POTENTIAL TO BE GREAT! Roksan Attessa Streaming Ampifier Review 

I once heard the roksan caspian paired with the roksan candy on waterfall floor standing speakers at a Manchester England hifi show many years ago, I don't remember the interconnects or speaker cables used but it sounded & felt like Ella Fitzgerald, the solo pianist & rest of the band were right in the room with me, the music had an inky back silent background when she paused which created tension & anticipation waiting for Ella to come in & sing her tonsils out again, this was the 1st time I had experienced real quality audio equipment, there were other more expensive set ups in other rooms but none performed anything like the much more cheaper roksan-waterfall set up, to this i day still have a soft spot for roksan equipment.

Every once in a while you come up with brands that I've never heard of. It's fun to expand my knowledge. Thanks!

I didn't know much about these until my brother bought it. He has paired them with his b&w 704 s2 and when I heard it I loved it. I told him it's the best amp his ever had even better than his marantz 40n. It's definitely a step up from my powernode and worth the money

Excellent video as always.

Thank you again Tarun. As always, an entertaining and informative review. I so look forward to your videos. I must say that I'm just not into streaming. The ritual of playing the silver discs is an important part of the listening experience for me.

Thanks for this review! After receiving high marks from Stereophile, I've had the Attessa on my short list.

11:35pm here in Cambodia and much too late to settle in with an ABA review but I'll be looking forward to taking this with my morning coffee, yay!

🙋‍♂️TARUN,THANKS FOR KEEPING US UPTO DATE WITH OPTIONS 🤗👍💚💚💚

Thanks Tarun. good review.

nice review, as usual ... thank you sir

Thanks a lot Mr Tarun. I have been waiting a lot for this review from you. U are doing a great job. I am a great follower of you.

One thing for sure their products are very reliable iv had the m2 amp now for about ten years with no trouble at all

You’re good. Keep up the great curiosity and search for more…. We all follow in your footsteps. NO pressure 😀

Roksan were always a favourite of Richer Sounds and I never heard a bad review of their products. Always seem to offer great value. I’d have no worry buying a product of theirs. Nice t shirt, hope to see you at Carnage next week.

You asked. Yes, I am a Bluos fan. Love the software, and the Node 2i. Not prodding the spousal approval factor presently, but looking forward to the Node X. Enjoy your work here in Lenbrook country. Carry on, please.

Hi Tarun. Solid review. Thank you. We use BluOS via a Bluesound Vault 2i. Cheers Tarun😎👍

fantastic looking

Love my Kandy K3, oodles of power and always an exciting listen. Paired it with a CA CXNv2 instead of going for the Atessa but I do like the look of this.

Love the title 💨😊

I love Roksan gear - got a Xerxes 20 plus and TR5-S2 speakers which are incredible. I had a Caspian M2 which was also superb. They are a great company to deal with also, always ready to help and customer service is superb. I sold the Caspian and bought a Naim Uniti atom as I wanted a streaming amplifier. The atom is very similar sounding to the Caspian I'd say, but it has a wonderful Naim App that allows me to stream from Tidal/Qobuz etc as well as local files in a well integrated and intuitive App. Also has a built in headphone socket which the Roksan lacked. Great video Tarun as always.

After querying the name Roksan in an email earlier this week, your intro was amusingly en pointe! But then most of your reviews seem to amiably scratch an audio itch to check out components, even though I'm still perfectly happy with what I have! I'm fortunate to have bought most of my music years ago, so I don't stream, but similarly with a personal digital collection I do wonder about the possibilities of a personal AI DJ. As always, thanks for a lovely review.

Great review. I am happy with MoOde streaming software running on Allo USBridge Sig hardware. Probably not as polished as BlueOS but very well maintained software.

Thanks for the review Tarun. Although I never owned a Roksan, I have been tempted by their CD player. For streaming I use a MacMini i7 with Roon Core. Roon recommends splitting Core for an endpoint, so I use an M1 MacMini next to it with a CAT 8 Supra cable - 50cm. My Denafrips DAC connects to the DDC over I2S, which connects over USB to the M1 MacMini. I use Tidal as service via Roon, but also Apple Music works well via the M1.

