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I'm going to make a few blanket statements. Forgive me. All lights on audiophile equipment must be amber colored, like tube amps, like the filaments in an Edison bulb, like coals burning in a fireplace. No color is warmer, softer, nor more inviting than amber. And stop making the lights so bright. All lights must be dimmable and have the option to be turned off completely! It's 2022, people! No more excuses for annoyingly bright audio equipment.
i have the Attessa Streaming and i am simply loving it. Very easy to handle, great sound, very neutral like Andrew mentioned. The built-in phono is also very good quality, and the unit itself is very well built. I am 100% satisfied with it! Thanks for the review!
So much discussion about the display that could’ve been summed up in one song lyric: “Roksan, you don’t have to put on the red lights…” 😂 Great review though, I’ve been waiting to see someone tackle this amp.
I bought a Roksan Caspian system with Roksan speakers 25 years ago. I’ve never heard sound quality like this before. It left my other Marantz system for dead. The company was originally started by two Iranian guys operating out of London who were two hi-fi nuts.
Always nice reviews (Even though I just agree 9/10 times😉), and the editing and time you guys obviously put in is impressive. Subbed when channel was "new" and just loved when both you and Kristi responded quicker than my own wife😂. Concrats to alot of effin subscribers and thank you very much for a cool, good quality channel❤️🇸🇪
EISA award 2022 fantastic sounding amp . I have had it for a year . Does not bother me no tone or hdmi etc . I went for 2 channel hifi amplifier sound and a built in streamer
So people over at avs forum say there's some noise in the right channel. I guess you have to be a foot away to hear it. It's not affected by the volume nob. It's supposedly with all units and Roksan has replied to a user and said it's do the toroidal transformer and gave no indication that they were going to fix it. Might be a problem with high efficiency speakers.
Yes I read this too, was just about to pull the trigger on one and to be honest this article and responses stopped me in my tracks! I just don’t know how bad the hum noise would be as can’t hear one first. As you say £1495 in uk at the minute though. I’m running Dali Opticon 1 with an Audiolab 6000a at the minute and wanted an upgrade as well as the streaming functionality. So I just can’t decide what to do now, the other system I have been looking at is the NAD 700c for a couple of hundred pounds less too.
Yup, what is up with the red lights? I think there was a bit a 70's or 80's nostalgia for Knight Rider or the Cylons but yup it looks terribad IMHO. Still would love to hear the integrated just to compare. At $3200, I know there is a lot of competition in that price range. @Kristy- may I say that you are getting some mad audiophelia chops! Great review and thank you for the wide range of comparisons!
Love Roksan gear. I have a Xerxes 20+ and Roksan TR5-S2 speakers. I have just swapped my Roksan Caspian M2 for a Naim Uniti Atom, and I was considering the Attessa option. They are a fantastic company and are very good at aftersales support. In addition you get a 5 year warranty on all their gear. I'd be interested to hear your view on the Roksan Attessa vs Naim Uniti Atom.
Boy, Kristie's ranking is right on the money. I'm amazed how she has developed her listening skills on such a relatively short time. I also love that she's utterly transparent on her comments. Thank you Family Robinson. You are a treasure to us.
Same here my wife and I enjoy our audio experiences and it's great to have a woman points of view on the equipment. My wife chosen the speakers fyne audio F1-8 and I chose the amplifier Naim NAC 252 supercapDR NAP 300DR. We both choose the source Naim audio NDX2 and PSX DR. Cables joint discission Naim super lumina and audio quest signature speaker cable and power chord.
Great review guys. I have a Roksan K3 power amp. A beauty. Stunning sound. Couldn't recommend enough. Strongly suggest matching Roksan amps with Monitor Audio speakers!
Thank you for this review, and for the approach you take across your channel - I am really enjoying working through a lot of your previous videos, and love the dialogue between the two of you as a way of getting insight from challenge. I am somewhat invested in BluOS, and while I recognise there is a lot out there, I am relatively keen to stay in that ecosystem as I am building systems for other rooms. I would love to see a video with your take on the various streaming amps that use it, from the Powernode, through the NAD C-series, the Attessa, and the NAD Masters. Focusing just on sound quality, you have suggested before that the Powernode / NAD devices all share a certain house sound; how does the Attessa differ from that? You talk about clinical vs character when comparing to NAD in this video; would that apply to the Powernode as well?
Loved this episode. I’ve read about Roskan products and love their looks. Would love to hear your thoughts on a REGA amplifier in the $3k - $6k range…2023 let’s do this !!!🎉
Thanks for reviewing the Roksan Attessa Streaming Amplifier, I know that I and probably a few others asked for this some time ago. Anyone familiar with the publication What-HiFi will be familiar with the brand Roksan, there higher end stuff is even better aka 7000.00 amps. That said, what is your beef with NAD? I understand that, you two prefer class A/B to class D and digital amplification, and like a more forward or live presentation in your music, but come on!! The Audiolab over the NAD!? ,🤔😏🙄 And I know that the only one who has to like the sound of your system is you, but can you please explain what is the problem with a powerful, yet neutral Amplifier, that's load invariant and removes itself from the Audio signal 🤔? Love you guys!! And please keep up the great work. 👍🏿
Great review Andrew and Kristi! In terms of audio quality how does it compare to musical fidelity m5si? (that unit was well recommended by you and is still very much in my list).
Andrew, thank you very much for your detailed review. Now, would you match this product with Sonus Faber Lumina III or V? And what would be the comparison of Attessa with Rotel RA 1572 MK II?
from Holland , i have the amp and de CDt now for a year , and i stille think ist really awesome , its one of the best amp i ever listening to alt this price and far above , good review and i agree with everytihing you both said , love Roksan much ( play with big Acapella Harlekin speakers )
I've been a Roksan fan for many years. Founded by Touraj Moghaddam, it was better known for its Linn LP12 killing Xerxes turntable and radical speaker designs (the Darius incorporating spring suspension for the tweeter and exoskeleton stands). They still make a very good turntable (the only Attessa product made in the UK) , which has similar design cues to the higher end Vertere vinyl spinners (again founded by Touraj).
A friend commented on how professionally done, your channel is. Easy 4 me to agree. And very helpful to see the SQ rankings from you both. I have a question regarding the sound quality of the Attessa. How does it compare to the Hegel H95 which is about the same price as the Attessa Amp in Canada. Thx.
Hi Andrew, it's a shame you didn't test it with some of MONITOR AUDIO's own speakers, maybe that could be the perfect match... if you can update us with this experience in another video, I'd really appreciate it, I had the intention of I bought this amp to use with a pair of MA GOLD 100's but lack of tone control held me back, thanks again for taking your time helping us get to know all these products!
I have had 3 Roksan amps over the years, plus Marantz (PM55 SE and a PM17) and Arcam's (two class G's - an AVR750 and currently an AVR850 that has Dirac) . The Roksan's have been a KA1 Mk3 L3, a Kandy K2 and a Caspian M2. Oooh, the Caspian sound. The reviews' opinion on the Marantz sound v Roksan rings very true in my personal experience - a general warmth to Marantz (their HDAM circuits seem to have this) versus clarity, punch but no harshness with Roksan. Take your pick based on your personal preference. I currently use a Chord dac into a Roksan amp with Monitor Audio Silver 8's for music and that mix works wonders for my personal taste. I can use my Arcam AVR850 if I want room correction, but it still sounds inferior to the untreated Chord/Roksan/Monitor audio system (I have both set ups in the same room). If people want their TV played through the Attessa, just use an optical cable rather than HDMI. The omission of HDMI really isn't an issue. If you want tone controls, buy the non-streaming version of the Attessa and add a Bluos Node. Love the channel. Keep up the great work!
I would be curious about your thoughts on Arcam? I have the sa-20 and I love it! Also have experience with the sa-10 also a good amp. I'm hoping someday you may be able to get ahold of some Arcam equipment. Always a fan of your videos and like the real world reviews. All the best to you and Kristi!
The SA20 and SA30 are excellent imo. Ive always been a fan of both Arcam and Roksan amps but they are very different in their sonic delivery. Roksan is a more neutral cleaner sound where the Arcam lays toward the warm side and has a huge soundstage. I prefer the signature of Arcam these days but to each their own. I've never heard this specific Roksan amp, it looks awesome. Also Arcam seems to be shying away from sending review units out.
Great review as usual. For a moment I thought the Rotel 1592 MK2 at the top of the list of integrated amps, looks like it is not anymore brought up in the comparison lately. Is it because its old news or not comparable products?
No HDMI is really kind of a big deal at this price point, and the reddish lights are not a good choice and as Andrew pointed out the sub out location could be a problem. I think I'd still go with the Marantz at this point.
Maybe one day you will try the Roksan Black.... who knows what will come out of your test....compared to the rotel ra 1592 mk2 what do you think of the Atessa? a thousand thanks
Hi Andrew and Kristi, great review as always.. I see many unanswered comments on your views on Rotel vs Roksan. “I have the same question”. I already own a used Roksan Kandy KA-1 Mk III amp; it too doesn’t have tone controls. Thinking of an upgrade and confused between this and Rotel 1592 mk II. Please help
I tested my new b&w 703 S3 with the roksan attessa streaming amplifier from my son. I connected the mojo2 dac to it and put the volume on "blue" .. The result was amazing.. i still have a luxman a373 amplifier which is about 30 years old.. And my god, it sounded old compared to the Roksan. The Roskan, together with the mojo2, streamed digital by usb-c from my ipad pro sounded amazing.. The details, a perfect polished, controled, seperated sound.. incredible. (only thing it lacked maybe a bit was a less bass compared to the luxman). In Belgium you buy the Roksan without streaming for 1400 euro, 2000 with streaming.. Remember the roksan does not have tone control. But the mojo2 has an EQ on many frequencies. Shame you have to change the equaliser settings manually on the mojo2. But the combination rocks.. thats for sure!!
Hi Andrew, nice review, I guess the Roksan Attesa can be paired with Dynaudio Emits without any issues, both have neutral sounding, can you confirm please?
As usual a great review, thankyou Andrew and Kristi. Just one question, I have been reading a few owner reviews on the Roksan Attessa Streaming Amplifier and an issue that keeps popping up is a humming noise coming from the right channel speaker. Did you guys notice this at all?
I have noticed that issue in mine. The hum has a low, consistent volume regardless of the volume. It only happens when there's no sound playing, and as soon as you start playing music, it disappears. I personally use it for streaming, and it's only on while it plays, so I have not noticed it since I originally set it up. And I agree with Andrew - the sound is incredible.
Thanks for your awesome reviews. I like that you mentioned The Crystal Method, I am a big fan of their Vegas album. You have said in other videos you were listening to Perfect Circle when testing gear, which I appreciate; they have some great songs.
As a music lover tired of changing tubes, cables, amplifiers etc. in my life, I decided to go for a all-in-one device and have been watching and reading the reviews for the last 2 months.First I decided to buy Cambridge Audio EVO 150 but now I think that Roksan will be a better choice with the class A/B amplification and bluos streaming module.What would be your choice ? Thank you very much for the video.
Great review, thankyou. I really like Roksan as a brand, I have the Caspian m2 amp paired with Dali Rubicon 2 speakers. I'm thinking of getting the Attessa for my little lady for her Kef LS50 Metas. On a seperate note I love your tripod stands, in fact I like them so much I got them! Cheers Andrew keep up the excellent work !
i have the attessa streaming amp with ls50 meta on the kef stands , i use the svs 3000 micro sub to give a little bit of weight to the metas . i love the roksan as was using my yamaha av receiver for music now the roksan powers the front channels on the yamaha , reat for music ...
Denon PMA A-110 is the best value out of all those amplifiers!The quality built,binding posts,how its built internally.It can handle low impedance loads much better then Roksan...Speakers that dip down below 4 Ohm ,Denon handles that much better than Roksan.Instrument separation is much better with Denon too.Technics is number one but its 9000$ and makes sense only if you have speakers that are very hard to drive,below 84 Db.Denon is number 2 but price wise Denon is the best amp!Denon has a great DAC as well (4 Burr Brown) and the phono stage is pretty good for the built in but you wanna do separates.It also has the best remote control....All metal...
Excellent review - as always - especially the comparisons. For me, the absence of tone controls is a dealbreaker. Most of the time I bypass my tone controls, but when I need them, I really need them. Not having them renders some old recordings much less enjoyable.
If You liked this one , I'm really wonder what would you say about Roksan Caspian M2. It may not be stylish or modern as atessa but for me it's one of the best sounding amp period. From European brands Atoll with IN200 signature is amazing also !
Fyi, Roksan/Monitor have a competition at the moment to win the Attessa Streaming Amp and a pair of the Monitor Audio Silver 100 7g (the limited edition, which are green and SOOOO beautiful!).
There are a lot of good products available right now but if you listen/watch closely, you should be able to distinguish what is going to work best for you.
I think with the 1100$ difference in cost between the streaming and non streaming models I would consider a node + the non streaming version, unless you absolutely needed a single unit. It’s 500$ less and you would get hdmi from the node.
True, and not a bad way of going about things. The issue I'm starting to have with the Node (and this is TOTALLY SUPERFICIAL of me) but the fact that it's not full-width means it always looks somewhat out of place next to or on top of traditional components.
That's definitely a way to go. For those curious, you can check out the non streaming version here bit.ly/3WOrVo4 and pair it with the Node in order to get HDMI bit.ly/3hnVnyN.
If you're gonna go the separate route, you might consider the Rotel A14 MKII for cheaper if you like the sound, currently on sale (at least in Canada.) Or the Rotel RA-1572 MKII for more power (also on sale, making it the same price as the Roksan Attessa non streaming option) Update: they are the same price on Crutchfield USA, even without the Rotel sale.
I have just got back from beosound theater and omg, OMG! This is on my wantlist! It is expensive i know but you dont need an amplifier or something else. At 7000 dollars gives you everything you need. Enough said!
hi andrew. great review as always. i have audiolab 6000a with ls50 meta ,like the sound ,but fill underpowerd for kef. do you think this amp is like audiolab with more power ,or the sound is also difrrent?
A couple of years ago I purchased a CD player a Roksan Caspian m2 a great machine for the price. However what really impressed me was the amplifier (the shop were unable to get mine) The amp used in the demo was a Roksan Blak, pre the Monitor Audio buy out. I was determined to save up and buy one.
Hello from The Netherlands Andrew. My question: Would you consider the Atessa to be one of the best choices to drive the (somewhat difficult) Magnepan LRS+ ? This specific amplifier was recommended to me by 'my' hifi specialist. Really would like to hear your take on it. Thank you so much in advance!
Well I can tell you that the Audiolab 7000A has no issues driving the LSR+ but I usually use my Luxman 509X for that task, but I was pleasantly surprised it drove Maggies and did a decent job. My favorite new Int. Amp goes to "MoonRiver" 404 Reference Int. That thing is remarkable, retro look but Amazing sound!
Excellent review with a surprising outcome! Heard the amp at an audio show linked to Monitor Audio Silver speakers but I am wondering if the slightly warmer Dynaudio Emit or Evoke would not be an even better match.
I bet after this glowing review like many of the products yall review, this amp will be out of stock real soon! These bad boys gonna sell after this video! 😃
This actually looks incredible... I have the Audiolab 6000A with a Node 2i, this looks the be a cool upgrade for later on. Since it has BluOS this should support Tidal MQA, correct? I just use TIDAL for hi-fi streaming and love it personally, so was just curious.
Newbie here, hello. If i bought this attessa in non stream form I can still play songs from my Spotify premium from iPad or iPhone? If so what is the main benefit of the streaming version?
Can't help but feel like this is simply outclassed and overpriced even compared to the likes of something like the lyngdorf 1120. No tonal/parameter EQ, no HDMI arc for use as aio, no dirac or other room correction, no built in chromecast... Unless there's something special about the particular DAC or amplifier that's giving this a serious edge, I must have missed something? -- I mean even the stereo pre-out is shared with the subwoofer out, with no LPF.
Agreed, neither do I get the hate for the NAD, which too has Room EQ and decent high and low pass features. An amplifier that does not have such capability will sound as good as the speakers and specially the room will allow it. Which, let's be honest, isn't really good in most living rooms.
@@Lovelacewatkins139 i have the gold 100! Been saving for the Roksan... Some reliable sources say this is a great pairing as Roksan is owned by Monitor Audio.
Andrew, Kristi did you guys notice any woofer rumble on the phono inputs? I have the non streaming version of the Attessa, when my turntables are connected the speaker woofers rumble and chuff.
Thanks for the review. Very helpful. I'm on the tipping point of buying one. I do know the brand Roksan. It will be connected to monitor RS 8 (older speaker). It's half the price as the amplifier I first wanted to buy. Also I'm happy with the BluOS integration. Not sure if the LAN cable is mandatory or the dongle can do the trick
I’ve known of Roksan for a long while now. At times I thought about buying a Roksan Kandy so this review had me interested. But I can’t help but think you can say features aside, this amp wins on sound etc, but when you’re actually buying something, you really do want some of the features built into the NAD. Because it’s annoying that the class D amp on my desktop ($100) has a sub out - with controls - and the Attessa doesn’t…
Good-looking amp. Glad they have the non streamer version for 2k. A total package nearly $3,500 is an extremely hard sell for me. 3.5k is at the price where the true high-ends live if the consumers do their homework.
Hi Andrew! Fantastic and great review.... as usual! I don’t want to sound like a parrot here, but the powered speakers with the name starting with “K” keeps coming to mind as an all- purpose solution type of deal. My focus now is: powered speakers vs passive. Is it true to say that one must first look at the space and figure out the appropriate application.? These days, couldn’t someone manufacture extensions/ adapters for proprietary cables for active speakers??
