HiFi Rose RA180: Feature-packed amplifier

At the moment, Hi-Fi Rose RA180 is the first and only dedicated amplifier of the Korean brand. Inside the Hi-Fi Rose RA180 there are four power amplifiers based on gallium nitride (this is a more promising semiconductor than silicon) field-effect transistors, a pre-amplifier with an MM/MS phono stage (the correction curve is adjustable) and an output to an active subwoofer. In bridge mode, the amplifier delivers 2×400 W into a 4 or 8 Ohm load. In normal mode, the output power is 4×200 W, and in it you can organize regular passive bi-amping or connect additional “atmospheric” tweeters (“super tweeters”) using the built-in crossover.

Before discussing the design features of the Rose RA180 Hi-Fi integrated amplifier, it is probably worth remembering some basic facts about the manufacturer. HiFi Rose is the audio division of Citech, a Korean software and hardware specialist. Until this point, the HiFi Rose company stated that the distinctive feature of their audio systems is a colorful screen with high-quality images. The Rose RA180 Hi-Fi amplifier does not have a display, however, it cannot be blamed for the lack of information on the front panel.

As you can see from the images, the Hi-Fi Rose RA180 is literally chock full of rotary controls, dials, switches and toggle switches. HiFi Rose tries to maintain the aesthetics of traditional HiFi devices, and we are sure that many fans will appreciate this. Each physical control element of this amplifier has not only aesthetic, but also practical value, that is, it has a specific function. HiFi Rose gives customers complete freedom, allowing owners to customize everything about their device themselves.

Absolutely every parameter can be adjusted via the front panel, from low and high frequencies (frequency range ranging from 100 Hz and 10 kHz, respectively, with gain ± 15 dB) to the installation of equalizer filters compatible with the MM / MC phono stage. There is a slider for setting the balance of signal distribution between the left and right channels, as well as a bypass mode, which directly connects the source (connected to the line input) to the power amplifier stage, bypassing the Hi-Fi Rose RA180 preamplifier.

Once you can take your attention away from the mesmerizing façade and look at the back of the amplifier, you’ll see just how many interfaces the HiFi Rose RA180 has. There is one balanced and three unbalanced RCA inputs, a subwoofer output, a trigger input and, for connecting two different stereo systems, eight pairs of speaker jacks. HiFi Rose claim that all of the RA180’s technology and connectivity will work optimally thanks to a new power supply design that features high-voltage and heat-resistant silicon carbide FET technology.

Perhaps one of the most interesting features of the Hi-Fi Rose RA180 is not obvious when looking at its aluminum body – its Class A/D amplification. HiFi Rose claim that their proprietary amplifier design provides the high efficiency and high power of Class D components. Moreover, the manufacturer has eliminated the problem of poor sound quality of D amplifiers (compared to Class AB designs) associated with digital circuit limitations. This was probably achieved to a large extent through experimentation with materials. The Class A/D Hi-Fi Rose RA180 amplifier uses gallium nitride FETs, as opposed to the more common silicon FET technology, resulting in a “high-speed amplifier stage” that allows the
device to output a more natural signal comparable to with the result of an analog amplifier.