HiFi Rose RS150B Reference Network Streamer Black Reviews

4.9 Rating 12 Reviews

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Phone:

909.931.9686

Email:

joel.m@upscaleaudio.com

Location:

2058 Wright Avenue,
2058 Wright Avenue
California
91750

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“I’ve spent the last 2yrs searching for a high-end streamer/DAC. One that will not only stream MQA and DSD, but also render my large collection of audio and video files on my NAS. So far, the RS 150B fits the bill in every regard.”

4 Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“RS150b is a very promising unit, in spite of the companies infancy with audiophile units and the complexity of integrating a high-quality streaming UX and backend the unit is turnkey and ready for what you can toss at it. The DAC sounds lovely with all the characteristics one seeks out at this price point; excellent separation and the low end is phenomenal. The streamer is easy enough to setup and adding a few TBs of storage via an SSD was easy as turning a few screws. Slight learning curve on the server if you’re not familiar with SMB. Have not used the Roon option so I cannot speak to its use. Qobuz integration is easy to set up. Rosetube is fun for sure and adds a new option that is not common but certainly will be copied by the others. The software is improving in regular updates and many aspects/caveats of the initial release have been sorted. Company has been ready with responses and helpful when frustrated. Unit is quality at every turn. Build is similar to other high-end units, though not as weighty as a DCS. I’m running this unit balanced out using a pair of custom bench-made balanced cables to a McIntosh MA252 > Belden 9497 wire to fully restored Dahlquist DQ10 and a Rhythmik 12” I wake up eager to switch on the system and always before making my morning coffee. The turntable has been sad since the RS150b arrived. Upscale took care of me on all aspect a great experience. -mws”

4 Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Rick Johnson

Verified Reviewer

“This was a major leap for me, not liking the change to 2-channel streaming but upgrading my system this solution seemed perfect. Did my research and now, wedged into an incredibly simple system. Ripping into a 2tb ssd solved another problem. For sure less expensive options but happy with the functionality and the DAC sound output to my system.”

1 Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Thomas Scheidig

Unverified Reviewer

“I am surprised there is no review yet, so here you go: I just received the RS150B from Upscale. I have had quite a few streamers over the past few years, such as Auralic, PS Audio, Nativ Audio, and most recently the Cary DMS 550. The Hifi Rose RS150 blows them all out of the water and I don't take such a statement lightly. Build quality is Mercedes-like, the vast touch screen is simply amazing (amazingly clear and fast), the sound quality is at least on par with the PS Audio, and the software works very well. Pros: - Jewell-like construction, simply stunning - A vast amount of music (and video) streaming options: international and domestic radio, Spotify, Tidal, Roon, the awesome Rose Tube service, Quboz - An incredible amount of input and output options - Neat tricks, such as a weather info, many different huge clock options, many different VU meter options - Roon works perfectly - The Rose app works great - I bought an Apple Superdrive on eBay for $30 (new, never used), plugged it into one of the two USB slots, and it works like a charm. Playing a CD feels so 90's, but I do like having that option - the unit has analog inputs, but I have not tried them. So, clearly, there is an ADC in the unit - I have only listened for a few days, but the unit sounded pretty good cold out of the box. I do think it needs a bit of break-in - My wife really likes the looks of it - something that never happens - The interaction between the touch screen, app, and remote works perfectly. This is something very complex, i.e. start an operation on the app and make sure it is recognized on the screen and vice versa Cons (probably nit-picky): - Not a fan of a bluetooth remote control. I have a universal (Seven Hugs) remote control and now can't teach the commands to the Seven Hugs - There is no bluetooth streaming from the RS150 to other devices, i.e. to wireless headphones (I think this can be fixed via software in the future). The RS150 can only receive - No chrome casting to a TV. You have to run a HDMI cable to a TV.. pretty outdated concept - You can only connect to remote server via SMB. I run Asset UPNP on my QNAP server since it is the only server smart enough to fix the tagging issues that come with WAV files. Unfortunately, you can’t just connect to a server, but have to scan a folder path via SMB. Seems also very outdated. Again, this is something I hope will be fixed via a software update in the future - A few of the 'tricks' referenced above don't work when you use Roon or Tidal: i.e. the VU meters. Again, I think software can fix that - This is a new company and software updates seem to fix 10 things and break 7 at the same time. Not sure if these guys understand the concept of regression testing - The operation is not all that intuitive. It is ok, but there is a learning curve - My Cary DMS550 provided the ability to upsample to DSD256. The RS150 only provides the ability to upsample to 192khz.”

4 Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago