Roksan Caspian 4G Streaming Pre-Amplifier/Caspian 4G Power Amplifier review

Roksan’s new Caspian 4G range has some big shoes to fill. The previous generation was a firm favourite of ours, winning multiple Awards and gaining plenty of five-star reviews over the best part of a decade and a half.

It is fair to say that Roksan isn’t the same company it was when the previous generation of Caspian products was launched. The brand was bought by Monitor Audio back in 2016, and now no longer makes any of the turntables it was so famous for, most notably the Xerxes.

While we wouldn’t be surprised to see new record players at some point in the future, for now the company’s priority is to re-establish Caspian in the premium sector, and (belatedly) build on the foundations laid by the more affordable Attessa range introduced back in 2021.

Currently, the Caspian 4G series consists of four products: the streaming preamplifier (£3500 / $4500 / AU$7199) and power amplifier (£3000 / $3750 / AU$5999) pairing on test here, alongside an integrated amplifier that’s available with or without a streaming module, retailing for £4000 / $5000 / AU$7499 and £3000 / $3750 / AU$5999 respectively.

Given the excellence of the previous generation Caspian CD player, we have hope that the company will eventually release one to match the amplifiers. Until then, there is no stand-alone disc or streaming source in the range.

Design & features

So, to the products at hand. The Caspian 4G Streaming Pre-Amplifier is in most ways a very well-equipped unit. As the name indicates, a streaming module is included, but this unit also has a phono stage and a good range of digital and line-level analogue inputs.

The streaming module is from BluOS, and will play music stored on any device connected to it or your home network, up to 24-bit/192kHz PCM files. If you have DSD music, then you are out of luck, as the Caspian 4G streamer can’t play it. Other products that use the BluOS module have DSD ability – the Bluesound Node Icon and Cyrus 40 ST come to mind – so we can only hope that Roksan follows suit at some point.

But let us keep things in proportion. While most premium streamers have better file compatibility than this Roksan, it is fair to say that hi-res music files above 192kHz are something of a niche interest; much the same can be said of DSD. We suggest letting your music library dictate whether the Caspian 4G will work for you. In the vast majority of cases, we suspect it will.

The BluOS platform gives access to a range of streaming services, most notably Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz (in Connect form), as well as Internet radio. Apple AirPlay 2, MQA and Roon compatibility are also on the menu. As is usual, the Roksan will connect to your home network via an Ethernet lead or wirelessly. We tend to stick with wired for the extra stability it offers.

We have few complaints about connectivity. On the digital side, there are two optical inputs, a pair of coax, and an HDMI eARC input to make integrating this Roksan into an AV set-up easier. You can play music files from storage thanks to a USB-A socket.

Bluetooth is included too, though given it is limited to the aptX codec, it should be considered a convenience option rather than something intended for serious listening. Connection to our iPhone 14 Pro Max is swift, and the performance is more than good enough for the job.

On the analogue side, there is a trio of line-level inputs that includes a balanced XLR, and dedicated sockets for both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges. The gain levels chosen for both phono inputs (MM is 53dB and MC 73dB) are sensible and will work well with most cartridges. It is possible to adjust those settings by + or - 6dB, just to fine-tune the results.

The phono stage’s electrical loading isn’t adjustable, but the values chosen strike a good middle ground at 47kOhms/100pF for MM and 100 Ohms/470pF for MC. In addition, there is an option of a rumble filter to reduce any unwanted low-frequency noise generated by the record player.

As for the preamp’s outputs, the user can choose between three options: balanced XLR or a pair of single-ended stereo RCA outputs. One of these single-ended outputs can even be configured with a low-pass filter and used for driving a subwoofer.

Take a look inside these Caspian 4G products, and it is hard not to be impressed by the care Roksan has taken with the layout and production engineering; they really are nicely turned-out components. The preamp’s analogue section is fully balanced to keep noise levels low, and the power supply arrangement is generous to ensure a clean, low-noise power feed to the circuitry.

On the digital side, Roksan has used its bespoke ‘Rapture’ DAC circuit; a discrete, dual-mono design that the company claims is capable of high levels of resolution and precise stereo imaging.

The Caspian 4G Power Amplifier is a simpler unit than the streaming preamp. It features a rather generous trio of inputs, mirroring the preamp’s single-ended and balanced XLR connectivity, and, in a nod to tradition, has the same distinctive design of speaker terminal as used on the previous generation of Caspian amplifiers.

It uses a Class A/B circuit and is something of a powerhouse, delivering a claimed 105 watts per channel into an 8-ohm load and almost doubling that to 200 watts as the impedance halves. In bridged mono form, that increases to 420 watts into 8 ohms and 630 watts into 4 ohms. We don’t see this power amplifier having difficulty driving any price-compatible speaker.

Build & set-up

The build quality of both the streaming preamp and power is excellent. Their casework is beautifully machined and elegantly engineered. There are two finish options: black and silver. It is easy to think that Roksan hasn’t been particularly bold with its choice of colours, but that’s what most people buy, even when more adventurous options are offered.

To our eyes, the styling of these products looks understated yet modern. We like the clean detailing and the design language that honours the previous range but moves things on too. That clarity of thought extends to the remote handset, which is a small, solid-feeling unit that is nicely laid out and easy to use.

Nowhere is the evolution of the Caspian range as obvious as it is during installation. Gone are the days when all it took was a couple of pairs of interconnects, some speaker cable and plugging the units into a wall socket. Now, you also need to use an app (available for iOS and Android). Purists may roll their eyes, but it is hard to argue with the degree of flexibility and control this approach offers.

The company’s MaestroUnite set-up app is nicely laid out and intuitive to use. Both the pre and power connect to your device through Bluetooth – the antennas are neatly hidden in the respective caseworks – and then the products can be configured.

