Roksan Atessa Streaming Amplifier review

[What Hi-Fi?]

Roksan’s stylish, featured-packed streaming amplifier has plenty of visual and sonic flair to stand out from the crowd.

Roksan Atessa Streaming Amplifier review : Read more

 

[cryanhorner]

okay real question, a lot of column inches have been given over the past few years of reviewing similar streaming amps to specifically talking about their little screens. size, contrast, color, etc.

does anybody actually use these though, are they useful at all, or just an added design/production expense that we pay for and then ignore?

it's probably not a unique setup, but my components are all the way across the room from me, i can't see that silly little screen, and i'm not getting up and walking across the room to scroll around looking for a song like it's the pre-remote control era of television and i'm turning a big plastic dial on a wood-veneered box. it seems silly.

i either control my streaming via my phone as a remote control (with screen), or via my tv screen (also by remote control). to be honest, my streamer is inside a closed media cabinet, i can't see it at all, and don't need to. it has a screen (or at least a display with touch controls) but i'd never know it, because i've never used it and can hardly think of any instance where i would.

i'm honestly wondering if anybody uses these screens regularly after the novelty of the first couple weeks wears off, and if there's any point in companies wasting money (the cost obviously being pushed on to us), on adding them? maybe i'm the outlier and others really do love them, but i'm very curious.

 

[podknocker]

I really like my Audiolab Omnia screen. It does give me a lot of info and I wouldn't by a streamer without a display. I really like the Marantz M1 but it does need a screen. I think every HIFI device needs some sort of display to give you its status and what it's doing. The only exception for me would be a power amp.

 

[cryanhorner]

I really like my Audiolab Omnia screen. It does give me a lot of info and I wouldn't by a streamer without a display. I really like the Marantz M1 but it does need a screen. I think every HIFI device needs some sort of display to give you its status and what it's doing. The only exception for me would be a power amp.

interesting, so do you prefer to get up and walk over to the box every time you play a song or change a setting as opposed to just manipulating all of it via an app or remote or whatever interface the company uses?

i could theoretically get up and go poke around on the little touchscreen on the top of my Node, but i can't imagine any circumstance where i'd actually do that vs just using the blusound app to control everything. none of my other components have screens, just regular knobs/power indicator lights, etc, and i've never wished for one, but i know everyone's use case is different, so was curious.

 

[podknocker]

interesting, so do you prefer to get up and walk over to the box every time you play a song or change a setting as opposed to just manipulating all of it via an app or remote or whatever interface the company uses?

i could theoretically get up and go poke around on the little touchscreen on the top of my Node, but i can't imagine any circumstance where i'd actually do that vs just using the blusound app to control everything. none of my other components have screens, just regular knobs/power indicator lights, etc, and i've never wished for one, but i know everyone's use case is different, so was curious.

It has a remote control and I can select tracks using the Spotify connect app on various devices.