Hifi Rose RD160 Streaming DAC

Available November 2024

The Hifi Rose RD160 is the result of meticulous research and experimentation in collaboration with AKM and MUSES.

Design

The display of the RD160  is "hidden" on the front panel when off. When powered on, the screen intuitively presents information at a glance.

Rose CIM Architecture

The ROSE CIM ™ architecture aims to maximize sound quality through complete isolation and modularization. The DAC module of the RD160 is a 2 chip solution, where the AK4191 handles digital filtering and initial delta sigma conversion stages, while the AK44 99EX
performs digital to analog conversion. By structurally separating the digital and analog circuits, the RD160 achieves perfect noise blocking during mutual processing stages, extremely high signal to noise ratio, and the highest level of analog characteristics.

Balanced Design

Furthermore, by allocating DAC modules for each channel and employing a balanced symmetrical design for the analog output circuit, RD160 effectively blocks noise that can be coupled between channels. This design enables RD160 to boast exceptional dynamic range and to accurately represent the most intricate details of the original sound with clear stereo imaging.

3 Linear Power Supplies

HiFi ROSE's proprietary reference linear power supply units are designed using ULTRA LOW NOISE power chipsets to minimize noise. Each power supply unit is custom designed for the digital input stage and the left and right analog output stages, providing independent power supply to each. As a result, RD 160 not only minimizes crosstalk and mutual interference between channels but also prevents digital noise from entering the analog domain, ensuring excellent clarity and superior dynamics.

J-FET Input Dual Opamp

The RD160 utilizes high purity Oxygen Free Copper lead frames to apply high quality J FET input dual OPAMPs with excellent responsiveness, dynamic range, and low distortion. Developed in collaboration with MUSES from the initial stages to extract the best performance, the OP AMP in the RD 160 are meticulously tuned to deliver a vibrant, lifelike sound.

Rose NRA Filter

The analog stage, equipped with the ROSE NRA™ filter, implements flat frequency characteristics even in very low frequency bands. Thanks to this, the RD 160 boasts an extensive, consistent frequency response across the entire spectrum without roll offs, allowing it to faithfully reproduce the original sound information contained in Hi Res music files from deep and resonant bass to the ambient details in the high frequency range.

Internal Wiring

High purity Oxygen Free Copper cables have been strategically used in places such as power and audio input/output sections, which have a decisive impact on sound quality. Particularly, in the analog unbalanced output stage, high purity single crystal Ohno Continuos Casting cables with excellent conductivity, ensuring signal transmission without distortion, has been applied.

High Precision OCXO

The high precision OCXO employed in the RD160 enhances the precision of digital inputs, providing more accurate clock signals. OCXO is the most accurate and stable clock available, unaffected by temperature changes. Conventional crystals may introduce jitter to audio signals due to changes in temperature, resulting in fluctuations in oscillation. The OCXO clock, by maintaining a constant temperature, suppresses jitter and produces a stable and precise clock signal.

Upsampling & Filter

The RD160 offers various options. For upsampling , it provides four options: NOS, PCM, DSD, and ALL. PCM supports up to 32bit/768kHz, and DSD supports up to DSD512. Additionally, the digital filter offers six different types of impulse responses, allowing users to select according to their preferences. These two features can be easily configured using the button located on the left side of the front panel, and the changes are instantly reflected on the Hidden Screen without any delay.

Fiber Optic USB

The SFP USB, featuring optical converting functionality, completely blocks digital noise from the source device. When connected to RS130, which supports SFP USB ports, you can receive pure data without any noise interference, ensuring the cleanest transmission possible.

External Master Clock Input

Audio sources require a master clock input that outputs synchronized audio data with the master clock. By applying this method, jitter from optical, coaxial, and AES/EBU connections from the audio source to the DAC can be eliminated, supporting perfect synchronization between devices tailored to the operating environment.

Features

• Balanced digital and analog sections
• Separate DAC modules for each channel
• Individually Isolated and powered digital signal processing and analog conversion sections
• 3 independent linear power supplies
• High precision OCXO clock
• Upsampling
• 6 digital filters to choose from
• Fiber optic USB
• External master clock input
• Remote control