Free Shipping on US orders above $49
Recommended Component 2025 – Stereophile
Highly Recommended – avsforums.com
Product of the Year Award Finalist 2023, Digital Source Component – Stereophile
A New Leap Forward for Performance and Technology
HiFi Rose has upgraded its already impressive RS250 with the new RS250A network streamer. Featuring an upgraded DAC, op-amps, digital clock, and a choice of either black or silver finish, the RS250A showcases HiFi Rose's drive to move performance and technology another leap forward.
Even more than the RS250, the RS250A is a digital component boasting the finest analog acoustic sensibilities. It delivers the musical inspiration for the highest quality sound thanks to careful tuning by acoustic engineers with thirty years of experience. As a result, the 250A is able to reproduce the full frequency range of streamed music with ultimate expression, from grand, rich bass to delicate, elegant highs.
"Recommended Component" Honors
Stereophile honored the HiFi Rose RS250A by awarding it the magazine's coveted Recommend Component status for 2025.
According to Stereophile, "JA [Jon Atkinson] concluded his review of the original RS250 by writing, 'the sound quality of the HiFi Rose RS250 suggests that nothing had been compromised in packing so many features into its small chassis.' JA repeats that conclusion for the new RS250A, adding that 'it is an elegant-looking, well-engineered, multipurpose component.'"
Product of the Year Finalist
The RS250A was also a Product of the Year Finalist in the Digital Source Component category for Stereophile.
"In addition to its obvious application as a versatile music (or multimedia) server, the RS250 can serve another function: If you own a legacy D/A processor that you love the sound of but which only has S/PDIF inputs, the RS250 can act as a network bridge. Similarly, for LP playback, you could connect your phono preamp to the RS250's analog inputs," notes John Atkinson, Stereophile, November 24, 2021.
"Highly recommended both as a streaming DAC and as an all-in-one hub for a high-end audio system."
"A Hugely Versatile Device"
"I was quite taken aback with this bit of kit. The HiFi Rose RS250 is a hugely versatile device that does everything other streamers do and then some more," reports ames Michael Hughes, StereoNET, March 25, 2022. "It is compact, stylish and very keenly priced given what you get. It sounds excellent, too. I really loved it and could happily live with one."
"HiFi Rose's ability to reinvent and refine continues apace with this compact network player/DAC/preamp," notes Andrew Everard, hifinews.com March 28, 2023. "The Rose Connect app offers excellent flexibility while the RS250A is memorable for its 'widescreen' user-interface and, above all, highly competitive sound. Packed with detail and real insight into what's being played, it has an even-handed approach with all kinds of music and is a hugely involving listen."
Advanced Tech and Features
The built-in, brand new ESS flagship SABRE ES9038PRO DAC provides low-noise, low-distortion, ultra-high-resolution sound along with rich analog depth through proprietary processing that supports PCM 32bit / 768KHz and Native DSD512 (22.5792 MHz).
The wide front-panel LCD with multi-touch interactivity provides a new experience for audio devices and is ideal for users seeking simplicity. The harmonious design of the high-quality aluminum body and wide viewing-angle touchscreen make your music space stand out even more. Rotary-style power and volume controls add to the overall visual effect and are extremely convenient to use.
"Well Built, Functionally Excellent"
The RS250A earned a Highly Recommended rating from avsforums.com. According to Ed Selley, "This is a well built, functionally excellent, and unconditionally stable streamer that will keep rivals at the same price point honest. More than this, it’s a fantastic piece of industrial design that is laden with surprise and delight features which, if and when the mood takes you, gives the RS250A a genuine, unique selling point. For those of you still keeping source and amp separate, this is a well thought out option that comes Highly Recommended."
Wired and Wireless Streaming
Enjoy network streaming either in wired or wireless fashion. The RS250A supports Airplay and DLNA functions and can connect to smart phones, computers and tablet PCs via Wi-Fi, Giga Ethernet, or Bluetooth communication. Other capabilities include built-in MQA decoding, TIDAL, Spotify, Qobuz, and much more.
Designed to accommodate significant music storage sources, the RS250A can recognize up to 4TB of SSD and 10TB of external HDD. Also, it supports connection with NAS. Experience high-quality music without worrying about drive capacity.
New Flagship ES9038PRO DAC
The RS250A improves upon the chipset used in the RS250 with the astounding new SABRE ES9038PRO, the flagship DAC chip of ESS technology. This DAC module is one of the highest performance 32-bit solutions on the market today designed for audiophile and studio equipment applications. It doesn't get better than this.
