HiFi Rose has steadily built a reputation for merging audiophile-grade performance with the kind of modern usability people expect from today’s best digital components. Known for their large touch displays, intuitive software, and attention to both sound quality and design, their lineup has become a favorite among enthusiasts and many here among our team at Audio Advice who want more than just a black box with a few buttons.

The new RS451 network streamer is the latest to join the HiFi Rose family. Sitting between the RS250 and the flagship RS151, it’s a semi-reference level all-in-one network streamer that inherits much of the flagship architecture while being optimized for headphone use. It’s really designed for listeners who want top-tier sound with the latest tech, a gorgeous touchscreen interface, and a built-in high-power headphone amplifier that makes it just as comfortable in a dedicated listening room as it is on your desk. After spending time with an early sample in a few of our listening rooms and then paired with different headphones at our desk, we feel HiFi Rose has created something pretty special for the right person. Let’s dive in and see if this new network streamer is the right fit for you.

Design & Build Quality

As you unbox the RS451, it’s clear they’ve treated it with the same design philosophy as the rest of the HiFi Rose family. The chassis is CNC-machined aluminum with a matte anodized finish that comes in either silver or black. The top plate is clean, the corners are precisely beveled, and at almost 16 pounds, it feels extremely well built. At about 17 inches wide, 13 inches deep, and 3.5 inches tall, it’s a really great size that should fit right in with the rest of your gear in a two channel setup or be right at home on a desktop setup for headphone listening without taking up your entire desk.

The front of the unit has an 8.8-inch LCD touchscreen, the same size as the one on the RS250. It’s extremely responsive to the touch, is super bright, and has excellent color reproduction. And what makes it really stand out among the surge of touchscreens on products is the fact that HiFi Rose has spent just as much time developing the software and interface that fills the screen as they did with the hardware of the unit. So not only do you get smooth scrolling and intuitive menus, it’s extremely easy to use and navigate your libraries or streaming services and see what’s playing on the screen from across your room. We are also huge fans of the visualizers, clock displays, and video playback for those who want more than just a static album cover while listening.

To the right of the display is a large, machined aluminum volume knob with a smooth, damped rotation that makes small adjustments easy. To the left of the screen, there are three headphone outputs which are a 6.35 mm single-ended, the new smaller international standard 4.4 mm balanced Pentaconn, and a full-size balanced XLR. Next to them is a dial that allows you to select which output you are using for your headphones. More on this later.

When you spin the unit around, you’ll find a very complete set of inputs and outputs. For digital in, there’s USB 2.0 Type-B for computer audio, optical, coaxial, and HDMI eARC for TV audio. Digital outs include USB 3.0 Type-A, optical, and coaxial. The RS451 also features an HDMI out for 4K video on your TV, plus Ethernet and USB ports for external drives. And we should mention, HiFi Rose has a pretty cool curated YouTube channel of music videos you could enjoy using the HDMI out. On the analog side, you get both balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA outputs, along with a dedicated line-level input if you want to connect an analog source. A 12V trigger connection is also included. Everything is neatly arranged and clearly labeled, making setup straightforward. Plus the connectors are very high quality chassis mount in most cases.

Features & Technology

Internally, the RS451 uses a dual-DAC design centered around two ESS ES9027PRO 32-bit, 8-channel chips with ESS HyperStream architecture. This is a more recent DAC from ESS but interestingly to us is not at the very top of the line and less expensive than the older ESS DAC in the RS250a. So we asked the engineers in Korea what made them go this route and got some great insight.

First, you have to remember HiFi Rose came about when an upper level executive at a very large Korean firm who specializes in touchscreen kiosks wanted to get into the high end audio side of things. Their engineers had to design kiosks to withstand all kinds of circumstances and really dive into finding the best parts available.

For the RS451, they did want to focus on making it have a world class headphone amp that would be as good as the analog outputs. Apparently the newer ESS chips have a hardware mode that eliminates a lot of software programming to get them to perform their necessary tasks. As a result, they felt that in the RS451 configuration, they sounded better, even though their specs were just slightly lower than the more expensive older ones. Instead of having to use software to configure things for the DAC, the 9027Pro has direct inputs. They also felt the clock in the 9027Pro was superior as it is a high precision Femto type.

Once they settled on the 9027Pro DAC, they could use one for the analog audio outs and another for the headphone amp, which completed their goal of having them both be excellent. Then they set about designing a very high end power supply using a Toroidal Linear power supply. By almost totally separating the headphone amp and the analog outs with independent power supplies and grounding for each DAC, they helped minimize crosstalk, blocked interference, and lowered the noise floor. We think it's pretty darn cool they went to this extreme for better performance, especially for headphones.

With the three different outputs for headphones, HiFi Rose definitely put a ton of thought into the headphone stage. . It uses four high-performance amplifier ICs to deliver precise impedance matching, low noise, and plenty of current. It’s stable with high-impedance loads over 600 ohms and has an ultra-fast slew rate of 1300 V/μs, ensuring quick transients and clean, distortion-free delivery across all impedance ranges. So, it doesn’t matter if you are plugging in your easy to drive in-ear headphones or your full-size planar magnetic headphones, this RS451 can confidently drive them.

