In a way, it’s good. Because everything in life would look bland, boring, and uniform if everyone liked and had the style of objects.
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Granted. I meant, but didn’t state, visible knobs!
It’s a bit busy for me too!
Accidentally, while waiting for a pair of Dynaudios to be brought from the storage room at my dealers, I played with a Rose amplifier. Mechanically, better than you’d expect from China made anything. But if SQ you’re after, look elsewhere.
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Oh is it Chinese? I was always under the mistaken impression this was a Korean maker tied to Samsung or Lotte.
Obviously, knobs are needed. Naim kit has them, my Omega watch has them.
It is how they are used. For example, Naim and Omega knobs are functional and do a job. Whereas, on the Rose, when you rotate the volume knob, half the front panel bits move with it.
Style over substance to some and, to others Steam Punk revival and best thing since sliced bread.
Out of interest, they also do a streamer in the same size box, but the whole front panel is a LCD screen. This can be purely digital or it can mimic analogue knobs and dials.
Each to their own which is the nice thing about hi-fi kit, there is so much to choose from and play with.
Enjoy the Jazz.
DG…
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SWMBO would not allow that visual abomination into the lounge!
Looks like a child raided the parts bin.
Do you mean the gears and pinions?
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Yes
DG…
My dealer listened and took a pass.
If you take a close look at the pinions on the left. One is marked L the other R.
This would indicate there is a potentiometer per channel, so the gears and pinions are in fact functional. They allow the volume control knob to rotate both potentiometers.
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OK, so you like it.
DG…
I didn’t say that.
Just explaining to you why the gears move. Maybe now you won’t dislike it so much.
But I doubt it. 
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As I said earlier. Too much going on for me.
DG…
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The looks of that amp don’t appeal to me. It reminds me of the gaudy diver watches with too much crap on them. I’m a fan of simplistic elegance. A nice balance b/w form and function.
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I think the HR looks quite good (but then again, my tastes can be peculiar), but for the same money I’d fork out for an upgrade to my Naim system, such as a separate power amp or a power supply.
Some knobs are always useful, such as those on the Supernaits and on my recently acquired Nakamichi CA-5 II
It’s also just as important that there are sufficient input and output sockets on the rear, and in this regard I find the HR RA180 sadly lacking.
I like old school knobs and even toggle switches when paired with timeless designs of those Audio Research SP tube pre amps, and Counterpoint SA tube pre amps of the 80s.
The Rose to me looks overdone and reminds me more of a poorly executed skeletonized mechanical timepiece.
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I like knobs. The more the merrier. I hate the disapeance of knobs in cars, kitchen appliances, hifi, phones, TV’s, heating… Give me something tactile and functional. You know where you are with knobs.
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If you like your CA-5a you should look for a 7a mkll big step up
And my Aestheix has no knobs at all!