HiFi Rose RD160 DAC

I own a rs130 and rd160 combination. I can tell you the SFP connection is superior to USB.  The overall sound quality is simply stunning.  I also have a Weiss dac and McIntosh Ma352 in my second system, and the Hifi Rose is leagues ahead, the technology is newer, better, and offers thrilling detail retrieval, dynamics, and effortless control that gives some of the best bass I’ve heard in my system .

my setup

rs130-rd160-ra180(biwired)

nova 2 - SR srx and Galileo power cords and looms

SR powercell 14 , SR tranquility base x 4 , solid tech sound of silence 

https://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2025/01/21/hifi-rose-rd-160-dac-review-the-overachiever/

For the curious, this review just came out.

Seeing the response that Huff gave to the person, at the end of the review, it seems like I made the best choice for my system. Any more "body/heft" to the music would have been disastrous to my setup.

But again, all these reviews need to be taken with a handful of salt. User experience is what I generally pay more attention to. Do you plan to get this DAC @jon2020?

@milpai 

I am still undecided but have narrowed down to 3 - this, T+A 200 and the Mola Mola Tambaqui. 

Decisions, decisions. 😁

Ha ha ha...agreed. All the 3 seems like great choices. The USP for each is different T+A and Mola Mola for non-chip based design and the Rose for non-ESS chip based design.

If DSD is important to you, then these are some of the best choices. I understand that ESS chips internally convert DSD to PCM, but AKM chips do not.

Good luck to you and hope you are able to make a decision soon.