a higher SQ level than the DSJ. Every recording sounds more real to me. Maybe because the 150B doesn't covert PCM to DSD and then upsample the file.

I could go on and on about all the features the 150B has compared to the DSJ, but the main thing is the SQ. If you choose to buy the 150B, I would be amazed if you weren't happy with your decision.

Which reminds me, I need to put my DSJ up for sale.
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Thank you for the answer
As i said i loved the sound of dsj and i was thinking to upgrade it with a ps audio direct stream dac. if the 150 has a sound of the same level as the ξ (let alone if it has a better one as you said) with the tones of rs150 feature's i will go definitely for it...
 
I went today to the dealer to check out the IRS 150 to be honest I was a bit disappointed with the resolution of the screen it was lower than I was expected so I postpone the purchase to think about it a little bit more
 
I visited a dealer recently to listen to the RS150. It was good but perplexingly complicated to control compared with BluOS or Roon controlled streamers. The dealer was more keen to sell me a different brand that he considered sounded better at similar price, but I passed on both because I consider user interface very important and the Rose lacked this in spades, although the LED display is seductive!

Also, I wonder if someone can offer a reason why I get so many alerts about RS150s from used equipment sites when items on my Wish List are advertised. There are more Rose RS150 alerts than any other equipment I have an interest in. And often at prices way below what currently-available equipment would expect to achieve.

The only other match in terms of numbers that turn up on the used market is the Hegel H390. Again I wonder why. I guess there is lots of other kit that isn't on my Wish List that turns up equally frequently, but that's another matter. In both instances (RS150 and Hegel H390) I’m looking at Europe-based adverts.

PS - Another 2 RS150Bs freshly listed today at €2700 and €3100. Tempting at that sort of asking price!
 
klamia71 said:
I went today to the dealer to check out the IRS 150 to be honest I was a bit disappointed with the resolution of the screen it was lower than I was expected so I postpone the purchase to think about it a little bit more
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Seriously? What DAC/Streamer comes close to how good the screen is on the 150B?
 
mep said:
Seriously? What DAC/Streamer comes close to how good the screen is on the 150B?
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Lol... None. Because there is none with that kind of screen. But as the best feature of this device ive expected higher screen resolution. From closer distance is obvious. The letters for example are appeared distorted and not clean. I owned a NAd T778 and i assure you that the screen is far-far better.. comparing to Nad's screen i was a bit disappointed. I can't say about the sound quality .
 
Hear Here said:
I visited a dealer recently to listen to the RS150. It was good but perplexingly complicated to control compared with BluOS or Roon controlled streamers. The dealer was more keen to sell me a different brand that he considered sounded better at similar rice, but I passed on both because I consider user interface very important and the Rose lacked this in spades, although the LED display is seductive!

Also, I wonder if someone can offer a reason why I get so many alerts about RS150s from used equipment sites when items on my Wish List are advertised. There are more Rose RS150 alerts than any other equipment I have an interest in. And often at prices way below what currently-available equipment would expect to achieve.

The only other match in terms of numbers that turn up on the used market is the Hegel H390. Again I wonder why. I guess there is lots of other kit that isn't on my Wish List that turns up equally frequently, but that's another matter. In both instances (RS150 and Hegel H390) I’m looking at Europe-based adverts.

PS - Another 2 RS150Bs freshly listed today at €2700 and €3100. Tempting at that sort of asking price!
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I am running my 150B with my Roon Nucleus+ and it couldn't be more simple to setup and operate. As for why people in the UK are putting theirs up for sale at numbers that you think are high, who knows? There are no shortages of audiophiles who are seldom happy with purchases for long and they constantly flip their gear.
 
klamia71 said:
Lol... None. Because there is none with that kind of screen. But as the best feature of this device ive expected higher screen resolution. From closer distance is obvious. The letters for example are appeared distorted and not clean. I owned a NAd T778 and i assure you that the screen is far-far better.. comparing to Nad's screen i was a bit disappointed. I can't say about the sound quality .
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Who said the display was the "best" feature of the 150B? It's one of many features. I have no blurring or distortion on my screen and I have never heard/read anyone saying what you described. What is the resolution of the display on the NAD T778?
 
klamia71 said:
I don't know. But it looks much better.
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I couldn't find the specs with a quick look for the NAD T778 screen, but somehow I doubt it has greater resolution than the 150B. But all this is getting way off the mark from your original question about the SQ comparison between the DSJ and the 150B.
 
Yes. You are right. First of all I'm interested at sq. I just wondered since i can find a ps audio direct stream dac for the same or lower price as used device, witch of those two could have better sq. If i wasn't disappointed from the screen I would settle for lower sq than direct stream, if ds is better.
 
mep said:
I am running my 150B with my Roon Nucleus+ and it couldn't be more simple to setup and operate. As for why people in the UK are putting theirs up for sale at numbers that you think are high, who knows? There are no shortages of audiophiles who are seldom happy with purchases for long and they constantly flip their gear.
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Well of course with Roon, any compatible streamer works like a dream and it’s simple and intuitive to find and play music. That was precisely my point - without Roon, the Rose software is complex and the main reason I passed on it.

The abundance of used RS150s is not just UK, but Europe-wide and I suspect N America-wide too. Just look at HiFiShark - you can select by region.

Why should buyers of costly streamers have to buy extra kit (Nucleus) and take a subscription in Roon to effectively operate these streamers? You don't need these with a streamer that works with a well-thought out control app such as BluOS - and it's free! No doubt there are others, but sadly few and far between in the streaming world!
 
mep said:
Seriously? What DAC/Streamer comes close to how good the screen is on the 150B?
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Take a look at the more recent NAD Master Series streamers. The M10, M33, or the forthcoming M66 all have great LED screens, but if even bigger is required, just connect an HDMI cable between these NADs and your TV and you have 65" of album artwork and other info!

But best not to use ARC as this means your TV takes control of your hi-fi - PIA. Simple HDMI does the job better.
 
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