Hi-Fi Rose

RA280 Integrated Amplifier

£2,999 RRP

“Every rose has its thorn”, as someone once said, but as yet, this innovative South Korean audio brand hasn't shown its. Hi-Fi Rose is owned by Seoul-based Citech Co., Ltd., which has been trading since 1967. Hi-Fi Rose has been rolling out some interestingly styled and technically advanced electronics lately, and for me, the RA180 amplifier was a landmark product. Launched a couple of years back, it was undoubtedly an eyebrow-raiser in terms of aesthetics and ergonomics. But look beyond its fascia – which is like a cross between a nineteen seventies Brionvega radio and something from an early Thomas Dolby video – and there's real flair in its electronic design, too.

The RA280 integrated that you see here is essentially a stripped-down, more affordable version of the RA180. Visually speaking, it may look like it's escaped from a hi-fi superstore circa 1975, but there's more to it than meets the eye. To quote the company's website, “ROSE is the combined HiFi Media Player Brand that has been created with the sophisticated technologies between audiophiles in their 30 years career and seasoned acoustic engineer over the years.” What this alludes to is the company's clever 'Class AD' power amplifier technology.

The Seoul-based brand contends that conventional Class D is limited by the switching speed of the transistors used. To this end, it has developed its own version of Class D – which it calls Class AD – using GaN (gallium nitride) field effect transistors. These replace older silicon FET types and are super-fast switching devices that work at ten times the speed of conventional kinds. This, says the company, makes for excellent linearity thanks to strong power damping and much shorter 'dead time' – which is the name given to the period between one FET switching off and the other switching on.

The power amp section is essentially of dual mono construction and outputs a claimed 250W per channel (into 4 or 8 ohms) – which only a few years ago would be a staggeringly large amount of power for an amp of this price. My own subjective listening tests suggest that even this is a conservative estimate. The switching power supply is said to be specially developed, and the circuit uses silicon carbide FETs, which are more efficient than silicon FETs. Although a few other Class D amplifier brands use GaN FET power devices, it's still fair to say that this amplifier is quite avant-garde in engineering terms.

Interestingly, the RA280 eschews built-in DACs and streaming cards, meaning that this is an old-school analogue amplifier in one key aspect of its design. Its major concession to fashion is a pair of small, dimmable VU meters, and defeatable tone controls. The latter offers a rather dramatic  ±15dB adjustment range for bass and treble at standard frequencies (100Hz and 10kHz, respectively) – traditionally, you get around ±10dB. Round the back, there are RCA stereo inputs, a balanced XLR input, and a decent-sounding moving magnet phono stage input. Power in is via a standard IEC socket, and there's a pair of binding posts for each loudspeaker.

Despite all the trick technology and stellar power output, the RA280 only weighs 9.5kg – about one-eighth of a Class A amplifier with similar power and one-quarter of an equally muscular Class AB design. The steel casework is fairly standard-sized at 430x355x103 [WxDxH]. The well-finished aluminium fascia's styling is, I think, quite charming in its way and, for me, works better than its slightly fussier RA180 bigger brother.

THE LISTENING

The RA280 might look retro, but doesn't sound it. This is a highly enjoyable amplifier which goes against the grain of some people's preconceived ideas about Class D-type sonics. It has an open and engaging nature that is clearer and more crisp than the vast majority of switching amplifiers that I've heard. There's a particular delicacy to its nature that simply isn't expected at its price – one that takes it closer to state-of-the-art Class AB designs like Rega's Aethos than you might expect.

Tonally, it is spry, crisp and dry, and lacks the softer focus of many Class D designs like NAD's M33. The latter is a fine sounding integrated but its bottom end is a tad fulsome and doesn't quite have the speed and grip of the RA280. The Hi-Fi Rose is able to eke out more detail and has a more precise, ordered sound. It would be unfair to say that it's hard or cold though – it's just not as euphonic or romantic as some price rivals. With the lilting soulful sounds of Randy Crawford's You Might Need Somebody, for example, there's none of the creaminess you get from leading Class AB designs such as Exposure's 3510. This slightly arid character isn't necessarily bad, by the way, especially if you have rather dull or loose loudspeakers. It's a feature, not a bug.

This crispness, allied with impressive precision, underpins the RA280's signature sound – but there's more. Cue up a propulsive, driving classic rock track like Turn It On Again by Genesis, and we discover that this amplifier is better at getting into the groove than many Class D designs. It captures the dramatic tension of the track's vocal phrasing and playing in a way that the aforementioned NAD, for example, cannot quite match. The Hi-Fi Rose has the ability to impart a sense of passion and drive that many price rivals cannot. Its clean tonality, married to a sinewy, engaging bass and plenty of midband detail, most reminds me of the Class AB Cyrus i9-XR, in fact. These two amps don't sound the same, but nevertheless, they take two different paths heading in the same direction.

The lithe midband, partnered with a general lack of excess flab in the bass, makes it well able to scythe through dense, layered recordings like The Police's Synchronicity 2 – and emerge unscathed at the other end. The RA280 certainly has insight. It gets its teeth into subtleties like the raw, fruity guitar sound and the slightly breathless texture of the vocals – as Sting really extends himself on this track. The hi-hat cymbals have real bite and sound hard and metallic rather than gold-plated. Snares are crunchy and hard-hit, while the bass guitar is played with almost punk-rock levels of energy. This amplifier makes all the above clear to hear, whereas many of its rivals cannot.

That's not to say it's perfect. The RA280 actually sits in one of the most hotly contested spaces in mainstream audio – the mid-price integrated amp sector. A few minutes with Sugden's Class A A21SE shows how wonderfully musical and beguiling things can be, making the Hi-Fi Rose sound a bit cerebral and matter-of-fact. Yet the latter has oodles of power, whereas the former needs easy-to-drive speakers to shine. Otherwise, it descends into a soggy, pudding-like mess. Different strokes for different folks, then. And although the RA280 soundstages well by the standards of its peers, it isn't as expansive as the NAD M33, or Rega Aethos, for that matter. Put on some techno, such as the Scratch Mix of Uncle Bob's Burly House by Uncle Bob, and it doesn't quite impart the vast breadth and depth of this classic early nineties house record.

Sonically, this amplifier is a mixed bag, but so are all of its price rivals – even the best-selling ones. Indeed, in this precise sector of the market, there's lots of choice, and you can pick and choose what you want to suit your taste, budget and system. What will really attract many buyers, I suspect, is the RA280's sheer grunt. It is up there with the NAD, which is thirty percent more expensive in terms of horsepower. The Rega Aethos and Exposure 3510 are powerhouses too, but simply cannot match it. The result is that the Hi-Fi Rose can drive pretty much any loudspeaker without fear or favour – which is a hell of a boast at this price. The authority with which it carries the sub-bass through my Yamaha NS-1000M loudspeakers, for example, on the Uncle Bob track, is quite a thing to hear.

THE VERDICT

Don't be fooled by its looks. The RA280 may channel the styling of a 20W Japanese transistor integrated from the mid-nineteen seventies, but it's a very different flower indeed. Whatever you think of its appearance, it's clear that Hi-Fi Rose has taken its electronic design very seriously. This is born out when you hear it – it may not be to everyone's taste, but has great merit all the same. And as Stalin once said of armies, “Quantity has a quality all of its own”, and this applies just as much to amplifier power! If you're interested in a seriously capable mid-price integrated, this must be on your shortlist – particularly if you have a softer-sounding source and/or power-hungry loudspeakers.

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