HiFi Rose USB 3.0 SFP Fiber Connection Kit at Vinyl Sound Buffalo, NY USA

The HiFi Rose USB 3.0 SFP Fiber Connection Kit is a dedicated fiber optic interconnect accessory from HiFi Rose (Seoul, South Korea), available at Vinyl Sound in Buffalo, New York, USA. Designed specifically to connect the RS130 Network Transport to the RD160 DAC via their respective USB 3.0 SFP fiber ports, the kit includes two SFP (Small Form-factor Pluggable) fiber modules and one fiber optic cable, providing a complete galvanic isolation solution for the USB digital audio link between these two reference-grade components. By replacing the conventional copper USB connection with a light-based optical path, the kit eliminates ground loops, high-frequency switching noise, and USB bus interference from the critical point of connection between streamer and DAC, preserving the low-noise signal environment that the RS130's OCXO clock and the RD160's ROSE CIM architecture are designed to maintain.

Galvanic Isolation at the USB Digital Audio Link

In a high-end separates system, the USB cable between a network transport and a DAC is one of the most noise-sensitive connections in the chain. Even with careful power supply design and shielding in both components, a copper USB cable provides a direct electrical pathway for ground-borne noise, common-mode interference, and high-frequency hash generated by the streamer's CPU and network interface to enter the DAC's circuitry. The HiFi Rose USB 3.0 SFP Fiber Connection Kit converts the USB 3.0 data stream to optical light using the SFP module at the RS130's output, transmits it along the fiber cable, and reconverts it to electrical USB at the RD160's SFP input. The optical link has no electrical conductivity and therefore cannot carry noise between components. The result is a theoretically perfect isolation barrier between transport and DAC, complementing the RS130's fiber optic Ethernet input and the RD160's three independent linear power supplies to create a fully noise-isolated digital source system.

Key Features

• Complete Fiber USB Interconnect Solution: Includes two SFP fiber modules and one fiber optic cable for a turnkey optical USB connection between RS130 and RD160.
• Full Galvanic Isolation: Optical light-based transmission eliminates all electrical continuity between streamer and DAC, removing ground loops and conducted noise.
• USB 3.0 SFP Interface: High-speed USB 3.0 SFP specification supports the full bandwidth required for lossless high-resolution audio transfer including PCM 768 kHz and DSD512.
• Designed for RS130 and RD160: Purpose-built for HiFi Rose's reference transport-to-DAC signal path, leveraging the SFP ports native to both components.
• Low-Latency, High-Fidelity Transmission: Fiber optic links introduce no additional jitter beyond the RS130's OCXO clock reference, preserving the timing integrity of the digital audio signal.

Technical Specifications

What's in the Box

• 2x SFP fiber modules
• 1x fiber optic cable

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the HiFi Rose USB 3.0 SFP Fiber Connection Kit?

The HiFi Rose USB 3.0 SFP Fiber Connection Kit is a fiber optic USB interconnect accessory from Seoul, South Korea, comprising two SFP modules and a fiber optic cable. It is designed to connect the RS130 Network Transport to the RD160 DAC via their SFP fiber ports, providing full galvanic isolation of the USB digital audio link. It is available at Vinyl Sound in Buffalo, New York, USA.

Why use a fiber optic USB connection instead of a conventional USB cable between the RS130 and RD160?

A conventional copper USB cable conducts electrical noise from the RS130's CPU, network interface, and switching power components directly into the RD160's digital input stage. Even well-designed DACs are sensitive to this interference. A fiber optic USB connection transmits the digital audio signal as light, completely severing the electrical path between transport and DAC. This eliminates ground loops, common-mode noise, and any high-frequency interference the RS130 generates, ensuring that the RD160's OCXO clock, three independent linear power supplies, and ROSE CIM dual-chip DAC architecture operate in the lowest-noise environment possible.

Is this kit compatible with streamers other than the RS130?

The kit is purpose-built for the RS130 and RD160, which both feature native USB 3.0 SFP fiber ports. The SFP modules are a standard form factor, and may be compatible with other components featuring USB 3.0 SFP ports, but seamless integration and support are confirmed only for the RS130-to-RD160 signal path. For USB optical isolation with other HiFi Rose streamers and external DACs, the RSA720 Optical USB Hub provides a complementary solution.

Does using fiber optic USB affect audio quality versus the SPDIF or AES/EBU output of the RS130?

The USB connection between the RS130 and RD160 allows the ROSE DPC module in the RD160 to accept the I2S-format digital audio signal before re-clocking to the OCXO, while SPDIF and AES/EBU connections use embedded clocking that must be recovered by the DAC. The fiber USB path, like the I2S-HDMI connection, delivers the cleanest electrical environment for this signal transfer, making it the preferred connection between the RS130 and RD160 in HiFi Rose's recommended reference system configuration.

Where can I buy the HiFi Rose USB 3.0 SFP Fiber Connection Kit in Buffalo or the USA?

The HiFi Rose USB 3.0 SFP Fiber Connection Kit is available at Vinyl Sound in Buffalo, New York, an authorized HiFi Rose dealer serving customers across the USA. Vinyl Sound carries both the RS130 Network Transport and the RD160 DAC for customers building a complete fiber-isolated reference source system.