With the introduction of the Caspian 4G Streaming Pre-amplifier and the Caspian 4G Power Amplifier, Roksan is expanding its most ambitious hi-fi range with a true separates solution. These two new components complement the Caspian 4G integrated amplifiers already in the lineup and take the technologies developed by the British brand, notably Euphoria amplification, the Rapture DAC, and BluOS streaming, even further. This evolution builds on more than forty years of expertise, from the legendary Xerxes turntable to the current Attessa and Caspian 4G series.
A British brand with Persian roots
Roksan’s story began in London in 1985, spearheaded by Tufan Hashemi and Touraj Moghaddam. The brand’s name itself refers to Roxana, daughter of the Persian king Darius, and reflects the Iranian origins of its founders. This influence can be seen in many items in the catalog, with names inspired by figures and places from ancient Persia.
The young company’s first product quickly garnered attention. Launched that same year, the Roksan Xerxes turntable challenged several principles that were then widely accepted in turntable design. In particular, its design aimed to better isolate the platter from the motor in order to reduce unwanted vibrations. The model quickly helped establish Roksan as one of the major players in the British hi-fi scene.
The brand then continued to expand with the Darius speakers in 1986, the Artemiz tonearm, the Radius turntable, and various digital components. In the early 1990s, Roksan turned its attention to the CD, first with the ROK DP1 transport and then with the Attessa CD Playing System, which separates the transport, conversion, and power supply.
Kandy and Caspian: Roksan establishes itself in amplification
While Roksan has historically been associated with vinyl, its amplifiers have gradually come to occupy an equally important place in its product range. The Kandy series, which debuted in the late 1990s and has been regularly updated, has played a major role in making the brand’s expertise more accessible. This product family reached its peak with the Kandy K3 electronics, notably the K3 INT integrated amplifier and its generously sized architecture. The Roksan philosophy was already clearly evident here: a robust power supply, ample current reserve, dynamic sound reproduction, and the ability to drive demanding speakers.
The Caspian line, meanwhile, takes an even more ambitious approach. Over the course of several generations, it has become one of the brand’s cornerstones, featuring increasingly sophisticated design and a greater focus on transparency, precision, and control. A new chapter began in 2016 when Roksan joined Monitor Audio. The brand has retained its identity while leveraging the British group’s technical and manufacturing resources to develop a new generation of electronics.
Attessa: Roksan hi-fi enters the connected era
Introduced in 2021, the Roksan Attessa series marked an important milestone in this evolution. It translated the brand’s long-standing philosophy into more modern electronics that were easier to use and better suited for digital music. The current Attessa family includes an integrated amplifier, a BluOS-enabled amplifier (read the review of the Roksan Attessa BluOS amplifier), and a CD transport. Their design stands in stark contrast to previous generations, featuring very clean lines, an OLED display, and a minimalist interface.
Today, this product line serves as an excellent introduction to the world of Roksan. It offers high-performance class AB amplification, modern connectivity, and, on the Streaming Amplifier model, the BluOS platform, which provides access to major streaming services and multi-room capabilities for up to 64 zones at 24-bit/192 kHz.
Caspian 4G: Roksan switches to separate components
As the flagship of the Roksan range, the Caspian 4G series already includes several integrated amplifiers designed to take the brand’s technologies to the next level. It includes, notably, the Roksan Caspian 4G Integrated Amplifier and its network variant, the Roksan Caspian 4G BluOS. The family now expands with two new components: the Roksan Caspian 4G Streaming Preamplifier and the Roksan Caspian 4G Power Amplifier. For the first time in this generation, users can opt for a separate-component architecture, with source processing, conversion, and volume control on one side, and amplification dedicated entirely to the speakers on the other.
These electronic components are designed and manufactured in Great Britain, at the Monitor Audio Group’s headquarters in Rayleigh, Essex. They incorporate the key technologies of the Caspian 4G series into architectures specifically optimized for their respective functions. The new power amplifier utilizes the Euphoria class AB architecture and delivers 2 x 105 W into 8 ohms and 2 x 200 W into 4 ohms. It can also operate in bridged mono mode to deliver 420 W into 8 ohms and 630 W into 4 ohms, respectively, making it possible to use two units with even the most demanding speakers.
Rapture DAC: conversion the Roksan way
Among the flagship technologies in the Caspian 4G range is the Rapture DAC, a conversion architecture developed by Roksan. The new Caspian 4G Streaming Pre-Amplifier incorporates it into a symmetrical dual-mono configuration to preserve channel separation and the precision of stereo reproduction. Its differential current-conveyor topology differs from traditional reconstruction stages based on operational amplifiers. According to the manufacturer, this architecture optimizes bandwidth and preserves more information during analog signal reconstruction.
Roksan: tradition and modernity
Forty years after the first Xerxes, Roksan remains true to a philosophy that’s quite unique in the world of British hi-fi. The brand retains its penchant for original designs and powerful power supplies but now adapts them to modern uses: high-resolution streaming, BluOS multi-room, app-based control, and simplified integration with TVs.
The Attessa series is now the ideal entry point into this philosophy, featuring modern, high-performance, and relatively affordable electronics. The more ambitious Caspian 4G line takes the Euphoria and Rapture technologies much further. With the introduction of a new network preamplifier and power amplifier, it now allows you to build a true separate-component system, up to a particularly ambitious dual-mono configuration.