I’ve watched virtually everyone of Tarun’s videos I find his eloquence, intelligence, unbiased and passionate approach very endearing, interesting and informative. I’m just hoping he gets his hands on a new Musical Fidelity A1 or Myryad Z350 set up in the near future. I’d also like to see him review more Rega and Roksan equipment, as a previous owner of all the brands I’ve mentioned I would happily anticipate them.

Great review Tarun, I think i'll keep my Roksan Caspian M2 Power Amp connected to Node, which has HDMI Arc and amp can standby/power on itself.

Tarun, yet another excellent review. Since you asked about streaming, I have a raspberry pie 3b running Valumio software.

Hi Tarun, still using Nad C338 which you also reviewed, it is good enough for a small-ish room. Nad released an update this year and Spotify connect was fixed. The connectivity is still great, despite the age

Well, thanks for accommodating my request to review a Roksan product so promptly 😂. I'm one of those few who use Heos and are perfectly happy with it. Sure, it's a bit clunky, but the sound quality is generally good. I think I'll just keep pootling along in my aged Honda Accord whilst admiring all the Astons and Bentleys swishing past me.

Had a Audiolab, wich had the same knob action. That was one of the reasons why I send it back.

Great review again . I hooked up a WiiM mini to my Ch Precision A1.5 power amp and Stenheim speakers and the sound was not at all bad - note the price difference ! I then used the same WiiM mini as a streamer only into my dCS Rossini Apex DAC and again it was not bad at all . In fact on some tracks I could hear no difference between it and the internal streamer of the dCS Rossini . The WiiM has an excellent UI too . I had an Aurender N20 In my system and it sounded no better than sticking a usb drive into the dCS dac . But a Melco server at one tenth of the Aurender price sounded better with the same dCS dac . Bottom line - there are so many variables to consider when streaming - the optimal Dac implementation, noise from a switch , usb implementation , software DSP etc

I’ve got the attessa turntable on a recent deal at £599 and it’s a great bit of kit

Danke!

I use the Naim app for my MuSoQb2. Very good, easy to use and stable. Also, probably the most attractive and easy to see interface. My Bluesound Node2 uses the same app as the Roksan. Also good. My main system uses LightningDS, the Auralic app. I use Qobuz only on all three and rarely have issues. I get most drops and interference with BlueOs, with LDS taking a while to get working. If I could run just one system, it would probably be the Naim, it is the easiest to see, use and navigate.

I bought one ! It's the Bluos that convinced me. It is not the full version as far as I know. For example no tone controls. Correct me if I'm wrong. Paired right now with Mission SX1 but considering the MA Silver 50. Cheers, Al

MinimServer (UPNP/DNLA Music Server) -> RaspberryPi4 (running moOde) -> SMSL DAC -> Yamaha Integrated Amp [ Controlled with Linn Kazoo]

Coming in a bit late now. I own a Roksan Blak and compared to the few amps that I have owned is a significant upgrade by a long way… scales well with upgraded digital inputs and speakers. it has a few quirks with the volume control ( increments of 2) but what you get in sound quality makes it more than worth i imo… Would love to see how this amp based on sound quality compares to the Hegels and alike! Considering the discounted prices you can pick this up for now!

Tarun, great review with well defined pros and cons. In my setup I use streamer Primare NP5 mk2 > amp Cambridge Audio CXA80 > speakers Wharfedale Evo 4.4 Must say, Iam very happy with this combo. I also have DAC Schiit Modius with XLR outputs to CXA80, but have to say that CXA80 dac Wolfson 8740 has better depth soundstage. Keep on making great reviews!

