Roksan Attessa Streaming Amp

A stylish powered streamer with bags of personality

The Roksan Attessa Streaming Amplifier is very much a modern hi-fi product that combines amplification, DAC, streaming, preamplifier and even a phono stage into just one box - you just have to add speakers. Streaming amplifiers (or all-in-one, just-add-speaker systems) of this kind have been rising in popularity recently as a lifestyle-friendly alternative to a traditional separates system, and we have heard great examples from the likes of Cambridge Audio, NAD, Bluesound, Marantz, Naim and more. It's a lot of components to cram into one box, so can Roksan make a dent and stand out from the crowd? In looks alone, the Roksan is one of the more stylish one-box streaming amplifiers we have come across. The steel and aluminium body is understated, sleek and well made, but it's the central control dial and minimal OLED display across the unit that gives it visual interest. It's a lovely thing to use, too. The dial controls the unit's volume, with red bars appearing on the right-hand side to show the level.

On the left of the dial are icons for the input chosen, and you can select the inputs by pushing that main dial and scrolling. The turning action is nicely weighted and smooth, with a pleasing haptic feedback when cycling through the various inputs. It's an elegant design.

Even more pleasing is the ability to assign different logos to each input, where you can choose pictorial icons of a TV, CD disc, vinyl record or games console to indicate the different sources connected to the unit. It's a nice touch that makes the Attessa feel more customised to you, giving it a bit of personality that is often missing from products of this type.

Some might prefer a large, colourful screen that shows off album artwork - such as with the Cambridge Audio Evo 150 and Naim Uniti Atom - but we find the Attessa's minimal display to be a clever alternative that is informative and sophisticated.

Wonderfully genial