Great review. I wish y'all could get your hands on the Arcam SA30. I have one in house but I've not heard a lot of these other amps you have reviewed to compare it to. I've only heard the Roksan name in the last year or so but never listened to any of their products. You guys have ranked it pretty high..I am intrigued
Pretty sure it's pronounced Rok - San After some ancient goddess. I have the 150 watt per channel k3 integrated which I bought second hand. I like the musical sound. Paired with monitor audio silver 100 7 gen. Would be great it you could get a hold of the Roksan Blak amp.
A lot of products do this FWIW. If you look at the specs of a lot of so-called high-end streamers and whatnot many of their high-res audio claims are ONLY achievable via a USB input.
Isnt tone control a basic thing which should be provided in every amp? Though most of these so called hifi true audiophile grade amps do not provide such option, why is it like that? Shouldn't the customer have the option to tune it to his/her liking?
Somewhere along the line audiophiles got it in their heads that tone controls (and EQ for that matter) are "evil" and as a result more and more manufacturers are ditching such controls to appease the faithful, which is dumb.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews its just sad, At this point a cheaper amp with tone control will be more flexible with the type of speaker paired. If this is gonna become the norm , these amp manufacturers better come up with a perfectly matched speakers but even then it is still a subjective matter.
Thanks for the good review. The prices you were referring to are strange to my hears. In Italy, at the present time, Roksan Attessa is 1.900 euros for the streaming amplifier and 1.290 euros for the amplifier without the streaming unit. That is $2.067 and $1.403 in US S.
Hi, I found this streaming amplifier for a 1k usd, second hand. Currently I have Cambridge audio AXR100 paired with Monitor Audio Silver 7g. Is it worth to buy Roksan Attessa and replace my Cambridge? are the noticeable difference to upgrade?
I have this amp,with the kef ls50 metas and wow,they work amazing together,and I use tidal connect with mqa for the best quality....its £1500 in the UK...Great review,been waiting for this for over 12 months lol...thank you..
Had mine over a year with the cd transport I have kef r3s been waiting on a proper review for time , I use qobuz , love mine but can't get the maestro app to work with the cd transport , not really bothered as you say bluos is great , nearly bought the audiolab I listened to them both , roksan won hands down , with sound and a superior app , who needs tone , hdmi , Dirac,
Hi Andrew, another interesting review. Thank you for keep informing us with all this details. It's always good to have your, subjective:), opinion. How Attessa compare to Naim Uniti Atom? Which one would you keep home?
I have not compared the two so I can't say definitively. The Atom is great but it is getting long in to the tooth at this point. If you are currently looking for something similar to the Atom, I would go with this bit.ly/3vrf93T instead.
Thank you Andrew. Good point I agree on n40. There is one point which makes Atom so special for me, and this is style & user experience. BTW I just invested in my Denon 3700 and bought new power cable. Significant improvement. I was shocked😊
Good one! Nice looking amp too! But no tone controls. Please just give me the Denon because it not only has defeatable tone controls, it has a phono preamp that looks after both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges.
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I'm going to make a few blanket statements. Forgive me. All lights on audiophile equipment must be amber colored, like tube amps, like the filaments in an Edison bulb, like coals burning in a fireplace. No color is warmer, softer, nor more inviting than amber. And stop making the lights so bright. All lights must be dimmable and have the option to be turned off completely! It's 2022, people! No more excuses for annoyingly bright audio equipment.
Hi! Could you try to do a review of Denon PMA-1700ne integrated amp?! I have the 1600ne and it is totally amazing!
i have the Attessa Streaming and i am simply loving it. Very easy to handle, great sound, very neutral like Andrew mentioned. The built-in phono is also very good quality, and the unit itself is very well built. I am 100% satisfied with it! Thanks for the review!
So much discussion about the display that could’ve been summed up in one song lyric: “Roksan, you don’t have to put on the red lights…” 😂 Great review though, I’ve been waiting to see someone tackle this amp.
😂😂😂
The orange/amber against the black strip and silver body looks beautiful to me! I think Roksan nailed it in the looks department.👌
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Heads up: the Revel speakers are currently on sale here bit.ly/37whl0e & bit.ly/3WTg5Jq
I bought a Roksan Caspian system with Roksan speakers 25 years ago. I’ve never heard sound quality like this before. It left my other Marantz system for dead. The company was originally started by two Iranian guys operating out of London who were two hi-fi nuts.
Always nice reviews (Even though I just agree 9/10 times😉), and the editing and time you guys obviously put in is impressive. Subbed when channel was "new" and just loved when both you and Kristi responded quicker than my own wife😂. Concrats to alot of effin subscribers and thank you very much for a cool, good quality channel❤️🇸🇪
Thanks so much!
Not familiar with Roksan, but that's beautifully designed. If I was an amp man, I'd be looking at this for sure.
My question now is, how does this compare to the Arcam A25? You liked both and I'm struggling which to go with
EISA award 2022 fantastic sounding amp . I have had it for a year . Does not bother me no tone or hdmi etc . I went for 2 channel hifi amplifier sound and a built in streamer
So people over at avs forum say there's some noise in the right channel. I guess you have to be a foot away to hear it. It's not affected by the volume nob. It's supposedly with all units and Roksan has replied to a user and said it's do the toroidal transformer and gave no indication that they were going to fix it. Might be a problem with high efficiency speakers.
Yes I read this too, was just about to pull the trigger on one and to be honest this article and responses stopped me in my tracks! I just don’t know how bad the hum noise would be as can’t hear one first.
As you say £1495 in uk at the minute though.
I’m running Dali Opticon 1 with an Audiolab 6000a at the minute and wanted an upgrade as well as the streaming functionality.
So I just can’t decide what to do now, the other system I have been looking at is the NAD 700c for a couple of hundred pounds less too.
