Considering the RS151

#22

So, I bought my RS520 from a dealer who took it back from one of his customers who liked the unit but wanted separates. He then used it as a store demo while he was selling it used. My price all in including shipping was less than the price for BStock. (I got a really great deal.) The GaN amp power and reading some of the reviews… made it worth purchasing… couldn’t find anything that competed at the price I got.

Having owned it… not happy w the BT/WiFi dongle. BT 4.2 and the combo dongle not my favorite. I’m running an MB20 that I had w BT5.0 via toslink in for BT. Because the dongle is separate… they just need to find separates (one dongle for wi-fi and one for BT ) if they can’t find a better wi-fi / bt combo that does bt 5.3 or better… And then ship the drivers as part of their android release.

And while some have issues w Rose Connect… I haven’t. Works for me. Better than the remote.

There are quirks. Sure. Like everything somethings definitely need improvement.
While Rose can fix their kit… Boris can’t fix stupid.

Would I buy another Rose unit? Maybe. Depending on which product and at what price point. For example, I’d do the RS451 and pair it w OA’s mono blocks or go w an active speaker. I’m not a fan of separates.

But back to @Bails … If you have questions or doubts… then don’t buy it.
Its that simple. If a git like Boris can influence you… then no matter how good something sounds… there will always be that lingering doubt about the product.

In terms of ease of use… My wife uses Spotify. So she just has to open the app and either use spotify connect or airplay … end of story. But you can get that with almost any AIO or most brands.

#23

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#24

Kaucje

It’s best to go to a store and listen, or rent one for home use and listen in your own system. If you like it, buy it; if you don’t like it, don’t buy it; it’s that simple.

Before buying the RS 151, I listened to several streamers from different manufacturers, including some more expensive ones than the Rose RS 151. For my final choice, I chose the Lumina P1 mini and the Rose RS 151. I listened to both devices several times in various electronics and speaker stores, then I had them at my place. I chose the Rose RS 151 and I’m happy with it. I don’t use Roon or the Connect function, and I haven’t updated the player to the latest version, but two of my friends did and they don’t hear any difference compared to the previous version I have, and one of them has a music degree. I previously had an RS 250 for four years. I had one software issue and another with the app, and that was it. They quickly resolved the issues.

I’m pleased with the sound and functionality. My two friends, who also bought a Rose RS 151 at the same time, are also happy and don’t regret their choice.

Try listening in store to see if this device is right for you.

Take a listen in the shop and you’ll see if this device is for you.
I also play guitar, and I often play by ear, so I can hear the difference between good and bad sound.

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#25

Thanks for the replies. It turns out auditioning the RS151 is not that straightforward - I can’t find a store that has it for demonstration, so it would have to be an online purchase.

I’d be willing to do that based on the looks, which I love, and the functionality, which suits my needs perfectly. What’s holding me back is the question mark over the engineering, especially the measured jitter. That may or may not be ‘audible’ - it’s a hypothetical question anyway, because you can’t listen to an RS151 with and without the jitter to compare - but at this price point I’d want to be convinced that the manufacturer took the product seriously. I get that won’t be an issue for everyone; I’d just like to know the manufacturer took pride in its work and had designed the thing properly.

I’d be in if another review came online that showed the unit measured well (it does in all respects apart from the jitter) and that HiFi News had somehow measured incorrectly, or if HiFi Rose was able to correct the issue through firmware. But from reading this forum its software engineers appear to already have a lot on their plate. I’m guessing I’ll have to wait for a RS151B and reassess then.

I’ve surprised myself by caring so much about the unit’s measurements - I wouldn’t have put myself in the bits-are-bits crowd. But here I am!

#26

Habe den rose 130 gerade gen den 160 ausgetauscht - gehe vom Sony TV mit HDMI eARC in den Rose und dann mit XLR AES/EBU in den Vorverstärker. Beim Einschalten des TVs schaltet sich der Rose auch an und die Lautstärke wird sogar über die TV Fernbedienung reguliert.

Musik kommt von TIDAL/Roon und wird über die Rose Fernbedienung reguliert.

Von Jitter oder Software Problemen habe ich bisher nichts festgestellt. Der Klang ist nach meinem Empfinden sehr gut (die Klangdiskussion ist reiner Vodoo) und das Gerät reagiert schneller als der 130 und ist besser ausgestattet - auch entfällt hier eine Aufrüstung wir z.B mit dem optical HUB RS720.

Beim Musikhören liebe ich, dass ich über den 2. HDMI Ausgang die Plattencover auf dem TV angezeigt bekomme.

Wenn mir jemand einen Wettbewerber nennt - dies alles auch bietet incl dem großen Display und den vielen App Möglichkeiten - schau ich in mir gerne an.

#27

Kaucje
As I mentioned, I listened to several devices, several times each. I chose the RS 151, and I’m convinced you won’t hear a difference in sound when it comes to jitter, provided it’s measured correctly. I’ve read several reviews, and no one has cited it as a defect. I play guitar by ear, I have a friend who graduated from music school and can’t hear it either, but maybe someone has exceptional hearing and can hear it. :slight_smile: Personally, I doubt it.

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#28

@Reiner,
we talking about RS151, 130 is an streamer with no DAC and 160 is an DAC with no streamer functionality. RS151 has both together with other price tag and technical focus. Looks like we compare apple with sausages :).

wir sprechen hier über den RS151 der ist ein Streamer und DAC in einem. RS130 / 160 ist auf anderem technischen Niveau & Focus und auch Geldbeutel mit getrennten DAC und Streamer Funktionalität.
Ist also ein bisschen wie Birnen und Weißwürste :slight_smile:
Und ich stell mal nicht die Frage warum 130 und 160 in 2 Geräten sein müssen, ein Schelm … :slight_smile:

#29

Hans4711,

FWIW, Rose claims a better quality clock, caching and isolation in the RS130 vs the RS151. It was made for people who already have a DAC that they like or who are considering upgrading to a different DAC. I will never know if these features actually make a difference in sound quality. Otherwise they both seem to have identical functionality.

On the Rose website they claim that the RS151 has multi-channel passthrough, but I don’t believe it. The manual of the RS130 says the same thing.

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#30

Which is nice to ask for more money, but has 0 effect on sound quality…

Well, except that 151 does everything 130 does just as well, but is actually useful on its own…

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#31

I agree w Cougar.

W.R.T jitter… you will never hear it w the clocks that you find in audio equipment these days.

If your jitter is measured in ms. (Milliseconds) you may ‘hear’ it. (Or rather its impact on the DAC)
But we’re talking nano seconds or better. Here you will never hear it.

#32

Many of us have been in a similar position with spouse and technology. I attempted for many years to get my wife on board & failed many times.

I upgraded my home theater system with a Marantz AV 20 (integrated are available too). eARC is a must on your pre-amp or Integrated makes the process of on & off,. correct input, etc. much more simple. I added Apple TV & downloaded Tidal. Between Heos, Roon & Tidal, we can easily access both HD music and stream all content on the TV. Bottom line, Happy wife -Happy life!

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