MAGAZINE
The new HiFi Rose RS130 is a streaming bridge: a music streamer that has only digital outputs and requires an external D/A converter. For the connection to the DAC, however, the RS130 is supposed to offer everything possible, and carries digital outputs in the formats AES/EBU, USB, I2S (HDMI), as well as optical and coaxial. Furthermore, it has two inputs for an external clock as well as SFP ports that provide optical connections for USB and Ethernet. External storage drives can also be connected to and played from the streamer via USB.
On the front, the Rose RS130 carries a 15.4-inch touchscreen, which is used to control the device as well as display album covers, information and also videos in high resolution. For streaming music, the network player comes with Rose's own audio engine, which is supposed to provide a lossless transfer of high-resolution music as well as MQA, DSD and DXD files.
Streaming services include Qobuz, Tidal, Spotify and Apple Music, and the RS130 also offers Roon Ready, Bluetooth, Airplay, DLNA, Internet radio and more. To optimize the signal, Rose has also incorporated various special features, such as an NVMe SSD that caches and buffers streamed music files, which is supposed to prevent interruptions in playback and reduce interference. The sturdy aluminum housing and the ventilation are also supposed to further improve the performance.
The RS130 streaming bridge from HiFi Rose is available in black and silver immediately for an MSRP of around €4800 in Germany.