No problem with mine , I have had it over a year now
Great review I heard this Amp works brilliant with the monitor audio silver range as they were made in conjunction with each other.
Love the ranking added to the review. Like to see it with future reviews.
Noted.
Yup, what is up with the red lights? I think there was a bit a 70's or 80's nostalgia for Knight Rider or the Cylons but yup it looks terribad IMHO. Still would love to hear the integrated just to compare. At $3200, I know there is a lot of competition in that price range. @Kristy- may I say that you are getting some mad audiophelia chops! Great review and thank you for the wide range of comparisons!
I've never heard of this brand and without this strong co sign from Andrew Robinson no way would I even consider this brand.
Love Roksan gear. I have a Xerxes 20+ and Roksan TR5-S2 speakers. I have just swapped my Roksan Caspian M2 for a Naim Uniti Atom, and I was considering the Attessa option. They are a fantastic company and are very good at aftersales support. In addition you get a 5 year warranty on all their gear. I'd be interested to hear your view on the Roksan Attessa vs Naim Uniti Atom.
Boy, Kristie's ranking is right on the money. I'm amazed how she has developed her listening skills on such a relatively short time. I also love that she's utterly transparent on her comments.
Thank you Family Robinson. You are a treasure to us.
Baptism by fire! Thanks for watching, David!
Same here my wife and I enjoy our audio experiences and it's great to have a woman points of view on the equipment. My wife chosen the speakers fyne audio F1-8 and I chose the amplifier Naim NAC 252 supercapDR NAP 300DR. We both choose the source Naim audio NDX2 and PSX DR. Cables joint discission Naim super lumina and audio quest signature speaker cable and power chord.
Great review guys. I have a Roksan K3 power amp. A beauty. Stunning sound. Couldn't recommend enough. Strongly suggest matching Roksan amps with Monitor Audio speakers!
Thank you for this review, and for the approach you take across your channel - I am really enjoying working through a lot of your previous videos, and love the dialogue between the two of you as a way of getting insight from challenge. I am somewhat invested in BluOS, and while I recognise there is a lot out there, I am relatively keen to stay in that ecosystem as I am building systems for other rooms. I would love to see a video with your take on the various streaming amps that use it, from the Powernode, through the NAD C-series, the Attessa, and the NAD Masters. Focusing just on sound quality, you have suggested before that the Powernode / NAD devices all share a certain house sound; how does the Attessa differ from that? You talk about clinical vs character when comparing to NAD in this video; would that apply to the Powernode as well?
Loved this episode. I’ve read about Roskan products and love their looks. Would love to hear your thoughts on a REGA amplifier in the $3k - $6k range…2023 let’s do this !!!🎉
Thanks for reviewing the Roksan Attessa Streaming Amplifier, I know that I and probably a few others asked for this some time ago. Anyone familiar with the publication What-HiFi will be familiar with the brand Roksan, there higher end stuff is even better aka 7000.00 amps. That said, what is your beef with NAD? I understand that, you two prefer class A/B to class D and digital amplification, and like a more forward or live presentation in your music, but come on!! The Audiolab over the NAD!? ,🤔😏🙄 And I know that the only one who has to like the sound of your system is you, but can you please explain what is the problem with a powerful, yet neutral Amplifier, that's load invariant and removes itself from the Audio signal 🤔? Love you guys!! And please keep up the great work. 👍🏿
Great review Andrew and Kristi! In terms of audio quality how does it compare to musical fidelity m5si? (that unit was well recommended by you and is still very much in my list).
Andrew, thank you very much for your detailed review. Now, would you match this product with Sonus Faber Lumina III or V? And what would be the comparison of Attessa with Rotel RA 1572 MK II?
am wondering the same with how this stacks up against the Rotel 1572/1592... Certainly looks very nice
Like Sting said Roksan you don't have to put on the red light
from Holland , i have the amp and de CDt now for a year , and i stille think ist really awesome , its one of the best amp i ever listening to alt this price and far above , good review and i agree with everytihing you both said , love Roksan much ( play with big Acapella Harlekin speakers )
I've been a Roksan fan for many years. Founded by Touraj Moghaddam, it was better known for its Linn LP12 killing Xerxes turntable and radical speaker designs (the Darius incorporating spring suspension for the tweeter and exoskeleton stands). They still make a very good turntable (the only Attessa product made in the UK) , which has similar design cues to the higher end Vertere vinyl spinners (again founded by Touraj).
A friend commented on how professionally done, your channel is. Easy 4 me to agree. And very helpful to see the SQ rankings from you both. I have a question regarding the sound quality of the Attessa. How does it compare to the Hegel H95 which is about the same price as the Attessa Amp in Canada. Thx.
Thanks for watching. It appears that Hegel does not want us to review their products so I cannot say how they compare.
Hi Andrew, it's a shame you didn't test it with some of MONITOR AUDIO's own speakers, maybe that could be the perfect match... if you can update us with this experience in another video, I'd really appreciate it, I had the intention of I bought this amp to use with a pair of MA GOLD 100's but lack of tone control held me back, thanks again for taking your time helping us get to know all these products!
Hey guys, where do the Rotel 1592 mark II fall into your ranking sonically? Thanks!
I have had 3 Roksan amps over the years, plus Marantz (PM55 SE and a PM17) and Arcam's (two class G's - an AVR750 and currently an AVR850 that has Dirac) . The Roksan's have been a KA1 Mk3 L3, a Kandy K2 and a Caspian M2. Oooh, the Caspian sound.
The reviews' opinion on the Marantz sound v Roksan rings very true in my personal experience - a general warmth to Marantz (their HDAM circuits seem to have this) versus clarity, punch but no harshness with Roksan. Take your pick based on your personal preference.
I currently use a Chord dac into a Roksan amp with Monitor Audio Silver 8's for music and that mix works wonders for my personal taste. I can use my Arcam AVR850 if I want room correction, but it still sounds inferior to the untreated Chord/Roksan/Monitor audio system (I have both set ups in the same room).
If people want their TV played through the Attessa, just use an optical cable rather than HDMI. The omission of HDMI really isn't an issue.
If you want tone controls, buy the non-streaming version of the Attessa and add a Bluos Node.
Love the channel. Keep up the great work!
I would be curious about your thoughts on Arcam? I have the sa-20 and I love it! Also have experience with the sa-10 also a good amp. I'm hoping someday you may be able to get ahold of some Arcam equipment. Always a fan of your videos and like the real world reviews. All the best to you and Kristi!
The SA20 and SA30 are excellent imo. Ive always been a fan of both Arcam and Roksan amps but they are very different in their sonic delivery. Roksan is a more neutral cleaner sound where the Arcam lays toward the warm side and has a huge soundstage. I prefer the signature of Arcam these days but to each their own. I've never heard this specific Roksan amp, it looks awesome. Also Arcam seems to be shying away from sending review units out.
Great review as usual. For a moment I thought the Rotel 1592 MK2 at the top of the list of integrated amps, looks like it is not anymore brought up in the comparison lately. Is it because its old news or not comparable products?
Yeah, I asked the same question myself. Where's Rotel?
Great review, how about vs the Musical Fidelity M5 or M6? For the amp sound only? thx
I would love to know the exact same thing.
No HDMI is really kind of a big deal at this price point, and the reddish lights are not a good choice and as Andrew pointed out the sub out location could be a problem. I think I'd still go with the Marantz at this point.
The Roksan has optical inputs and most TV's have optical outputs, so you could use that instead of HDMI
Maybe one day you will try the Roksan Black.... who knows what will come out of your test....compared to the rotel ra 1592 mk2 what do you think of the Atessa? a thousand thanks
Hi Andrew and Kristi, great review as always..
I see many unanswered comments on your views on Rotel vs Roksan. “I have the same question”. I already own a used Roksan Kandy KA-1 Mk III amp; it too doesn’t have tone controls. Thinking of an upgrade and confused between this and Rotel 1592 mk II.
Please help
I tested my new b&w 703 S3 with the roksan attessa streaming amplifier from my son. I connected the mojo2 dac to it and put the volume on "blue" .. The result was amazing.. i still have a luxman a373 amplifier which is about 30 years old.. And my god, it sounded old compared to the Roksan. The Roskan, together with the mojo2, streamed digital by usb-c from my ipad pro sounded amazing.. The details, a perfect polished, controled, seperated sound.. incredible. (only thing it lacked maybe a bit was a less bass compared to the luxman). In Belgium you buy the Roksan without streaming for 1400 euro, 2000 with streaming.. Remember the roksan does not have tone control. But the mojo2 has an EQ on many frequencies. Shame you have to change the equaliser settings manually on the mojo2. But the combination rocks.. thats for sure!!
Hi Andrew, nice review, I guess the Roksan Attesa can be paired with Dynaudio Emits without any issues, both have neutral sounding, can you confirm please?
Hi Andrew and Kristi. Great content as always. Do you think this Roksan Attessa amp will be a decent upgrade over my Quad Vena 2 Play amp ?
No idea as I have not heard the QUAD. It will definitely offer you more power compared to the QUAD, and BluOS in my opinion is better than Play-Fi.
As usual a great review, thankyou Andrew and Kristi. Just one question, I have been reading a few owner reviews on the Roksan Attessa Streaming Amplifier and an issue that keeps popping up is a humming noise coming from the right channel speaker. Did you guys notice this at all?
I have noticed that issue in mine. The hum has a low, consistent volume regardless of the volume. It only happens when there's no sound playing, and as soon as you start playing music, it disappears. I personally use it for streaming, and it's only on while it plays, so I have not noticed it since I originally set it up. And I agree with Andrew - the sound is incredible.
Have the integrated amp (not the streaming but shouldn't matter) hooked up to Cornwall IVs and no hiss at full volume with nothing being input.
Thanks for your awesome reviews. I like that you mentioned The Crystal Method, I am a big fan of their Vegas album. You have said in other videos you were listening to Perfect Circle when testing gear, which I appreciate; they have some great songs.
As a music lover tired of changing tubes, cables, amplifiers etc. in my life, I decided to go for a all-in-one device and have been watching and reading the reviews for the last 2 months.First I decided to buy Cambridge Audio EVO 150 but now I think that Roksan will be a better choice with the class A/B amplification and bluos streaming module.What would be your choice ? Thank you very much for the video.
We didn't care for the EVO so this one bit.ly/3hqlw2q is an easy pick.
Cambridge audio are regarded as entery level hi-fi here in the UK. The roksan more mid level. Higher end Linn Naim audio Chord-Dave amp's.
What,'s the best choice to rock's listeners:;Denon PMA-1700 or Roksan Attessa ? Thanks
Roksan Caspian M2
Any NAD amp will do nicely.
Great review, thankyou. I really like Roksan as a brand, I have the Caspian m2 amp paired with Dali Rubicon 2 speakers.
I'm thinking of getting the Attessa for my little lady for her Kef LS50 Metas.
On a seperate note I love your tripod stands, in fact I like them so much I got them!
Cheers Andrew keep up the excellent work !
i have the attessa streaming amp with ls50 meta on the kef stands , i use the svs 3000 micro sub
to give a little bit of weight to the metas .
i love the roksan as was using my yamaha av receiver for music now the roksan powers the front
channels on the yamaha , reat for music ...
Denon PMA A-110 is the best value out of all those amplifiers!The quality built,binding posts,how its built internally.It can handle low impedance loads much better then Roksan...Speakers that dip down below 4 Ohm ,Denon handles that much better than Roksan.Instrument separation is much better with Denon too.Technics is number one but its 9000$ and makes sense only if you have speakers that are very hard to drive,below 84 Db.Denon is number 2 but price wise Denon is the best amp!Denon has a great DAC as well (4 Burr Brown) and the phono stage is pretty good for the built in but you wanna do separates.It also has the best remote control....All metal...