The choice when it comes to British Hi-Fi, comes down to the sweet spot between listening and liking, and budget. I am astounded by how many great British companies there are, regardless of whether they are still built in the UK or in China, the sound is often characteristically British, and good. From amplifiers to turntables, and of course speakers, one faces a difficult decision as to just which way to go, with the exception of the likes of Chord to Rega, and Naim that will soon drive out of sight with high-end, HiFi pricing. It is refreshing that with the likes of Audiolab, Leak, Arcam, Roksan, Quad, Cambridge, and others, that you can still buy British sound and not go broke doing so. The issue here in Canada, is the increase with regards to exchange though that is nowhere near the sticker shock of US produced gear.

I currently use BluOS/Qobuz in one system and Qobuz in a tablet sourced system. My Node allows subout which can act as a desirable high pass filter. Unfortunately, the Node's internal Burr Brown DAC is indeed midfi and that obviates use of the subout. I suspect that a strong competitor to the Atessa would be a WiiM Pro @$149. out to a Topping E70 Velvet DAC @$449.00 driving a Topping LA90 Discrete Amplifier @$799.00 Superior fidelity and a fine balance between warmth and neutrality. A combo that offers a similar but superior fidelity. The WiiM app reportedly has good functionality.

I use a Wiim Pro > NJC Audio Reference DAC> Buchardt i150 amp> Holographic Audio Amp 16 Power Amp> Buchardt S400 M II speakers and it sounds fantastic. The Wiim App is on a par with BlueOS for me and maybe shades it in terms of listening to customer feedback and implementing suggestions through regular updates. It’s also incredible value at £150. Great review as always Tarun. Thank you. 🤘

My impression was quite different as the amp is outstandingly musical, has terrific weight and soundstaging is non fatiguing yet resolving and works superbly with the included DAC streaming directly. I use it with the amazing little NEAT Acoustics IOTA Alphas. Fabulous combination.

I still use my oooolllddd Logitech Squeezebox Touch as Streaming Device! 96/24 bit resolution is enough for me… ☺ And it simply works perfectly, also with Spotify and Tidal… 👍🏻 I use an external DAC from the NL Company Metrum Acoustic, which I find great! As for the Amplifier I am getting closer to a buying decision (as my loved Astintrew Amp has given up. Probably it will be an Atoll Amp. At the moment I have the IN100 Sig at home! Great!! With the small exception of the higher mids, that I feel slighly elevated with my Proac speakers… I will try also the IN80 Sig and the IN200 Sig…

The Xerxes turntable was my first higher end table that I bought in the late 80's. I loved the sound and to this day the best I've ever owned. If you can review a new Creek amp that is another product brand that I owned and would like to see if the new Creek amps are good. :)

Hi Tarun. First of all i want to thank You for your work. Atessa and 7000a are on my list for upgrade my hifi. I have a pair of Dali Rubicon 2 and not sure what amplifier would be the best choice.

😉Thanks, Tarun. 👍👨🏻Still contemplating what my “best” streaming platform will be. I use a WiiM and a Schiitt Modi+ on a secondary, less resolving “warm” ~4K$ (amp+ speakers) system, but still haven’t solidified streaming method on my primary listening system.👨🏻

Quite by accident I sat down with 2 raisin scones( 🇬🇧💂‍♂️how very British of me💂‍♀️🇬🇧) and a cup of joe ☕️(🇺🇸🇺🇸how very American of me🇺🇸🇺🇸) to watch your latest. It made me giggle! 😄In responding to your ask at the end …I have very capable system (all separates), with about $24K invested. It’s been quite the journey…and I smile a LOT now when listening…but you hit the nail on the head..my frustration is the streaming interface. I have Amazon Music Ultra HD and Qobuz…I can stream via HEOS thru my Marantz SACD 30n and you know how primitive that interface is or…which is my usual streaming Qobuz thru my P2Design Mercury Streamer using Volumio…which has a better interface, but my Mac IOS and the Volumio just don't play well together. Constant lags, super slow and just frustrating all around. If EverSolo would come out with just a streamer (NO DAC) and an I²S output at a reasonable price I would be all over it. Their streamers offer very high fidelity it and their interface looks promising as well!

Soft spot for Roksan.. Bought a Xerxes with my 18th birthday money in the late 80s(the Touraj years) .. But Roksan then and now just isn't the same. But I do think that acquisition of the brand was a shrewd move by Monitor audio which again is not what it was in those Iqbal times....on the whole both brands have gone on to produce a more dependable, better product range. As always great content Tarun. 👍🏻

Cambridge CXN v2 is my choice as streamer/DAC/preamp (yes use it as preamp to my CX61. Got a in-line filter to my sub in between) and then Spotify and all internet channels there are with various stream quality. Critical listening is cd,

Thanks! I don't stream music as I buy cd's and sccd's (DSD recorded) to support the artists better. I have HEOS if I ever wanted to combine and get into it, but I can afford the largess of paying royalties out.

Using a Intel NUC in a passive Akasa case running Plex to Schiit Modi 3 here.

love your reviews. Can you please give us on your take on the attessa Turntable?

Great looking component, just a shame that internal components aren't at similar levels. Dare I say they cd use a switching supply and upgrade the DAC and achieve better sound perhaps

Let me finish, I stream with a raspberry pi 3 running valumio sofrware and have a Hifiberry Digi2 Pro 2.2 hat. This is toslinked into a denafrips ares ii with upgraded software. That feeds a Naim Naim 5Si integrated amp that drives Zu DW mark 2 speakers. I am very happy with the sound for jazz, acoustic and rock music. I have yet to be convinced that I need to upgrade my steamer. I’m more of an audio enthusiast than a audiophile.

Thank you very much for your detailed review, Tarun. 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?

I used to love my Roksan table, with Chorus Black cartridge ! Sadly, they quit selling in the US some time ago.

Hi Tarun, it is a pity Rega don't let thier products for RU-vid review. My eyes is on the rega elex mk4 . It is around £1200, it has a phono input , a 6.35mm headphone plug and seemingly a good DCA, made in Great Britain.

Hi Tarun, I purchased the amp in review, and paired it with the Monitor Audio Silver 100G, and in my relatively small room, I am very happy with the room filling sound quality I get from the set up, I also purchased the matching CD Transport, which I am also happy with. Have to say, one of the reasons I purchased the ROKSAN was the blueos streaming capability, which I can now pair with my NODE2i in another room, therefore filling the house with beautiful sounding music, cheers.

I intend to pair a Roksan amp either the Attessa, or K3 CD, and vinyl player and will be pairing it all with a pair of Silver 300 7g's. I'm just torn between the two system families. I'm not happy about the 3.5mm over 3 1/4" on the attessa.

Nice to see Roksan finally giving you a unit. I'm still rocking K3 and Chord Mojo with Amphion Argon 3S. I'm finding the sound not very wide, do you think I'd get more width with an R2R-DAC, or are Amphions not very wide sounding in general? I'm barely hearing anything to the sides of the speakers. EDIT: You should review Pegasus Draco. 800 pound R2R DAC very similar to Pegasus. Could be the best DAC under 1000 pounds.

Useful review. I was thinking if buying the attessa streaming amplifier or the attessa amplifier to be paired with the Eversolo streamer. Which combo is better to You? Alluding to the relatively poor DAC performance, will I get better performance pairing the Eversolo? Thanks

I also like the BluOS streaming app but I find myself using Roon mostly now. Any chance you might be reviewing the Holo Red streamer at some point? Thanks for another excellent review Tarun.

After much testing at Sevenoaks I paired my Roksan with a pair of B&W 706 S2 it was a toss up between them and the Kef R3 but the BW won with 3 of us listening to varied music. I did also test concept 30s silver 50s Lintons and Metas but other than the Wharfs they were all a bit meh with the Roksan. I’ve also after some time popped in a spare REL 150 sub as it was getting dusty in the shed and then add yet another level to the low end

Boss are you there. Some buzz going around about the Peachtree gang. A real eye opener.

Hello Tarun.I have the non streaming version of Attessa amp paired with Elac Carina bs243.4. Just to say that the relative weak points of Attessa you mentioned in your review could be improved by adding an after market power cable. In my case supra 2.5 spc provided significantly better depiction of details and air and further tightened the bass. I am using the integrated dac and a wiim mini streamer which I also feed with an ifi ipower x. However, in your opinion what external dac under 500 pounds would you recommend to get an appreciable sonic improvement?

Back in the late 80s, or maybe it was the early 90s, I purchased a Caspian cd player from my local Radford hifi store. It was being heavily promoted. I think a ex member of Roksan’s staff had just joined the Radford sales team. The unit was built like a proverbial brick sh1t house with aesthetics that could only be described as striking. I was pleased with it’s functionality and musical reproduction, until, a couple of years later, a friend bought me a Tesco dvd player. This unit was more sturdily constructed than my. Caspian and it’s design was rugged and industrial, it cost 1 10th the price of my Caspian. I plumbed the Tesco dvd player into my system and spun 2 ident disks, simultaneously. The end result was laughable. Yes, the musical reproduction on the Caspian was very slightly fuller, had more body, but the Tesco was extremely close. I still have that Caspian unit in my rack. It is still fully functional, but is not plumbed in, it is there because it still looks striking, classy! It has been replaced by a cd transport connected to my Denafrips Venus. Enjoy the music.

Hi Tarun, Thanks for a great review again Do you think the Attessa will match good with either Triangle genese trio or Triangle comete 40th

Right side humming and buzzing

Hi Tarun, Is the internal dac a huch downgrade on the Attessa? Wondering if the volumio primo hifi dac streamer will better with the Attessa?

Currently running a Rega Brio R with Focal Chora 826s. Wonder if this amp would warm up the sound and how much of that lovely Rega sound I would go amiss... I am running Blusound Node2i with power upgrades in between the two. Agreed BluOs is better than anything else.

Hi Tarun, I have technical question for you :) Generally I'm using android tv box as streamer and connected to dac with optical cable. You can change volume with android tv box, but how this process is happening technically? Is digital signal firstly converted to analog with build in dac and then digital again? Is it possible changing volume level with digital audio signal? If so, this means I screw up digital signal and it is useless how good dac I have. Thanks for your great reviews always :)

Hi I've got B&W 706 S2 was thinking of getting IOTAVX stack, but that i've seen this review from you a reviewer i trust. Only for good sound quality, which one should I go for Attessa or IOTAVX.

BluOs is decent but once you try Roon, there's no going back. Except perhaps some esoteric ultra hi-end offerings (like Taiko), it's the best out there.

I have an audiolab and whilst I love the clear detailed sound, the lack of bass weight unfortunately is whilst I’ll be upgrading.

Hi I’ve got the dali oberon 5 paired with a powernode. I’m finding the sound too dark for my liking was wondering if you could suggest this amp or any other streaming amplifier to pair with my speakers

Hello. Could you tell me which of these amps (7000a vs Attessa) has better midrange? Which one has closer midtones and where there is more detail and separation (mainly midrange)? Thanks

I dont like streamers; I bought 2000 CDs during my youth. So I bought Roksan K3 amplifier, analog. Terrific sound!

Hello Tarun. Long time. Hope all is well. Finally got my speakers: Sonus Faber Lumina 5. I am digging them. Looked at your review on the Willsenton R8. If that amp drove your hard to drive speakers well I'm sure it shouldn't have a problem with mine rated at 4ohm nominal at around 89dB sensitivity (although some reviewers measured it at 90dB) in any case, the R8 may be a nice match. I couldn't find the Exposure 2510 so ended up with the Arcam SA20, not bad, but it's really rolled off I think and tons of bottom end, it's nice but not that much depth or width of sound stage. Looking for something that will just open up these speakers. Pinpointed down to the Willsenton R8, Exposure 2510, Vincent SV237 MK2 or the Yamaha AS1200. Cheers and stay well.

Hi, how does it compare to Hegel h95? Which one do you think would sound better with monitor audio gold 100 5G?

I still use Sonos, purely because of the App!

I like to see inside

Keeping things within the same kind of budget line, would it be better to get the non streaming attessa and adding a blue sound node? You’d get a slightly better DAC, HDMI and the BluOS streaming app. Thoughts?

