Just in time for the holidays, we have a huge month of partner updates this December. We welcome two beautiful Volumio products to the Roon family, and reveal a new Roon Tested Astell&Kern DAC – the perfect hardware to take advantage of Roon ARC’s new Android USB driver. Let’s dive in and take a look.
ASTELL&KERN AK HC3
Audio giant Astell&Kern’s brand new portable DAC, the AK HC3, represents a seriously exciting addition to the vibrant portable DAC scene. This compact little USB-C DAC lets you experience high performance audio wherever they’re listening – a plug and play solution that levels up your mobile listening experience.
The AK HC3 comes Roon Tested and fully compatible with Android devices, making it a great product choice for Roon ARC users looking to experience bit-perfect playback with ARC’s USB driver. But it’s not just mobile listening where the HC3 shines. It’s fully compatible with Windows and Mac computers with a USB-C port, making the HC3 an easy, compact solution for elevated home listening, too.
BLUESOUND POWERNODE EDGE
The POWERNODE EDGE is the new entry-level streaming amplifier from audio heavyweights, Bluesound. It’s the easiest way to add streaming to a pair of speakers you already own and combines streaming sources (including high-res streaming with Roon Ready!) control and amplification in a sleek and affordable package.
HiFi ROSE RS520
If, like us, you’re a sucker for beautifully designed gear that does it all – you’re going to love the HiFi ROSE RS520. South Korean audio specialists HiFi ROSE have cultivated a reputation for their ‘lifestyle-led’ approach to audio. They specialize in high quality products that put the user experience first, and the RS520 comfortably continues this trend.
The RS520 is an all-in-one, audiophile approved streaming solution that takes a no-compromise approach to power and sound quality. By pairing top of the line ESS DAC technology with a cutting-edge GaN based class AD amplifier, the RS520 achieves pure, low-noise, ultra-high-res sound whilst outputting up to 250W. Control is where this really streamer comes into its own. The full-front-panel 12.6inch LCD touch screen gives you Roon Ready functionality through a beautifully designed, easy-to-use display. It all adds up to make the HiFi ROSE RS520 a seriously smart addition to your audio set up.
Rotel S14
The Rotel S14 is something of a game-changer in the high performance audio market. It represents Rotel’s first integrated amplifier with built-in streaming technology – making this a ‘just add speakers’ system that builds amplification, streaming services, wireless playback and connectivity into a single chassis.
Under the hood, a 150W AB class amplifier offers plenty of drive, and a large toroidal transformer demonstrates Rotel’s time-tested engineering and design practices. The Rotel S14 utilizes a Texas Instruments 32-bit/384kHz DAC with exhaustive tuning and hand selection of all critical components delivering a fuller, richer and more balanced presentation of your music. With Roon Ready tech built-in, the Rotel S14 is a near-perfect all-in-one HiFi solution.
VOLUMIO INTEGRO, RIVO
We’re delighted to welcome Italian audio specialists ‘Volumio’ to the Roon Ready family – with two of their flagship products now officially certified Roon Ready. Here, we’ll take a look at both of Volumio’s Roon Ready products in a little more detail.
VOLUMIO INTEGRO
The Volumio INTEGRO is a high performance, slimline, all-in-one integrated amplifier solution. Despite its compact size, the INTEGRO packs quite a punch – boasting a powerful speaker amplifier (70w RMS / 4 ohm), a dedicated dual-mono headphone amplifier, and dedicated subwoofer output. It features Coaxial and Optical S/PDIF inputs, an RCA analog input, and plenty of playback compatibility – supporting Roon Ready, Spotify Connect, AirPlay, Bluetooth and USB drive playback.
The INTEGRO has been designed in collaboration with Red Dot award winners Design Narratives, and is the first Volumio product to be 100% built in Florence, Italy. null
VOLUMIO RIVO
The Volumio RIVO is a highly flexible ‘digital bridge’ – designed for optimized performance while adding audio streaming to your existing setup. The focus of the RIVO’s architecture is simplicity – its digital signal path is built as clean as possible without any unnecessary stages. There are plenty of connection options with AES/EBU, Coaxial S/PDIF, and USB outputs all available. To ensure the lowest possible noise floor, The RIVO utilizes isolated power supplies for each function block and multiple power filtering 1:1 OFC copper grain oriented transformers – ensuring full galvanic isolation of the AES/EBU, coaxial, and USB outputs.