Another point to think about on the 9027Pro DAC is the fact that it is an 8 channel DAC. This allowed HiFi Rose to use 4 channels for the left and 4 for the right, to make it a fully balanced design which helps reduce even more noise.

Next, digital processing is handled by an 8-core RK3588 processor paired with 8 GB of RAM and 32 GB of onboard storage. That matches the flagship RS151 streamer but is a big step up from the RS250A, which had 4 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage. With this upgrade, processing power is about four times higher, graphics performance is eight times stronger, and I/O speed has doubled compared to the RS250A. In practice, the interface feels fast, the internal media library can grow to more than a million tracks which is roughly three times the capacity of the RS250A, and playback of both large audio files and 4K HDR video remains smooth and reliable.

When it comes to formats, it supports PCM up to 32-bit/768 kHz, native DSD512, and it can even upsample PCM to DSD512. Plus, there are 7 selectable digital filters that each subtly alter the transient response and tonal balance, allowing you to tailor the sound to your taste. And HiFi Rose’s proprietary ROSE DPC module keeps clock alignment tight and jitter extremely low, while the ROSE NRA filter in the analog stage maintains a flat frequency response even at the lowest octaves.

For streaming options, you get Qobuz, TIDAL, Apple Music, Spotify Connect, Rose Radio, RoseTube, and Roon Ready certification. Plus, you can control the unit from the touchscreen, the included remote, or the app. We’ve discussed the app in our previous HiFi Rose reviews, and it’s only gotten better with each update. You have control over all the settings and can easily change all your music right from your phone. In addition, HDMI eARC is included, so you can hook up your TV and improve your sound for movies and even use your TV remote to change the volume. And if you want a quick connection, they’ve included Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX to the RS451.

Comparison in the HiFi Rose Lineup

The RS451 slots directly between the RS250A and the flagship RS151. After hearing the RS451 in comparison, we think the only reasons you would choose the RS250A is either cost or if you wanted something small as its only about 11” wide, 8” deep, and 3” tall compared to the bigger RS451. With greater processing power, HDMI eARC, balanced analog outs, and overall expanded connectivity, the RS451 clearly moves into a higher performance tier. And if you have a pair of high end headphones, it’s the clear choice between the two.

On the other hand, the RS451 gives up some ultimate scale and component heft compared to the RS150B. The flagship’s larger chassis allows for more expansive analog stages, heavier shielding, and additional input flexibility. It also features ESS’s top-of-the-line ES9038PRO DACs. However, with its price as of this article at $3295, the RS451 sits well below the RS150B in cost.

It’s also worth noting that the RS451 stands apart from the RS520, which is a streaming integrated amplifier. Where the RS520 combines streaming and amplification in a single box, the RS451 is purely a network streamer and DAC with preamp capability, aimed at those who already have an amplifier they love or who want to build out a separate-based system.

Performance

On headphones, we queued up Daft Punk’s Giorgio by Moroder, which is a great test for dynamics and layering. The RS451 handled the gradual build perfectly, keeping the bass lines tight while allowing all the textures of the live drums and synths to come through with clarity. It showed us how easily the headphone amp can scale from delicate passages to big, room-filling moments without ever losing control. Sensitive IEMs sounded clean and quiet, while high-impedance and planar designs revealed just how much current this amp can deliver.

With speakers, Miles Davis’s So What revealed the RS451’s finesse. Horns had a smooth, lifelike tone and the upright bass carried real texture without drifting into boominess. Imaging was wide and stable, giving the sense of being right there in the studio. Bass stayed articulate, the midrange had warmth and fullness, and the treble carried plenty of detail and air without becoming fatiguing.

Compared to the RS250A, the RS451 delivers tighter bass, sharper imaging, and a more refined overall presentation. The RS151B still has the edge in ultimate scale, but the RS451 gets closer than you might expect. At its price, it offers the performance to anchor a serious two-channel system while also standing out as one of the best headphone DAC/amps in its class.

Overall Thoughts

The RS451 fills an important role in the HiFi Rose lineup. It delivers a large portion of the flagship RS151’s sonic performance and interface experience in a more compact, more affordable package. It surpasses the RS250A in nearly every technical category, making it the logical step up for those who want balanced headphone outputs, dual-DAC architecture, and more processing muscle.

It’s ideal for someone who wants a single, modern, high-end source component that can handle streaming, local file playback, and TV audio while also serving as a top-tier headphone DAC/amp. Its design and build quality match the best in the category, and its sound is refined enough to anchor a serious two-channel setup.

For us, the RS451 represents HiFi Rose at its most balanced. It’s a product that feels equally at home in a minimalist desktop rig or as the digital hub in a high-end living room system. If you value sound quality, usability, and design in equal measure, it should be high on your audition list.

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