The app makes setting up a product as complicated as the streaming preamp pretty straightforward. Inputs can be hidden (if not used), and parameters such as the sensitivity of the MM and MC modules can be fine-tuned to taste. MaestroUnite even includes useful diagrams to help with connections.

There are various DSP modes, including a ‘Tilt’ tone adjustment that pivots the frequency extremes around the midrange, a room boundary adjustment that cuts bass output if your speakers need to be used closer to a back wall than ideal, and the aforementioned rumble filters for the phono stage.

What does the app offer for the Caspian 4G Power Amplifier? It allows you to switch the power from stereo to mono mode, as well as deciding which of its three inputs is selected. It also handles any software updates for the Caspian 4G range as a whole.

In principle, we have no complaints about using an app to set up equipment. Using MaestroUnite on a phone or tablet to set all those parameters is so much easier than trying to do it on the product itself using a (usually small and low resolution) front panel display.

However, early on we did have issues with the app proving slightly buggy in use. Roksan proved quick to react, issuing a software update to fix the problems we had identified, and supplying a replacement Streaming Pre-Amplifier in short order just to make sure.

Once that was done, things worked as well as we had hoped for. There are times when MaestroUnite doesn’t connect to the products as quickly as we would like, but on the whole, using it proves a painless experience.

The well-established BluOS app controls the streaming module, and it works well. In our experience, this is one of the more stable streaming platforms and is relatively easy to use. The layout is fairly intuitive, and the feature set covers the essentials.

Products at this level demand a talented partnering system. Our sources are the Technics SL-1000R record player fitted with either the Kiseki Purpleheart MC cartridge or the Nagaoka MP-200 moving magnet, and the Naim ND555/ 555 PS DR music streamer. The Naim performs as our analogue line-level and digital source along with a Cyrus 40 CD CD player.

As for speakers, our usual ATC SCM50 are pressed into service for much of the testing, but we also use the Epos ES14N and Fyne F1-8 standmounters to see how the Roksan pairing copes.

Sound

In the event, it copes rather well. The Caspian 4G’s streaming section seems a logical place to start, and our impressions are positive. There is a good balance to the sound. It is tonally neutral but avoids the sterility that many similarly tuned products suffer from. The natural warmth of Curtis Mayfield shines through on the hauntingly sad Here But I’m Gone; his voice sounds thoughtful and fragile, yet is as clear and palpable as we have heard at this level.

The backing instrumentation is laid out with care. It is easy to follow individual instrumental strands or just sit back and enjoy the whole. We like the Roksan’s surefooted approach to timing. The song’s steady rhythm track is secure and is delivered with a good measure of drive, letting the music’s easy-going feeling of forward momentum shine through.

We switch to the bass heavy charms of Billie Eilish’s bad guy and enjoy the Roksan pairing’s powerful and articulate bass. Lows hit hard and true as the power amplifier takes a firm grip of our ATC speakers.

The Caspian combo sounds big and powerful, showing plenty of composure even when pushed to high volume levels. However, we notice a touch of reticence with dynamic expression, which robs the music of a bit of drama and involvement.

The sound through the digital inputs retains much the same characteristics. The built-in DAC is a good one, broadly on a par with the better outboard offerings around the £500 / $700 mark. It is an even-handed and textured performer that delivers a good sense of clarity and articulation. Could it be more expressive and exciting? We think it can.

Good as the Caspian 4G combo has been, things get notably better when we switch to analogue. The line level inputs sound great when fed with either our reference Naim streamer or the Cyrus CD player. The level of clarity improves over the built-in streaming module and dynamics gain in verve.

As we work through De La Soul’s Cabin In the Sky, Lux by Rosalía and Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances, we are surprised at just how good this Roksan combo sounds. It bristles with energy, balancing excitement with control superbly. The level of organisation is impressive, as is the way the Caspian 4G duo still sounds stable and composed when the music becomes difficult.

Despite the high level of insight, these are not fussy performers. Their transparency means that any shortcomings in the source or source material are easy to hear, but such is the level of refinement that the Roksan duo never makes a meal of things. They prefer to highlight the quality of the music rather than focus on how well the recording engineer did their job.

Stereo imaging is impressive. These units render an expansive soundstage that is populated by nicely focused instrumentation and voices. Sounds are nicely layered, and on suitable recordings, we hear a convincing sense of depth.

The good news doesn’t stop there. The built-in phono stage is excellent, retaining all the positives of the line stages. The level of clarity is impressive while noise and hum levels are pleasingly low. It works equally well for moving coils as it does with moving magnets, which isn’t always the case.

A word of warning, though: while the rumble filter does a job, we found it degrades the sound quality a little too much for our tastes, robbing it of dynamics and transparency. We switched it off pretty quickly.

Verdict

The Roksan Caspian 4G Streaming Pre-Amplifier/Power Amplifier pairing is well made and packed with useful features. It can be a thrilling listen with the right recordings and has a nature that is forgiving enough to keep poorer recordings enjoyable.

The preamp’s analogue stages are excellent, as is the phono module. The latter is good enough that we doubt many owners would be tempted to opt for a dedicated outboard phono stage when the time for upgrading arrives. The streaming and DAC capabilities aren’t quite as impressive, but they are still competitive for the class.

This well-thought-out package suggests that the future is bright for the Roksan brand. We can’t wait to see what it comes up with next.

Review published: 4th August 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Features 5

MORE:

Also consider the Naim Uniti Nova

Best stereo amplifiers: 8 class leaders chosen by our review experts

Technics’ latest turntable, Bose’s new Dolby Atmos soundbar, and Cambridge's most powerful streaming amp are all in for review this month