2. misc-audio
  3. 180211-177016

Rose 150B or New Streamer???

Well, after many years without a decent stereo system I have purchased a Hegel 590 integrated amp and a pair of Revel 226be speakers. Because I want to keep things simple I need a streamer (I don't want to spend extra for CDs or new cd player, turntable, etc.). I am auditioning a HIfi Rose 150B and think it sounds good but there are some audio dropouts when connected to my LG OLED tv by hdmi arc. This is not for home theater setup and is stereo only. I don't need a streamer with amp or preamp and the Hegel has a nice DAC (or so I've been told). I have been using only the Rose DAC so far. I'm still investigating the cause of audio dropouts. Except for those I might not be considering something different.

So, is there a better choice for me in the same general price area as the Rose150? I could get a streamer without DAC and use the Hegel's DAC. I want to connect the tv to watch concerts in stereo so I may need the hdmi. I also like the ability of the Rose to send audio and video to the tv through the hdmi output. I listen to a wide variety of music except for rap and opera (I can take a bit of opera).  have a couple of weeks to consider. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

wmbray123
yage
400 posts
 

@wmbray123 

Come to think of it, I guess you could also connect the optical digital output of the TV to the Rose as well.

dom79's avatar
dom79
1 posts
 

I was also having dropouts with LG OLED and in my case it was the ESS 9038 chip that did not like the noisy signal coming from the TV. My dac had the option to set the ‘window’ of digital signal tracking employed by the DAC chip. The lower the setting the tighter the window, which would result in brief signal dropouts, but at the highest setting it was fine. I wonder if the Hifi Rose also lets you change these settings? You might want to give it a try.

kota1
2,706 posts
 

The NAD C658 has dirac room correction and you can get an upgrade module to include HDMI that plugs right into an expansion port in the back. If you don't want room correction the Cocktail Audio N25 also has an HDMI port.

IMO room correction is extremely significant in a decent room.

 

wmbray123 OP
8 posts
 

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. I'm still looking at a replacement and have seen suggestions for the newish Cary 650 and the 432 EVO. I may abandon my search for hdmi if I can use a toslink cable successfully for two channel audio from the tv. I may return the Rose because of the hdmi issue and difficulties in figuring out certain operations, such as transferring music files to internal storage.

I notice I'm not the only one with audio issues (dropouts) using the Rose 150b connected to an LG OLED tv. So I decided to switch out the LG tv for a Samsung connected to the Hifi Rose and there were no audio issues. I used the same cables, inputs outputs, and settings, changing only the tv. It seems the problem may be with LG or Hifi Rose, or the communication between the two by hdmi.

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