The RS520 from Korean brand HiFi Rose is a what the company calls a “All-In-One Network Streamer.” In this case, all-in-one means it has a built-in network player, DAC and amplifier, and I can tell you that is just scratching the surface of what this component can do. For $3,700, you are getting a very modern-looking piece of equipment that features a 12.6-inch-wide LCD touchscreen, a high-quality 6000-class aluminum case, the ES9038PRO flagship DAC, which features a maximum frequency and bit rate of PCM 769 kHz, 32-bit and DSD 512 support. This unit utilizes a class AD GAN (gallium nitride) FET amplifier, which outputs 250 watts per channel at eight ohms. Finally, HiFi Rose utilizes RoseOS to allow you to connect your music services into the device for streaming. This integrated amplifier also has Optical in, Coaxial in, HDMI eARC, and USB inputs for digital use, and an RCA line in for analog.
What Makes the HiFi ROSE RS520 Integrated Amplifier Special?
- The sonically unflavored power created by the GAN FET amplifier really separates this unit from the competition. Having reviewed many integrated amplifiers in the last year, it is rare that you see 250 watts of power. To add to that, the unit only ways a mere 17.8 pounds. By comparison, my reference-class Anthem MCA 225 Class AB amplifier (read my review here) only produces 225 watts into eight ohms, and it weighs 40 pounds. The amplification used in this unit is a game-changer. It sounds clean and dynamic, while being able to power nearly any speaker you throw at it.
- HiFi Rose’s ROSEOS allows you to use almost any music service, including Apple Music. It isn’t hard to find a streamer that supports Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify or Amazon Music, but if you’re an Apple Music user, you don’t get many options, so having a streamer like the RS520 that allows you to use the service of your choice is always welcome. The folks at HiFi Rose are able to pull this off by having their ROSE OS based in Android, so they can leverage all of the existing apps that are already available through the Android platform.
- The large 12.6-inch LED touchscreen of the HiFi Rose RS520 is beautiful. The visual that the screen creates is fantastic. You can easily see the album art from across the room, and it is simply a pleasure to have that visualization while you are listening. You can always see the track and album art, and you can even choose the sizing if you wish. The screen was always smooth-looking and quite responsive; when you’re searching for your favorite song or album or changing the input, the screen is always doing what you had just told it to do, without any delay. To my tastes it matters what the gear I have in my system looks like, and the HiFi Rose RS520’s modern look and feel is a welcome addition.
Why Should You Care About the HiFi ROSE RS520 Integrated Amplifier?
The HiFi Rose RS520 is what I see as the future of integrated amplifiers. It is equipped with a very capable new-school, Class-D amplifier, a beautiful screen, and a respectable DAC. If you are someone who is looking to consolidate many of your audiophile system’s components into one unit, the RS-520 will allow you to do just that. This device is perfect to put into your living room, as it not only provides you with the ability to entertain with great music, but it has HDMI eARC, which allows you add your TV into the system to use all of that amplification power to enhance your favorite sports, TV, or movies.
Some Things You Might Not Like About the HiFi Rose RS520 Integrated Amplifier
- The biggest things that I can see people not liking about the RS520 is that there isn’t a phono stage built in. When the engineers at HiFi Rose were putting this integrated amplifier together, they definitely had digital in mind. This isn’t to say you can’t play vinyl through it, you just need an external phono stage to do it.
- Touchscreens can be a bit gimmicky. The idea of touching the screen to change the input or song seems like a great idea, but it often isn’t all that practical. The RoseOS app works great, and so does the remote control, so there really isn’t a great reason for you to getting up to even use the touchscreen. If you want to touch the screen, you might as well touch the screen of your phone or tablet instead and save yourself getting up.
Listening to the HiFi Rose RS520 Integrated Amplifier…
I performed my testing with the HiFi Rose RS520 integrated amplifier with Paradigm Premier 700F floorstanding speakers, as well as with MartinLogan Motion XT F100 speakers. I also used a Music Hall CD25.3 CD player in my testing.
“Night by Night” by Steely Dan (Streaming from Qobuz 192.0 kHz) is from the act’s 1974 release Pretzel Logic. This album marks the first time that the group recorded primarily with studio musicians instead of as a band, which would add even more to their audiophile appeal, as their future recordings were even more well-recorded and carefully performed. The HiFi Rose RS520 allows you to hear all of musical details on this track, as the DAC is able to separate all of the different elements without adding too much space, while the amplifier provides enough power to drive the bass line, and still hitting the highs that come out of the trumpet.
“Before We Disappear” is from Chris Cornell’s final solo album Higher Truth (Compact Disc). I wasn’t always a big fan of much of Chris Cornell’s solo work, as he often leaned more into pop and away from his harder rock roots, but Higher Truth felt very authentic and was very much more of a rock album. This is a solid test track, as you can clearly hear the dynamics from the piano and the acoustic guitar in one place to go along with Cornell’s iconic, grungy vocal style. The piano and the guitar sounded very accurate and uncolored by the amplifier and the DAC, and the amplifier section had no problems handling the dynamics of the piano.
“borealis dancing” is a modern jazz track from the trumpeter and composer Jaimie Branch. This track is from her 2023 posthumous album Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)) [Streaming from Qobuz Ri-Res 49 kHz] This track is a seven-minute adventure where Branch and her band throw a lot of different sounds and musical experiences at you. You get a cello that test the highs and mid-range frequencies. You have a fantastic groove that is set between the drums and the bass, along with keyboards, and Branch’s signature trumpet. The amplification was able to really push the bass through my Paradigm Premier 700 speakers that aren’t typically all that bass-heavy, but you could feel the bass even at moderate volumes, while allowing the higher notes to come through without issue, and you even get both about halfway through the track, which really shows off the power of the GAN FET amp.
Does the HiFi Rose RS520 Integrated Amplifier Have Any Resale Value?
I would expect this integrated amplifier to hold much of its value for quite a while. There is so much you can do with this unit and, with it having so much power, even if you wanted to use it just as amp, you could and still be happy with it. I was able to find one of these units selling on Audiogon, and it was for 68 percent of retail, and any HiFi rose units I found on either Audiogon or eBay were selling at that percentage or higher. With that said, this shouldn’t be the type of purchase you lose your shirt on in a few years. as there is so much forward-thinking, new-school technology packed into one audiophile chassis.
Who Is the Competition for the HiFi Rose RS520 Integrated Amplifier?
If you’re not concerned about having that much power, the NAIM Uniti Atom ($3,800 buy at Crutchfield) is a unit you could look at. It features many of the same features with a screen on the front, HDMI input and the other streaming goodies. However, going up in price to lose 210 watts of power is going to be a difficult value proposition for many audio enthusiasts. With that said, everyone doesn’t need all of that power, and one of the biggest things you will want to consider when you’re buying a device like this is how much you like the software you’re going to use to stream through it, as that is what you are likely to use the most.
The Cambridge Audio EVO 150 ($3,249 – buy at Crutchfield) is a very close competitor. It has 150 watts per channel into eight ohms, and 250 watts into four ohms of Class D power though its Hypex NCore Class D amplification, LCD screen, and HDMI ARC, as well as a built-in moving magnet phono stage and a dedicated subwoofer out. The only thing that the Hi-Fi Rose RS520 has that this one doesn’t is the touchscreen, and the extra power, but if you’re looking for something like this in the market, you should be checking this unit out as well.
While the Rotel RA-1592 MKII ($3,399.99 buy at Crutchfield) doesn’t have a digital screen on the front like the other options, or HDMI eARC, it does provide you with 200 watts of Class AB power and fits far more into the traditional integrated amplifier space. The Rotel also has an integrated phono stage, if you are looking to play vinyl and you don’t have an external phono preamp.
Final Thoughts on the HiFi Rose RS520 Integrated Amplifier…
When I first got the HiFi Rose RS520, I was a little skeptical, because of the price. Many of the integrated amplifiers I have reviewed have been coming in at a much lower price point. However, it didn’t take long for me to see why this “all-in-one network streamer” was worth its price. Realistically. if HiFi Rose was to sell this unit as only an amplifier, it would be worth close the price they are charging. But you add in a fantastic-sounding DAC, HDMI eARC support, a 12.6-inch LED screen, along with the streaming capabilities you get through ROSEOS on top of that. and you have a unit that is firmly well worth its price, and I would argue much more. If you’re not yet familiar with the HiFi Rose brand, I would urge you to check them out, as many audiophiles are hip to this newer-school brand. They have built beautiful modern-looking products, and I am excited to see what comes next from the brand, because the RS 520 is an absolute winner.
