Thread: HiFi Rose RS150 Network Streamer Review

Originally Posted by Hear Here

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!

I'm not sure who finds the Rose app challenging or complex to use. It's about as easy as it gets. I just showed my 83 year old mom it last week when she came to visit and she was using it to listen to music after 10 minutes.

We keep hearing by a single person the Rose is for sale used in "huge numbers". Yet he's never shown the numbers of 150's for sale vs any of the competition vs the number of 150's sold new vs competition. So it's just made up false talking points.

Here's the summary - try it yourself. If my 83 year old mom can handle it and you can't, I don't know what to say. It's a great sounding unit that is easy to use at a price point that makes is a fantastic value.

Originally Posted by MichaelsMinute

We keep hearing by a single person the Rose is for sale used in "huge numbers".

I'm pleased to learn that someone else has made this claim, as it's the first time I've ever mentioned it!

Originally Posted by Hear Here

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!

No one has to buy a Roon core and a Roon subscription. I chose to buy it because I love the Roon interface. I haven't seen any other software that compares to the Roon experience, but that's just me.

Originally Posted by klamia71

I was absolutely right. In a communication with hifi rose they admitted that the screen resolution is not so good as it should be. The resolution is 1280x240. The screen resolution of new 130 1920x240
So my disappointment was satisfied....

You were buying an audio device solely for the screen? I guess you could buy an 85 inch 8K TV and enjoy the speakers in that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Originally Posted by klamia71

no,

no, but when one of the two main features one of which will turn the scales and influence a buyer to prefer the 150 over another duc with a better possible sound is the screen, then this feature is partly burned. and indeed the company itself admits that the screen they reached was a compromise, and not what they would have wanted.

unless the sound quallity is superior to other dacs at the same price, then I will ignore the screen since it will simply be an extra feature. but I will say this when I have heard it

I can't imagine the screen on my 150B being any better than it is. This is getting beyond ridiculous.

Will the 150B show album art via the HDMI output?

Originally Posted by klamia71

Let's forget about the screen. I took a listening test today. Audio quality didn't much my expectations too...
That's all for me. I'm going to search another dac.

That's really the point. These clever devices have to sound excellent (that's a given), but if they are awkward to control with the supplied app, or they offer no good means of displaying album artwork, then perhaps look towards an equally good sounding alternative that does include a good app and a means of displaying artwork.

I'm very content with the NAD M33 as it offers all these attributes, but that doesn't mean I won't upgrade. At present my plan is to upgrade (hopefully) the amp section to Atma-Sphere Class D monos and the rest (streamer / DAC / preamp) to the recently announced NAD M66. This will offer even better sound (better DAC), the same artwork display and the same excellent BluOS control app, but also includes Dirac Live (not that I use it) and Dirac Live Bass Control. I've no idea how good this last feature may be, but it's there to be taken advantage of - or not. The M66 offers 4 sub outputs, so I may be tempted to add a couple of subs, although my twin 12" drivers each side seems to provide most of what I want anyway.

Originally Posted by Mr Peabody

Will the 150B show album art via the HDMI output?

Yes it does. I have it doing that on mine.

Originally Posted by klamia71

Let's forget about the screen. I took a listening test today. Audio quality didn't much my expectations too...
That's all for me. I'm going to search another dac.

Did you listen to it in your system or another system? If you didn't listen to it in your system how do you know what the sound quality was? I'm not saying you'll like the sound, but listening to it in a different system in a different room really didn't tell you anything, right?

Originally Posted by MichaelsMinute

Did you listen to it in your system or another system? If you didn't listen to it in your system how do you know what the sound quality was? I'm not saying you'll like the sound, but listening to it in a different system in a different room really didn't tell you anything, right?

It's hopeless with him. He's a tire kicker.

Yes, come to the dark side, add those boxes, LOL Amps, preamps and subs, oh my

Originally Posted by Hear Here

That's really the point. These clever devices have to sound excellent (that's a given), but if they are awkward to control with the supplied app, or they offer no good means of displaying album artwork, then perhaps look towards an equally good sounding alternative that does include a good app and a means of displaying artwork.

I'm very content with the NAD M33 as it offers all these attributes, but that doesn't mean I won't upgrade. At present my plan is to upgrade (hopefully) the amp section to Atma-Sphere Class D monos and the rest (streamer / DAC / preamp) to the recently announced NAD M66. This will offer even better sound (better DAC), the same artwork display and the same excellent BluOS control app, but also includes Dirac Live (not that I use it) and Dirac Live Bass Control. I've no idea how good this last feature may be, but it's there to be taken advantage of - or not. The M66 offers 4 sub outputs, so I may be tempted to add a couple of subs, although my twin 12" drivers each side seems to provide most of what I want anyway.

I can't believe that there's so much focus on the screen. The Cambridge CXN V2 I purchased a few months back had a screen, a rather poor one at that, but I didn't care because I hardly ever looked at it. My current Auralic Altair G1 has a much nicer, larger screen, but again, I hardly ever look at it. I didn't buy either one because of the screens, but because of their sound performance.

