Roksan Attessa Streaming Amplifier Review

[KSTR]

I often wonder if the engineers said they should move things but marketing said it had to be in that exact case. Did the engineers say to twist the A/C wires and management said "that's stupid and would cost a few cents more each"?

I'm pretty sure we are seeing a GND topology error on that amplifier PCB. The field emitted from the AC feeds won't be the main culprit. While not twisted, the wires are still close enough to each other to produce only little magnetic field. Same goes for the field from the tranny itself (toroids can have issues with beams in certain directions).

IMHO even within the given constraints, a simple redesign of the amp+supply PCB layout could yield 20dB better results.

 

[sarumbear]

Because otherwise, nobody would buy it . "Justify" is of course highly subjective.

And those million pound cables sell because…

 

[JDS]

FYI, owner said he heard it at a dealer and it had hum in one channel! So my results must be accurate. See how JA concludes his measurements:

"With separates, it is possible for the designers to maximize resolution and minimize noise. With a single-box solution like the Roksan Attessa, it is difficult to do these things, with the current-heavy power supply in such close proximity to the low-level analog and digital decoding stages. However, the Attessa's measured performance, especially that of the low-noise, low-distortion phono input, indicates that the inevitable compromises have been managed well."

This, while measuring SNR of just 66 dB at 1 watt: "The unweighted, wideband signal/noise ratio (ref. 1W into 8 ohms), taken with the inputs shorted to ground and the volume control set to its maximum, was 66.5dB (average of the two channels), ...."

No wonder these companies sit still and don't think they have to do better. 66 dB is just 11 bits of dynamic range!

Products like this are the reason I now mostly refer to myself as a former audiophile. We need a different word for folks who appreciate accurate sound and embrace objective testing.

 

[Chrise36]

What does Attessa mean in any language? It sounds Italian but it's misspelled, "attesa" means waiting

 

[TonyJZX]

one reason for the compromised UI or lack thereof, is that they make a plain non streaming amp on the same case

this unit is made in the UK so the faults on this unit falls all on them

and yes... for JDM car fans:

ATTESA - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

but in this case Nissan got this to work better generation after generation

 

[DSJR]

I suspect they're going for the Naim Atom style market, only the Naim looks and feels gorgeous to me (owners of such boxes don't care about performance, as in my experience it's largely taken for granted). being far eastern made, I suspect there's a LOT of money to be made per box here even today with exchange rates as they are.

So sad really. This is today's version of 'good enough' rather than 'good' but then Roksan hasn't been under original ownership for a good few years year now (it's apparently part of the 'Monitor Audio Group')

 

[DSJR]

this unit is made in the UK so the faults on this unit falls all on them

It's not - it's made in China!

 

[sarumbear]

this unit is made in the UK so the faults on this unit falls all on them

In which case we should blame the Americans for the audiofoolery industry, you know the many USA made devices that doesn't even do anything but costs a bomb...

 

[SuicideSquid]

Overall showing is very poor for an amplifier in this price range

Overall showing is very poor for an amplifier in any price range - $100 little desktop jobbies beat the pants off this thing. Embarrassing.

 

[Toni Mas]

The Great Audiophile Swindle... Same old story Vol. XXXX....

 

[TonyJZX]

Overall showing is very poor for an amplifier in any price range - $100 little desktop jobbies beat the pants off this thing. Embarrassing.

I think this product could actually have been at least halfway competant if it were for some minor changes. Again is it incompetance or some kind of deliberate engineering? but why deliberate?

 

[Toni Mas]

It's not - it's made in China!

But designed in Oceania?

 

[NHL99]

For whatever reasons, ranked subjectively as

1. Technics SU-R1000
2. Denon PMA-A110
3. >> Roksan Attessa
4. Marantz Model 40n
5. NAD C399 BluOS
6. Audiolab 6000A Play

or

1. Technics SU-R1000
2. >> Roksan Attessa
3. Marantz Model 40n
4. Denon PMA-A110
5. Audiolab 6000A Play
6. NAD C399 BluOS

 

[Toni Mas]

For whatever reasons, ranked subjectively as

1. Technics SU-R1000
2. Denon PMA-A110
3. >> Roksan Attessa
4. Marantz Model 40n
5. NAD C399 BluOS
6. Audiolab 6000A Play

or

1. Technics SU-R1000
2. >> Roksan Attessa
3. Marantz Model 40n
4. Denon PMA-A110
5. Audiolab 6000A Play
6. NAD C399 BluOS

The Great Audiophile Swindle is a masterpiece that have been crafted for years ( since the 70-80 ties) by such marketers, mediaplanners, reviewers, etc...

All these brands have been pioneers in these old days, but are now become simply ghosts that no longer have anything to offer but pricy hum (and junk...) that only picky nostalgics would consider buying...

 

[voodooless]

And those million pound cables sell because…

… somebody thought the price was justified …

… nobody said the justification must make sense

 

[voodooless]

Really? Subjective. Amazing you, of all people, who crap on everyone who speak subjectively
Its ok for you but not them? Got it.
Still love ya voodoo, its just your double standard sometimes is embarrassing.

There is no double standard. It’s just reality, and I can’t change that: people buy this because they think it’s worth it… plain and simple.

 

[ta240]

I propose we replace the panthers with a collection of pictures of that doof making faces.
I'm not sure what products would get his most common expression, condescension.

 

[Doodski]

just curious ... why does a company have to "justify" their price. Is there a law somewhere where the price of any object has to be "justified"?

In sales doing a cost benefit analysis and a features and benefits list is critical to justifying the expense of the stuff to customers. All sales courses teach this and follow up with a mirroring technique and then going into closing and attempted closing remarks.

 

[TonyJZX]

problem is Robinson just about likes everything or at the very least can justify anything at its price

his other half actually actively hates a lot of stuff

 

[ta240]

problem is Robinson just about likes everything or at the very least can justify anything at its price

his other half actually actively hates a lot of stuff

He has to like everything or companies wouldn't send him tons of stuff to 'review'.