HiFi Rose RA180 Absolute Pure Sound Integrated Amplifier

One thing is clear: the HiFi Rose RA180 Absolute Pure Sound Integrated Amplifier is an outstanding stereo integrated amplifier, which will be presented to us shortly. The design of this system is the exquisite, unique solution that Citech Co. Ltd. had in mind for this new HiFi Rose product. We dare to say that you have never seen anything like this from a renowned manufacturer in this class.

The design of the front alone, with its mixture of futuristic elements, a touch of vintage and an industrial look, is sure to attract a lot of attention, so there’s no need to mention that the finest technology is used under the bonnet to create a high-end hi-fi solution.

HiFi Rose RA180 – Futuristic Industrial Look Meets Vintage HiFi

As already mentioned, the front of the HiFi Rose RA180 has a very unusual design. Whoever was responsible for this mixture of different style elements had courage, a lot of courage, as did the decision makers who approved this concept.

The amazing thing is that it is this mixture of futuristic industrial look with classic features from the field of vintage hi-fi that unfolds a very special charm and really only works in the end because it is such a daring collection. In fact, there seems to be no system behind it, because switches, rotary encoders and sliders are found in different forms, and are combined with illuminated VU meters, whereby one thinks that the developers have “blindly” reached into the material warehouse of Yamaha, Luxman and Nagra, without even wanting to imply anything here.

In the midst of all this creative confusion, the rotary encoder for volume control stands out in particular because it is based on a combination of cogwheels that are probably modelled on clockwork and are also effectively illuminated by backlighting.

The fact that the silver chassis is also quite unusually designed in other respects, for example with generous outlets on the top and black cooling fins on the sides, would have merited a separate review in any other solution, but here it’s just a side note.

By the way, the chassis sits on three very solidly constructed feet, which are supposed to guarantee the best possible decoupling through a special material mix and also serve as an attractive contrast in the design with a mixture of matt silver and shiny brass.

In this context, it should be mentioned that the new HiFi Rose RA180, with dimensions of 430 mm in width, 350 mm in depth and 110 mm in height, exactly matches the streaming systems from Citech Co Ltd. It is astonishing that it weighs 16.7 kg with these dimensions.

Rear side littered with connections

Not only the front of the HiFi Rose RA180 is special, but also the back, which is littered with connections. However, a closer look shows that this is a design that is hardly found in this class, because it actually seems as if the new HiFi Rose RA180 offers more connections for speaker systems than inputs. But more about that in the following…

First of all, the new HiFi Rose RA180 has three unbalanced line inputs, designed as a pair of RCA sockets, plus a balanced input in the form of XLR connectors. For the integration of a subwoofer, a corresponding preamplifier output is available, designed as a cinch connection, whereby all relevant parameters can be flexibly adjusted directly on the front.

Integrated phono preamplifier for MM and MC cartridge systems

Another pair of RCA sockets is the contact point for vinyl lovers, because behind it is the integrated phono preamplifier of the HiFi Rose RA180, which is designed for both MM and MC cartridge systems. The selection is made with a toggle switch at the back, directly at the front there is the possibility to fine-tune all other settings and even to switch on a subsonic filter.

Class D amplifier with GaN FET

Manufacturers such as the German semiconductor specialist Infineon Technologies AG are convinced that the future of amplifier technology is Class D, namely Class D based on GaN FET, i.e. field-effect transistors that do not rely on silicon but rather on gallium nitride as a basis.

The reason for this is first and foremost the particularly effective mode of operation; at a higher effective power, much less waste heat occurs and thus allows a much more densely packed construction of such circuits. Furthermore, amplifier circuits realised in Class D and based on GaN FET are said to be much more accurate, as they are faster and thus more precise in signal processing.

The new HiFi Rose RA180 Absolute Pure Sound Integrated Amplifier uses exactly this technology and impressively demonstrates its performance potential, at least if one follows the values in the data sheet of Citech Co Ltd.

There you will find the specification of four times 200 watts, for speaker systems with an impedance of 4 or 8 ohms. This makes it clear that the HiFi Rose RA180 has four amplifier modules, four mono blocks in one cabinet, if you want to put it that way, which allow for a particularly creative use.

For this purpose, the aforementioned flood of loudspeaker connections is available, 16 of them.

The easiest way to use it is in bridged mode, where no less than two 800-watt speaker systems with 4 or 8 ohms impedance are available to keep any system under full control.

Then there is classic A-B operation, and it is also possible to use bi-amping to perfection. This is made possible by another very special feature of the new HiFi Rose RA180 Absolute Pure Sound Integrated Amplifier.

Integrated Crossover

The new HiFi Rose RA180 Absolute Pure Sound Integrated Amplifier not only has tone control in the form of a bass and treble control and a balance control, but also an active crossover that can be activated and adjusted directly on the front of the amplifier.

This makes the Pure Direct switch, which by the way has a particularly striking design, almost a secondary matter.

Prices and availability

We are cuThe HiFi Rose RA180 Absolute Pure Sound Integrated Amplifier will not be too long in coming, at least this is what the information from the manufacturer suggests. This solution should be available as early as May 2022 at a recommended retail price of € 6.999,-.

Getting to the point

If you are looking for a truly exceptional amplifier, then the new HiFi Rose RA180 Absolute Pure Sound Integrated Amplifier might be just the right product. The information available so far promises a solution that is outstanding in every respect. This starts with the truly unique design, for which we can’t think of any product on the market that is even remotely comparable, continues with the technology based on Class D with GaN FET, and ends with the functionality and performance potential of this new solution from the HiFi Rose brand from Citech Co. Ltd.