In fact, a short while ago I was planning on buying an RS150B from Mike, but "life" things happened and a large portion of that money had to go elsewhere more important. What drew me to the RS150B was not the screen, but the features it has (like turning off unused inputs and outputs) and it's sound performance from various reviews that I read or watched on YouTube, or what Mike said in his brief YouTube review.

Originally Posted by chops

I can't believe that there's so much focus on the screen. The Cambridge CXN V2 I purchased a few months back had a screen, a rather poor one at that, but I didn't care because I hardly ever looked at it. My current Auralic Altair G1 has a much nicer, larger screen, but again, I hardly ever look at it. I didn't buy either one because of the screens, but because of their sound performance.
.

Well if the brand makes a big fuss about its excellent screen, then buyers' expectations will demand an excellent screen.

And many buyers with a wish list of features that includes a good display will be encouraged by the Rose one. A nice screen is certainly on my wish list of features.

The Auralic screen is better than many streamers but is poor compared with the best. The Rose may be the biggest screen around, but the one found on NAD's Master Series M33, M66 and M10 is probably the next best.

With my M33, I can see the artist and track title I'm listening to with album artwork, plus pause, next and last track buttons. Or I could choose to see VU meters (why, I can't imagine!), or what's being played on the radio station I'm listening to. With the NAD (and I believe the Rose and a few others) an HDMI cable can be used to connect with a TV and this artwork, etc can be displayed in large format.

Just a question to the Rose 150B users, if the screen resolution is an issue with some, why not use an ipad. My 2 Ipads have either 2732-by-2048 resolution at 264 ppi or
2360‑by‑1640 resolution at 264 ppi. And they work great on my Lumins and also they control my TV and its apps and Hulu Live. Of course like most device connectivity depends upon your software level of the control device in my case the OS. Will the IPAD work with the 150B and control the unit and all the functions ?

Originally Posted by CPP

Just a question to the Rose 150B users, if the screen resolution is an issue with some, why not use an ipad. My 2 Ipads have either 2732-by-2048 resolution at 264 ppi or
2360‑by‑1640 resolution at 264 ppi. And they work great on my Lumins and also they control my TV and its apps and Hulu Live. Of course like most device connectivity depends upon your software level of the control device in my case the OS. Will the IPAD work with the 150B and control the unit and all the functions ?

The screen resolution isn't an issue with normal people. Only those trying to make a fake issue.

You can easily send what is on the screen to a TV via HDMI as I do. I use the screen simply as a cool feature and to sometimes navigate. No serious person is sitting on the floor in front of the unit to watch a video.

Originally Posted by CPP

Just a question to the Rose 150B users, if the screen resolution is an issue with some, why not use an ipad. My 2 Ipads have either 2732-by-2048 resolution at 264 ppi or
2360‑by‑1640 resolution at 264 ppi. And they work great on my Lumins and also they control my TV and its apps and Hulu Live. Of course like most device connectivity depends upon your software level of the control device in my case the OS. Will the IPAD work with the 150B and control the unit and all the functions ?

I agree the screen "issue" is fake news. I do use an iPad to control Roon.

Originally Posted by MichaelsMinute

The screen resolution isn't an issue with normal people. Only those trying to make a fake issue.

You can easily send what is on the screen to a TV via HDMI as I do. I use the screen simply as a cool feature and to sometimes navigate. No serious person is sitting on the floor in front of the unit to watch a video.

Thanks

Originally Posted by mep

I agree the screen "issue" is fake news. I do use an iPad to control Roon.

If there's a piece of music you hear from a radio station and your iPad has closed down because it hasn't been used for over 30 seconds (or you are using the IR remote), the screen is a most convenient feature to glance at to identify the music. I can use an iPad or a PC or even a grotty Android device, but none of these will show the artwork constantly. I like the NAD's LED screen and normally only take advantage of the TV via HDMI if I have visitors.

Rose make a big issue of their screen and it should perform as buyers expect.

Originally Posted by Hear Here

Rose make a big issue of their screen and it should perform as buyers expect.

LOL Riiiiight. We all know if somebody put tape over the label and instead wrote the letters of the mid-fi NAD you'd love it.

Maybe we should call this "screen gate" for all the fake news lovers out there. LOL

Originally Posted by MichaelsMinute

LOL Riiiiight. We all know if somebody put tape over the label and instead wrote the letters of the mid-fi NAD you'd love it.

Maybe we should call this "screen gate" for all the fake news lovers out there. LOL

How sad that you feel the need to resort to that type of reply - and clearly from a position of ignorance.

I feel someone is a bit over-biased towards NAD, though I won't say who.

HiFi Rose... A streamer that is known for having one of the best screens. A streamer that is know to have one of the best control apps. A streamer that is known to be very easy to use via screen or control app, even for a sweet 83 year old mother.