Great review, would have liked comparisons to those other favorites like the Rotel and Macintosh integrated amps.
Excellent review - as always - especially the comparisons. For me, the absence of tone controls is a dealbreaker. Most of the time I bypass my tone controls, but when I need them, I really need them. Not having them renders some old recordings much less enjoyable.
If You liked this one , I'm really wonder what would you say about Roksan Caspian M2. It may not be stylish or modern as atessa but for me it's one of the best sounding amp period. From European brands Atoll with IN200 signature is amazing also !
The Caspian is a cracking amplifier paired with Caspian CD player with audio quest signature cables.
Fyi, Roksan/Monitor have a competition at the moment to win the Attessa Streaming Amp and a pair of the Monitor Audio Silver 100 7g (the limited edition, which are green and SOOOO beautiful!).
I don't know what to buy, every week you recommend something that is super-duper good.
There are a lot of good products available right now but if you listen/watch closely, you should be able to distinguish what is going to work best for you.
@@KristiWright CES soon, curious about the tvs that will be available next Spring when i plan to make a purchase.
You are lucky then.
I think with the 1100$ difference in cost between the streaming and non streaming models I would consider a node + the non streaming version, unless you absolutely needed a single unit. It’s 500$ less and you would get hdmi from the node.
True, and not a bad way of going about things. The issue I'm starting to have with the Node (and this is TOTALLY SUPERFICIAL of me) but the fact that it's not full-width means it always looks somewhat out of place next to or on top of traditional components.
That's definitely a way to go. For those curious, you can check out the non streaming version here bit.ly/3WOrVo4 and pair it with the Node in order to get HDMI bit.ly/3hnVnyN.
If you're gonna go the separate route, you might consider the Rotel A14 MKII for cheaper if you like the sound, currently on sale (at least in Canada.) Or the Rotel RA-1572 MKII for more power (also on sale, making it the same price as the Roksan Attessa non streaming option) Update: they are the same price on Crutchfield USA, even without the Rotel sale.
I have just got back from beosound theater and omg, OMG! This is on my wantlist! It is expensive i know but you dont need an amplifier or something else. At 7000 dollars gives you everything you need. Enough said!
hi andrew. great review as always.
i have audiolab 6000a with ls50 meta ,like the sound ,but fill underpowerd for kef. do you think this amp is like audiolab with more power ,or the sound is also difrrent?
A couple of years ago I purchased a CD player a Roksan Caspian m2 a great machine for the price. However what really impressed me was the amplifier (the shop were unable to get mine) The amp used in the demo was a Roksan Blak, pre the Monitor Audio buy out. I was determined to save up and buy one.
Day off. Working on a drawing. Nice to have a vid at this moment
Appreciate you spending your morning with us. What are you drawing?
@@andrewrobinsonreviews hard to explain. We will call it a dreamscape
Hello from The Netherlands Andrew. My question: Would you consider the Atessa to be one of the best choices to drive the (somewhat difficult) Magnepan LRS+ ? This specific amplifier was recommended to me by 'my' hifi specialist. Really would like to hear your take on it. Thank you so much in advance!
Well I can tell you that the Audiolab 7000A has no issues driving the LSR+ but I usually use my Luxman 509X for that task, but I was pleasantly surprised it drove Maggies and did a decent job. My favorite new Int. Amp goes to "MoonRiver" 404 Reference Int. That thing is remarkable, retro look but Amazing sound!
Looks like something out of Blade Runner.
Yes it does!
Excellent review with a surprising outcome! Heard the amp at an audio show linked to Monitor Audio Silver speakers but I am wondering if the slightly warmer Dynaudio Emit or Evoke would not be an even better match.
I want that Technics…. Real bad:)
I bet after this glowing review like many of the products yall review, this amp will be out of stock real soon! These bad boys gonna sell after this video! 😃
This actually looks incredible... I have the Audiolab 6000A with a Node 2i, this looks the be a cool upgrade for later on. Since it has BluOS this should support Tidal MQA, correct? I just use TIDAL for hi-fi streaming and love it personally, so was just curious.
Great video as allways. I have the Roksan Caspian m2 Int amp that sound great but no streaming built in. Can a Good steramer keep up with atessa ?
Roksan! You don't have to put on the red light 😂
how would you compare this to musical fidelity m3si?
I know it’s not exactly comparable given features, but how does it compare to something like the Musical Fidelity M5si?
Hi! Could you try to do a review of Denon PMA-1700ne integrated amp?! I have the 1600ne and it is totally amazing!
well I went for Hegel H95 instead and I'm happy with it 👍🏻
Great video , thanks Andrew and Kristi , most of the amps in this video are much cheaper in the UK 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Andrew, they make a non streaming version for $1200 less. That's makes it a better buy! How does this compare to the Michi x33?
Newbie here, hello. If i bought this attessa in non stream form I can still play songs from my Spotify premium from iPad or iPhone? If so what is the main benefit of the streaming version?
I've still got the Roksan Kandy (1) that I bought in 98, though I dont use it anymore
I believe, one comparison is missed here. ROKSAN ATTESSA vs ROTEL RA 1592 MKII?
Really surprised none of the Rotel models were compared, but maybe none were in house?
my thoughts exactly, i was hoping for a mention..
Can't help but feel like this is simply outclassed and overpriced even compared to the likes of something like the lyngdorf 1120. No tonal/parameter EQ, no HDMI arc for use as aio, no dirac or other room correction, no built in chromecast... Unless there's something special about the particular DAC or amplifier that's giving this a serious edge, I must have missed something? -- I mean even the stereo pre-out is shared with the subwoofer out, with no LPF.
Agreed, neither do I get the hate for the NAD, which too has Room EQ and decent high and low pass features. An amplifier that does not have such capability will sound as good as the speakers and specially the room will allow it. Which, let's be honest, isn't really good in most living rooms.
Great job guys! As you know i have been begging for this review! Now please pair this with the monitor audio gold 100.