Using the critically acclaimed ESS’ patented HyperStream® II architecture and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator, the ES9038PRO delivers an unprecedented dynamic range (DNR) of up to 140dB and THD+N of –122dB, the industry’s highest performance level that will satisfy the needs of the most demanding audio applications. The maximum sampling frequency and bit rate are PCM 768 kHz, 32 bit, and DSD512 is supported.
The ES9038PRO significantly reduces software implementation time compared to previous products, and it minimizes gain error between devices by automatically adjusting gain. In addition, it is equipped with ESS technology's exclusive jitter canceller to provide exceptional audio clarity. Seven low-delay filters allow you to sculpt your music to meet your tastes and suit your ears.
Other RS250A Upgrades
Contributing to the outstanding performance of the RS250 is a new Femto 100 MHz ultra-low phase noise oscillator. In place of the three 250's Muse 8920 dual op-amps, the 250A gets an upgrade to ten single HiFi Rose discrete op-amps. Also on board are an ES9311Q audio L/R Reference dedicated chip and a 49.152 MHz, 45.1584 MHz clock generator. All of these enhancements add up to a breakthrough in sonic purity and a new level of musical realism.
Linear Power Supply
The fully linear power supply provides a clean and reliable power supply to the CPU and audio output circuits. The power supply design and shielding mean that noise which could be transmitted to the sensitive DAC is blocked for the best possible sound reproduction.
High-Purity Aluminum Case
The casework is milled from a block of high purity aluminum, which shields sensitive electronics from airborne RFI and EMI. The one-piece integral design maximizes thermal efficiency, too. By minimizing parts in the assembly area, vibrations that can affect sound qualities are greatly reduced, creating a profound and ideal sense of space to your music.
MQA Certified with Built-in TIDAL and More
The RS250A supports MQA full decoder technology. MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) is an award-winning British technology that delivers the sound of the original master recording. The master MQA file is fully authenticated and is small enough to stream or download. A built-in TIDAL App is integrated for high-performance streaming.
Spotify Connect allows you to play and wirelessly control Spotify music on your ROSE OS over a network. With the Spotify Connect function, you can enjoy a variety of music with hi-fi sound quality on your ROSE device. Built-in Qobuz means you can also access music streaming with Qobuz's various functions. Support for hi-res audio (24 bit/192 kHz) lets you play high-resolution music.
Roon Ready
Roon is an incredibly rich and engaging way to browse and organize your music. It runs on most Mac, Windows, and Linux PCs, or on other products that include Roon Core. Being Roon Ready means that HiFi Rose network players transparently discover and connect to Roon without any configuration, and bit-perfect audio is delivered from Roon to your network player. Together, Roon and HiFi Rose deliver the power, flexibility, and performance of networked audio with the easiest setup and highest reliability available.
Ultra HD 4K Video Support
Watch local or RoseTube video files in Ultra HD 4K quality on your large display via the RS250A's HDMI connection. Feel the full magnificent and vivid touch of the opera house, theater, or rock stadium at home now.
Innovative Rose OS
For easily harnessing the full potential of the RS250A, the HiFi Rose OS system provides an innovative musical experience. Stream and play ultra-high-quality music, 4K high-definition video, ad-free YouTube, podcasts, various radio stations from around the world, CD playback, CD ripping, and more. Intuitive and agile, the Rose OS is a pleasure to use.
Play music and video files on a local storage device, too (USB / MicroSD / SSD). Also, you can build your home network library with an NAS connection. It is possible to categorize your music in numerous ways for quick and easy access to exactly what you want to hear.
By connecting an external CD-ROM Drive via USB, you can enjoy CD playback. Plus. you can extract music files stored on CD and save them to SSD or USB.
8.8"-Wide Touch Screen and ROSE Connect
Advanced control of the RS250A is provided by the integrated 8.8"-wide touch screen. It provides an intuitive and convenient interface through the high-resolution wide viewing angle and IPS multi-touch functionality. The front display shows high-definition album information and can also play back video at 60 FPS.
Additionally the dedicated Rose Connect Application allows you to play all music and videos from local and network sources. It is available for Apple and Android devices through Apple and Google Play stores. Yet another control option is provided by the included Bluetooth remote, which lets you interface with the RS250A with ease.