Yet someone claims the screen is rubbish, the control app is confusing and rubbish and "needs" Roon to control it properly.

And not that I care, but this someone also says my Auralic's screen is rubbish.

But yet everything from NAD is the gold standard that everyone else needs to aspire to.


Yeah, someone is a bit overly biased.

Guilty as charged - partially!

It wasn't me who criticised the Rose's screen - I think it's the best out there. I did say the Auralic screen was inferior to the Rose or NAD, but not that it was "rubbish".

I found at the local Rose dealer that its app wasn't available on all 4 platforms and that it was complex to use, so the dealer preferred to demo it with Roon. I'm sure one could get used to the Rose app (if available on your preferred platform), but perhaps not intuitive to most 83 year olds!

The NAD was chosen from a dozen amps I home demo'd with my Avantgarde Duo speakers and it won out in my system. It can't be as "mid-fi" as MM suggests if chosen by Sterophile as their Amplifier of the Year, Component of the Year and Editors' Choice - for what any of those awards are worth.

Perhaps there's a little too much audiophile-snobbery from one or two contributors here! Had I chosen the Mark Levinson or Accuphase and praised that, I doubt I'd be so criticised by those contributors. They have doubtless never had a Master Series NAD in their own system - just because it has historically been considered a mid-fi but highly successful brand.

As long as we are all happy with the kit we carefully chose after months of multi-product home demo'ing. Do you do that?

Again, the HiFi Rose app is NOT complex to use. It's about as straight forward as one can get, not to mention IIRC, it has a built-in tutorial if needed. I can't remember if it's in the app or the unit itself.

I'm not too sure who started the who screen thing, but either way, this is hifi gear, so I would think the most important factors to us would be functionality and sound quality, not a stinking screen.

Also, awards aside, I have nothing against NAD, nor have I said anything negative about NAD. Hell... I use an 8 year old, $1100 Emotiva amplifier in my system with an $8600 preamp and $3200 streamer (when new) in front of it. So if you want to talk about someone with mid-fi gear, just poke fun at me and my Emotiva amp. That's not to say this amp is punching way above its price point though.

You can set the time on IOS as to how long it before the screen closes. Definitely worth adding some time when using a control app.

Can't imagine why anyone would sit and stare at an image on a screen when listening but that's me.

You mentioned the Rose screen is the best out there so I'd say if it didn't meet customers expectations they are just out of luck. I mean if you are the best how could it not meet expectation?

Originally Posted by Hear Here

If there's a piece of music you hear from a radio station and your iPad has closed down because it hasn't been used for over 30 seconds (or you are using the IR remote), the screen is a most convenient feature to glance at to identify the music. I can use an iPad or a PC or even a grotty Android device, but none of these will show the artwork constantly. I like the NAD's LED screen and normally only take advantage of the TV via HDMI if I have visitors.

Rose make a big issue of their screen and it should perform as buyers expect.

Originally Posted by Hear Here

If there's a piece of music you hear from a radio station and your iPad has closed down because it hasn't been used for over 30 seconds (or you are using the IR remote),

Change in your Settings app, navigate to Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock. Here you'll see multiple options, ranging from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. There's also an option for Never, which is what you should select here. Once this is enabled, your iPad's display won't automatically go to sleep.

Originally Posted by CPP

Change in your Settings app, navigate to Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock. Here you'll see multiple options, ranging from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. There's also an option for Never, which is what you should select here. Once this is enabled, your iPad's display won't automatically go to sleep.

Yes of course there are other ways to identify what is playing but Rose and a few others have designed their streamers to offer this info on the LED screen - good for them.

Some may prefer to use an iPad or other device but I don't often use my iPad and I wouldn’t want to have to recharge it every day so the 1 minute close-down suits.

I'd normally use a Windows PC to start up my day's listening, but of course it gets used for other things too so music info has to be found by a number of mouse clicks. Again, easy enough, but it suits me to glance at the front panel of my streamer. Once you have this feature, you appreciate its usefulness.

All these things add to the convenience of music listening, even though they don’t improve sound quality.

Originally Posted by Hear Here

Yes of course there are other ways to identify what is playing but Rose and a few others have designed their streamers to offer this info on the LED screen - good for them.

Some may prefer to use an iPad or other device but I don't often use my iPad and I wouldn’t want to have to recharge it every day so the 1 minute close-down suits.

I'd normally use a Windows PC to start up my day's listening, but of course it gets used for other things too so music info has to be found by a number of mouse clicks. Again, easy enough, but it suits me to glance at the front panel of my streamer. Once you have this feature, you appreciate its usefulness.

All these things add to the convenience of music listening, even though they don’t improve sound quality.

"I wouldn’t want to have to recharge it every day so the 1 minute close-down suits." Not sure what I pad you are using, but mine last 6-10 hours on a charge and that's being used. OF course you can always just hook a charge cable up to it and leave plugged in while your using it. My wife uses her IPad ( Wi-Fi + Cellular) non stop all day and it last all day.