Yes , I have the streaming amp and CD t paired with kef r3 and the gold have been on my mind for a while
@@Lovelacewatkins139 i have the gold 100! Been saving for the Roksan... Some reliable sources say this is a great pairing as Roksan is owned by Monitor Audio.
Yes , I think your right , let me know if you get the roksan ,
I have a roksan k3 paired with monitor audio silver 100 . The synergy is great 👍 .
Andrew, Kristi did you guys notice any woofer rumble on the phono inputs? I have the non streaming version of the Attessa, when my turntables are connected the speaker woofers rumble and chuff.
Thanks for the review. Very helpful. I'm on the tipping point of buying one. I do know the brand Roksan. It will be connected to monitor RS 8 (older speaker). It's half the price as the amplifier I first wanted to buy. Also I'm happy with the BluOS integration. Not sure if the LAN cable is mandatory or the dongle can do the trick
How would it compare to NAD's M10 v2?
I’ve known of Roksan for a long while now. At times I thought about buying a Roksan Kandy so this review had me interested.
But I can’t help but think you can say features aside, this amp wins on sound etc, but when you’re actually buying something, you really do want some of the features built into the NAD.
Because it’s annoying that the class D amp on my desktop ($100) has a sub out - with controls - and the Attessa doesn’t…
Good-looking amp. Glad they have the non streamer version for 2k. A total package nearly $3,500 is an extremely hard sell for me. 3.5k is at the price where the true high-ends live if the consumers do their homework.
Hi Andrew! Fantastic and great review.... as usual! I don’t want to sound like a parrot here, but the powered speakers with the name starting with “K” keeps coming to mind as an all- purpose solution type of deal. My focus now is: powered speakers vs passive. Is it true to say that one must first look at the space and figure out the appropriate application.? These days, couldn’t someone manufacture extensions/ adapters for proprietary cables for active speakers??
Great review. I wish y'all could get your hands on the Arcam SA30. I have one in house but I've not heard a lot of these other amps you have reviewed to compare it to. I've only heard the Roksan name in the last year or so but never listened to any of their products. You guys have ranked it pretty high..I am intrigued
Pretty sure it's pronounced Rok - San
After some ancient goddess. I have the 150 watt per channel k3 integrated which I bought second hand. I like the musical sound. Paired with monitor audio silver 100 7 gen. Would be great it you could get a hold of the Roksan Blak amp.
Looking at the specs. Why would they cap the optical output to 24/96 but have the coaxial output at 24/192?
Sounds like a great unit though!
A lot of products do this FWIW. If you look at the specs of a lot of so-called high-end streamers and whatnot many of their high-res audio claims are ONLY achievable via a USB input.
Can't wait for the Denon A110 review. :(
Isnt tone control a basic thing which should be provided in every amp? Though most of these so called hifi true audiophile grade amps do not provide such option, why is it like that? Shouldn't the customer have the option to tune it to his/her liking?
Somewhere along the line audiophiles got it in their heads that tone controls (and EQ for that matter) are "evil" and as a result more and more manufacturers are ditching such controls to appease the faithful, which is dumb.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews its just sad, At this point a cheaper amp with tone control will be more flexible with the type of speaker paired. If this is gonna become the norm , these amp manufacturers better come up with a perfectly matched speakers but even then it is still a subjective matter.
absolutely it should be on every amp with bypass option
Delay must have been on my end, working fine on 2nd play!
Did miss him say which speaker[ he has on hand] worked best?
Thanks for the good review. The prices you were referring to are strange to my hears. In Italy, at the present time, Roksan Attessa is 1.900 euros for the streaming amplifier and 1.290 euros for the amplifier without the streaming unit. That is $2.067 and $1.403 in US S.
Here , in Hungary , the price of this Attessa is just a little bit more, than 1200€ .
Hi, I found this streaming amplifier for a 1k usd, second hand. Currently I have Cambridge audio AXR100 paired with Monitor Audio Silver 7g. Is it worth to buy Roksan Attessa and replace my Cambridge? are the noticeable difference to upgrade?
yes
How do you think this would pair with the KEF ls50? You guys don't bring that out on comparisons for your audio description! Just wondering. Thanks!
Amps deliver power to speakers.
I have this amp,with the kef ls50 metas and wow,they work amazing together,and I use tidal connect with mqa for the best quality....its £1500 in the UK...Great review,been waiting for this for over 12 months lol...thank you..
Had mine over a year with the cd transport I have kef r3s been waiting on a proper review for time , I use qobuz , love mine but can't get the maestro app to work with the cd transport , not really bothered as you say bluos is great , nearly bought the audiolab I listened to them both , roksan won hands down , with sound and a superior app , who needs tone , hdmi , Dirac,
Good Morning AV nerds! Tampa this week!
Do you ever get tired of all the travel?
@@KristiWright Yep! sometimes I do..
Nice review
Are you going to review the new Klipsch Jubilees, maybe the world's best speakers ?!
How does this amp performs at low volumes?
I own a roksan kandy mk3, old but gold.
Thanks for the video, seems like my amps are down to naim xs3 or atoll in200se and if ive been drinking luxman 509x
Hi Andrew, another interesting review. Thank you for keep informing us with all this details. It's always good to have your, subjective:), opinion. How Attessa compare to Naim Uniti Atom? Which one would you keep home?
I have not compared the two so I can't say definitively. The Atom is great but it is getting long in to the tooth at this point. If you are currently looking for something similar to the Atom, I would go with this bit.ly/3vrf93T instead.
Thank you Andrew. Good point I agree on n40. There is one point which makes Atom so special for me, and this is style & user experience. BTW I just invested in my Denon 3700 and bought new power cable. Significant improvement. I was shocked😊
Hi, is it possible do turn on the amp from the phone app like in Marantz 40n? Can we control volume and source from the app?
Good one! Nice looking amp too! But no tone controls. Please just give me the Denon because it not only has defeatable tone controls, it has a phono preamp that looks after both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges.