HiFi Rose - RSA-780E CD Drive/Ripper

An external CD drive that adds disc playback and ripping to any HiFi Rose streamer, in an isolated low-noise, anti-vibration housing.

HiFi Rose builds its streamers around touchscreens and network playback, which leaves no room inside for an optical drive. The RSA-780E is the answer: a purpose-built external CD drive that gives any current Rose player the two functions its chassis cannot house, real-time CD playback and ripping to a local library.

It connects by a single USB Type-B port that carries both data and power, and HiFi Rose fits USB isolator circuitry on that port to keep computer-grade switching noise off the audio chain. The enclosure is a 152 mm aluminium square about 25 mm tall — slim because it uses a laptop-class optical mechanism rather than a full-height desktop drive — standing on high-performance insulator feet, with the whole assembly built to keep vibration and motor noise from reaching the host.

Ripping targets three formats: FLAC, compressed FLAC and WAV. There is no ALAC or AIFF option, which is worth knowing if you are building a library for an Apple ecosystem. A HiFi Rose 7N OCC USB 2.0 A-to-B data cable is supplied in the box.

One practical note on power. The drive draws 5V at 1.5A over that single USB connection, which is more than a standard USB 2.0 or 3.0 port is obliged to supply. Connected to a HiFi Rose streamer it is fully bus-powered and needs nothing else; connected to a generic laptop port it may not spin up.

Features

• Adds CD playback and CD ripping to HiFi Rose network players
• Compatible with the RS150B, RS151, RS250A, RS201E, RS520 and RS130
• Single USB Type-B connection carries both data and power — no separate supply needed with a Rose streamer
• USB isolator circuitry on the input to keep switching noise off the audio chain
• Rips to FLAC, compressed FLAC or WAV
• Dual-mode operation — playback, or reading and writing discs
• Isolated low-noise, anti-vibration construction on high-performance insulator feet
• HiFi Rose 7N OCC USB 2.0 A-to-B data cable included

Specifications

• Type: External USB CD drive for playback and ripping
• Compatible Players: HiFi Rose RS150B, RS151, RS250A, RS201E, RS520 and RS130. HiFi Rose also states it will operate with other DACs, streamers and computers accepting a USB Type-B connection
• Rip Formats: FLAC, compressed FLAC, WAV. ALAC, AIFF, MP3 and AAC are not supported
• Input: USB Type-B x1, USB 2.0 — carries data and power
• Power: 5V, 1.5A over the USB connection. Bus-powered from a HiFi Rose streamer; no separate supply is supplied or required
• Construction: Isolated, low-noise, anti-vibration design with high-performance insulators and USB isolator technology
• Finish: Silver only
• Dimensions: 5.98″ x 5.98″ x 0.98″ (152 x 152 x 25 mm)
• Weight: 2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)
• In the Box: RSA-780E drive and a HiFi Rose 7N OCC USB 2.0 Type-A to Type-B data cable
• Warranty: Two years. US warranty and service are administered by HiFi Rose USA
• Note: Sold as the RSA780 in HiFi Rose’s global catalogue — the same device. HiFi Rose publishes no drive mechanism, read speed, error-correction scheme or metadata database