HiFi Rose is a new name in the world of audiophiles, they started in 2021, and they make good-quality products with unique features that stand out. In this article, we will review the new HiFi Rose RS151 Network Streamer, and find out if it is a good fit for your speaker system. This is a direct upgrade to the R150 streamer, and it was made to improve upon almost every aspect of the older R150.
Review
The HiFi Rose RS151 is a streamer and a DAC in one product. A streamer like this can get music files from the internet, and then the DAC converts the digital data into analog data, and then the music gets played from your speakers. You can just connect this streamer to a pair of speakers and an amplifier and you will get a pretty good setup.
While the new model might seem similar to the previous one, the HiFi Rose RS151 brings several upgrades to give you better audio. It has a solid aluminum frame, which has a sleek look with the HiFi Rose logo on top. It comes in two colors, Black and Silver. It gets a bigger 15.9-inch screen, with better resolution and more customization options. You can rearrange apps on the home screen, customize playlists, and change the settings. You have four buttons on the top panel for volume, power, and muting.
On the back panel, there are balanced XLR outputs, RCA inputs and outputs, an optical input and output, HDMI eARC, coaxial inputs and outputs, trigger ports, an I2S output, an Ethernet port, an AES/EBU output, an SVC port, USC 3.0, and an HDMI out. With HDMI eARC, the HiFi Rose RS151 supports audio up to 24bit/192kHz. There is an antenna module on the back panel that supports aptX and Bluetooth 5.4.
You can connect an external CD drive to play CDs and store the audio files directly in the streamer. The Rose RS151 also has video out for YouTube and can play videos directly on your TV or display. You can stream directly from services like Spotify, Qobuz, and Tidal. There are exclusive Rose apps like Rose Radio, Rose FM, and RoseTube, which are exactly like YouTube. The streamer runs on Android OS, which means you can get regular updates that improve your experience.
The RS151 has a toroidal linear power supply, and the audio path is completely isolated from the power supply. With some other minor upgrades, the signal-to-noise ratio for this streamer is a very good 131.4 dB. The RS151 gets a new NRA filter, much like the one we saw in the Rose RD160 DAC. This filter enables the RS151 to have a flat frequency response, even with frequencies as low as 10Hz.
For the DAC, the HiFi Rose RS151 uses the new ESS ES9039PRO DAC chips. This is the best ESS chip as of now, and it has features like HyperStream, which reduces jitter and distortion for a purer soundstage.
The HiFi Rose RS151 delivers an amazing listening experience. The DAC made all the audio sound more natural as if the music was being played right in front of me. When playing music, the instruments were separated and detailed, and the audio just felt right. The soundstage was wide and had an eerie amount of realism to it.
Verdict
The HiFi Rose RS151 is an outstanding network streamer. Its DAC does a very good job of converting the data and the final sound is amazing. Whether you’re streaming from Tidal, playing CDs, or watching YouTube videos, the RS151 delivers a refined and immersive listening experience, and it is one of the best network streamers you can get under $5000.