Hi Tarun ,Naim nait 5si or Roksan Attessa integrated amp ??

I cant no decide … for my dali Rubicon 5 loudspeakers…. The marantz model 40 n Roksan atessa or lyngdorf 1120 ? Can you help me out? Thanks anföd greetings from germany

Hi Tarun have you had a chance to play with the Wiim Mini streamer?

I don't think you're missing in a power-down option with the amp. The Blusound app doesn't allow you to pwer down the NAD m10, and since it's explicit, it's not an oversight

Tarun? Do you think that the inclusion of tone controls in many of these amps would allow the listener to tailor the experience to their own likes and compensate when it comes to differing recording levels? If so, why do you think many marques like audiolab just aren't doing it?

How does Naim Nait 5si compare to the attessa and Audiolab 7000a? They are about the same price.

Is the DAC chip the same as on my ifi-zen 2? Because if it is then its a 150 pound dac. Not great for something in this price range. Balanced DAC Burr Brown USB XMOS MQA 384kHz DSD256 is what ive got in that. It is better than the audioquest dragonfly red it replaced by a substantial margin. However it seems a bit too budget to go in a streaming amp like this. Great in an under 200 pound award winning DAC paired with a set of 300 pound Adam Audio studio monitors that i'm using. A really good set up for the price. Less so in something over 1000 pounds. Can see why it would let it down. Can you use the streaming bit and stream to an external DAC?

Hi Tarun, Wont a good streamer do any good with the Attessa? Or is the dac really that "bad" quality. I am a little confused here as other reviews there non about the build in dac is not on point with rest of the amplification 😊 Cheers

should be great with Monitor Audio Silver 100 7g?

Original Volumio Primo here, into 6000A. The Primo DAC sounds a little better than the Audiolab. The Primo is a great sounding streamer, but the music 'library' function is terrible / non existant. I gave up and use Roon, which works very well with the Primo. I'd recommend those looking for a transport only look to the new Rivo (why not review it?).

Hey Tarun , I wasn’t expecting you to do this one it was in my radar before I bought Audiolab 6000a , as you have explained I have few burbrown dacs and a cd player from Arcam .. you’re spot on the sound stage is between the speaker but at some point the Sound of it is just so relaxing and there is a good detail not as good as my mojo or Arche but just love the sound .. one more question what sort of speakers you suggest for audiolab 6000a I have celestion Ditton 22 , Arcam Alto and Focal chorus 706

T, "bastard child here". I use RU-vid music only, it always sounds beautiful and dynamic. And that's just as true running, ifi Zen Blue. Best, D.

I use Apple Music with my iPhone simply because it came with my contract otherwise I would pay the extra for tidal

What's really missing is a digital output for the streamer. That should not be hard and expensive and you could use an external DAC. Now you are limited forever unless using both an external DAC AND streamer (or a streamer with a much better DAC) which seems a waste of resources. This gives me the feeling Roksan hasn't really caught up with today's hi-fi landscape yet.

Personally not that thrilled with the Auralic G1.1 software. Seems a bit obtuse to me. The cd ripping controls are limited and you have no choices on level of error reaction so if you rip a CD that is not perfect it may reject 70 % of the songs but does not give you the option to go ahead and rip even though not perfect. The screen and writing is small. Hard for me to read easily. I cant help but notice the big screen on the new Everglow A6. No idea about sound comparisons.

not every amp needs giant reserves of capacitance.

It sounds as though the amp would be less dynamically authoritative than the audiolab. Correct me if I'm wrong. Although you give it a positive rating, the amp comes across as 'meh'. It seems to me that you prefer the audiolab though you didn't say that directly. If I were to base my decision on this review, I would give the amp a pass. I don't want to be locked into a subpar DAC. Perhaps they could make the amp with a DAC module so one could upgrade it as needed. Or just not get it in the first place.

Need tone controls why are these companies not including tone controls

This device measures very poor (68db S/N). I'm not all about measurements, however, this doesn't meet even a low bar and I won't consider something so noisy.