Flagship tech for less
HiFi Rose has a new integrated amplifier in its arsenal and, as is now expected from the Korean brand, it looks quite the stunner. The RA280 retains much of the same technology featured in the flagship RA180, whose intricate fascia turned more than a few heads when it launched two years ago.
The RA280 is a less ornate but no less stylish edition. The feature set has been pared down to a more sensible oering, ditching its big brother's excessive (eight pairs of) speaker terminals and moving-coil compatibility, as well as the frenzy of dials, knobs, switches and sliders adorning the front panel. But don’t worry, the more minimal aesthetic of the new model still sports a few tactical controls for volume, input selection, bass and tone adjustment — and two lit-up VU meters still steal the design limelight.
Despite the pared-down philosophy, the RA280 should still "deliver high performance that packs a punch”, says HiFi Rose.
Like the flagship, the RA280 features the company's own Class AD amplification technology, here delivering 250 watts of power on tap. As one might guess, this Class AD design purportedly combines the practical advantages of a typical Class D (high eciency, higher output) with the more natural sound quality you get from traditional Class AB. The brand cites its use of more innovative materials — such as Gallium Nitride field-eect transistors instead of more conventional Silicon FETs — to achieve an accurate amplification stage that sounds more like a “pure analogue” design.
The power supply design — first developed for the RA180 — employs Silicon Carbide FET technology, whose high-voltage support and heat resistance properties allow the integrated to deliver a more ecient, clean output without generating too much heat.
The number of connections has been trimmed down from its flagship sibling, but there are still plenty enough to connect your sources: three pairs of line-level inputs, one pair of balanced XLR inputs, a moving-magnet phono input, and a subwoofer output.
The amplifier itself looks beautifully crafted, and if it's anything like the HiFi Rose components I've seen in the wild, it will feel as though it's been made with tender loving care too. The machine work of the aluminium chassis (available in silver or black), embellishments and dials oer a clean-cut yet traditional aesthetic, while on a practical note the vents on the top panel aid heat dissipation.
The HiFi Rose RA280 integrated amplifier costs $5,399. That’s nearly half the price of the flagship RA180, which launched at $9,299 in 2022, and it certainly seems sensible that the Korean brand has brought its tempting hi-fi products down to a relatively lower cost by streamlining its list of features.