Roksan Attessa Streaming Amplifier Review

[Count Dacula]

its art, how do you put a price on that..

I grew up hand-to-mouth, despite my parents having some monies.

I always said that I don't care if my audio is served from a shoe box, as long as it sounds ideal.

So art/sculpture and overly aesthetical gear is antithetical to me.

Like Plato tells us, the highest good lies in the mean, which is the closest thing to a Universal Rule I am aware of.

That says, a good clean functional case with minimal affectations is as "good" as anything, just like the internals. The SQ should follow, as good as the proper engineering practices can produce, not more, not less.

 

[Alias MK]

The BT pin appears on the front display of the amp during pairing...

 

[Alias MK]

I have just demoed the non streamer amp at Richer sounds I was impressed for the discounted price of £499.00. I have bought one to drive my Sonus Faber Sonnettos.

Which particular Sonnettos do you have? And how is Attessa doing with those?

 

[spyne]

It'll get 4.5 or 5 stars on WhatHifi, a review will describe subjective properties like pace and presence and be the runner up for product of the year.

Not far off!!

4/5 stars
Pros

• Rhythmically agile
• Friendly, easy-going presentation
• Lively, musically cohesive
• Stylish and easy to use design
• Ample features

Cons

• Could do with subtler textures, larger-scale dynamics and more sonic precision
• No Chromecast support

 

[NHL99]

I have just demoed the non streamer amp at Richer sounds I was impressed for the discounted price of £499.00. I have bought one to drive my Sonus Faber Sonnettos.

In Sweden it's still £1700.00 to cough up. The starter price over here was £2500.00.

 

[Karlaka]

Which particular Sonnettos do you have? And how is Attessa doing with those?

My question is the same. It seems like a well-built amplifier, with attention to detail and design, but I'm very surprised that it was released at such a high price and then dropped so abruptly. I think in the USA (Crutchfield) it was over $3000 USD. I'd like to know how it performs with high-end speakers like the Sonetto.

 

[spyne]

It seems like a well-built amplifier, with attention to detail and design

How could anyone say this after seeing the test results?
Clearly there has been very little attention to good design - audible power on/off, very high operating temperature, very high induced noise from the power supply, very low SNR (less than 16-bits), frequency response starts rolling off before 10kHz (and starts peaking below 20Hz) and quite high distortion across the frequency range.
This is the performance you might expect from a <$300 amp, not a $3000 amp.

 

[Karlaka]

How could anyone say this after seeing the test results?
Clearly there has been very little attention to good design - audible power on/off, very high operating temperature, very high induced noise from the power supply, very low SNR (less than 16-bits), frequency response starts rolling off before 10kHz (and starts peaking below 20Hz) and quite high distortion across the frequency range.
This is the performance you might expect from a <$300 amp, not a $3000 amp.

I emphasize the word "seems."

I reiterate, I don't understand how a company like Roksan/Monitor Audio releases such a deficient product, even though build quality and aesthetics appear to have been considered. Is it really that bad? Are these shortcomings audible?

Thank you.

 

[spyne]

I don't understand how a company like Roksan/Monitor Audio releases such a deficient product

I agree with this, particularly when Monitor Audio makes some truly superb speakers, from an objective and, in my opinion, subjective perspective. Eg, the Silver 500 '7g' speakers which measure fantastically in their price range and sound beautiful, too.

Are these shortcomings audible?

They're right on the edge of possibly becoming audible under ideal conditions. A SINAD of 70dB means distortion/noise might, maybe, just be audible using test tones.
So you may not directly hear it when listening to music, but at very low, or very high volumes you might feel something is off about the sound. A slight "harshness"/"roughness" at high volume (distortion) or a loss of detail/dynamics at low volume (baseline noise).
Those turn on and off spikes would very likely be audible every time, though.
And the heat is not good for longevity of the electrical components.

 

[Subob]

Years ago I had a Roksan Caspian CD player and a Roksan Caspian Power amp, both from new.

Both eventually gave up on me after a number of years of use. Personally, I would never buy another Roksan product again, but YMMV.

 

[hifi72]

I emphasize the word "seems."

I reiterate, I don't understand how a company like Roksan/Monitor Audio releases such a deficient product, even though build quality and aesthetics appear to have been considered. Is it really that bad? Are these shortcomings audible?

Thank you.

It isn’t in my experience. I did my homework and read the review/test before purchasing mine. I had an opportunity to listen to the Attessa for myself, armed with this knowledge. So I went in expecting something audible and unpleasant. What I found to my surprise is that it’s a great performing amp, and if there is distortion I certainly didn't hear it. Plenty of power for a solid bass and an overall enjoyable sound, meaning i didn‘t hear anything that would detract from the listening experience. It’s powering my MA Silver 300 7G’s for a few years now. I personally find an easier listen to my ears than the Yamaha as1200 I’ve owned, as i don’t feel the leanness(stridency?) I sometimes did with that amp. Build quality is top notch from a construction and (imo) design perspective, if you like minimalist clean lines etc. There are things that could be improved, ie plastic remote, always on volume lights, but it is certainly not a bad amp. I find the DAC to be quite good as well connected to my Wiim Ultra via coax. If you can get one on sale, or at least listen to a demo, I think you’ll enjoy it.

 

[Karlaka]

Thank you all so much, guys.
This diversity of opinions is what helps build a concept.