HiFi Rose - RS250A Network Streamer

A network streamer, ESS SABRE DAC and preamplifier behind an 8.8-inch touchscreen — Roon Ready, with 4K video over HDMI and an internal SSD bay.

The RS250A sits in the middle of HiFi Rose’s streamer range and is best understood as a streaming DAC and preamplifier rather than an all-in-one system. It ends at an unbalanced RCA preamp output and a headphone jack — there is no power amplifier and no speaker terminals, so it needs an integrated amplifier or a power amplifier downstream. If you want the same platform with amplification built in, that is the RS520.

It replaced the original RS250 in 2022 and the substantive change was the converter. The RS250 used a two-channel ESS ES9038Q2M; the RS250A moved to the eight-channel PRO-series ES9028PRO, which also lifted the ceiling to 32-bit/768kHz PCM and native DSD512. A shielded linear power supply feeds the CPU and the analog output stage separately, which is the harder engineering problem in a device that is also running an Android tablet behind the front panel.

That front panel is the point of the thing. An 8.8-inch multi-touch display driven by a hexa-core Rockchip processor with Mali-T864 graphics shows album art, VU meters and streaming apps directly, and it does 4K video over HDMI as well as audio. Rose OS is a customised Android build, updated frequently, with a control app for iOS and Android and a Bluetooth remote in the box.

Storage and connectivity are genuinely flexible. Two USB 3.0 ports take drives up to 10TB, an internal 2.5-inch SATA bay accepts an SSD up to 4TB with mounting screws supplied, and SMB, FTP and WebDAV handle networked libraries. Line, optical, coaxial and USB audio inputs go in; preamp, optical, coaxial and USB audio outputs come out. Adding the optional RSA-780E drive turns it into a CD player and ripper.

Features

• Network streamer, DAC and preamplifier — requires a separate amplifier to drive speakers
• ESS SABRE ES9028PRO DAC, PCM to 32-bit/768kHz and native DSD512
• 8.8″ multi-touch display with album art, VU meters and video
• Roon Ready, plus TIDAL, Qobuz, Spotify Connect, Apple Music, Rose Tube, YouTube and internet radio
• MQA full decoder
• 4K video output over HDMI 2.0 at up to 3840 x 2160 / 60Hz
• Shielded linear power supply feeding CPU and audio stages separately
• Internal 2.5″ SATA SSD bay up to 4TB, plus two USB 3.0 ports up to 10TB
• SMB, FTP and WebDAV for networked music libraries
• Gigabit Ethernet and dual-band Wi-Fi, plus Bluetooth A2DP
• Headphone output and unbalanced RCA preamp output
• Optional RSA-780E drive adds CD playback and ripping
• Bluetooth remote and Rose Connect app for iOS and Android

Specifications

• Type: Network streamer, DAC and preamplifier. No power amplifier — a separate amplifier is required
• Operating System: Customised Android 7.1-based Rose OS, updated over the air
• Display: 8.8″ wide viewing angle multi-touch panel
• CPU: Hexa-core — dual-core Cortex-A72 to 1.8GHz, quad-core Cortex-A53 to 1.4GHz
• GPU: Mali-T864 — OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.0/3.1, OpenVG 1.1, OpenCL, DX11
• Memory: LPDDR3 4GB
• DAC: ESS SABRE ES9028PRO
• Output Level: Maximum 2.3 Vrms unbalanced
• THD: 0.0002% (1kHz, 2.3Vrms unbalanced)
• THD + N: 0.0003% (1kHz, 2.3Vrms unbalanced)
• IMD: −102dB (SMPTE 4:1, 60Hz:7kHz)
• Signal to Noise Ratio: 116dB (A-weighted)
• Dynamic Range: Maximum 126dB (CCITT filter)
• Stereo Crosstalk: Better than −133dB, 20Hz–20kHz
• Frequency Response: 20Hz–40,000Hz (±0.5dB)
• Output Impedance: 100Ω
• PCM Support: 8kHz–768kHz, 8/16/24/32-bit
• DSD Support: Native DSD64, DSD128, DSD256, DSD512 (22.5792MHz)
• Streaming: Roon Ready, AirPlay, DLNA, Spotify Connect, MQA full decoder
• Music Services: TIDAL, Qobuz, Spotify, Apple Music, Rose Tube, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, internet radio. Amazon Music is not supported
• Network: Ethernet 10/100/1000 BASE-T; Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/a/ac dual band 2.4/5GHz
• Bluetooth: A2DP Sink, AVRCP v1.3
• Audio Inputs: Line x1, optical x1, coaxial x1, USB audio x1
• Audio Outputs: Preamp out unbalanced RCA x1, optical x1, coaxial x1, USB audio x1, headphone x1
• Video Output: HDMI 2.0 x1, up to 3840 x 2160 / 60Hz
• Storage: USB 3.0 x2 (NTFS/FAT32, up to 10TB); internal 2.5″ SATA 3.0 SSD bay x1 (NTFS, up to 4TB)
• Network File Protocols: SMB, FTP, WebDAV
• Supported Codecs: MQA, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, DFF, DSF, AAC, CDA, AMR, MP2, MPC, M4A and others
• Video Codecs: ASF, AVI, MKV, MP4, WMV, MPEG-1/2/4, H.263, H.264, H.265, VC-1, VP8, VP9, MVC
• Mains Input: AC 100–120V / 220–240V, 50/60Hz. Input power 50W
• Remote Control: Bluetooth remote handset; Rose Connect app for iOS and Android
• Materials: Aluminium top plate with plastic sides
• Finishes: Silver, Black
• Dimensions (W x D x H): 10.9″ x 7.9″ x 3″ (278 x 202 x 76 mm)
• Weight: 7 lbs (3.2 kg)
• In the Box: Power cord, Bluetooth remote with two AAA batteries, manual, four SSD mounting screws
• Warranty: Two years. US warranty and service are administered by HiFi Rose USA
• Note: Apple Music on Rose OS is limited to 256 kbps AAC by Apple’s own SDK — it is not lossless. HiFi Rose publishes no headphone output power or impedance figure