Description
There are devices that simply perform a function, and then there is the Rivo Black Edition, a streamer that also wears with taste. This is a special version of the best-selling Volumio Rivo, in which the front panel is made not of metal or plastic, but of upcycled leather - and it is made not on an assembly line, but by hand in Florence, in the workshop ApelleLab, which specializes in the revival of premium leather in the spirit of the circular economy. The result is a textured, truly unique surface that no other streamer on the market has, and at the same time a conscious gesture towards sustainable production.
Behind the impressive exterior is the same impeccable "digital heart" of the original Rivo. This is a pure digital transport: the device does not have its own DAC, but instead transfers the music stream to an external digital-to-analog converter as carefully as possible via a generous set of outputs - coaxial, symmetrical AES/EBU to XLR, USB-A with DSD256 support and HDMI with I2S/DSD connection. Each section is powered by a separate power supply, which reduces mutual feedback and keeps the signal as clean as possible - and for those who want to squeeze even more out of the path, Volumio offers a linear power supply Lineo5.
The basis of the Rivo is a Khadas single-board computer on a quad-core Amlogic S905D3 processor with Cortex-A55 cores - the same platform that confidently handles the load of network streaming, upsampling and running proprietary software. By the way, here is another nice detail: Rivo owners get a free premium version of the Volumio software, which is a paid upgrade for other devices on this platform.
There are no displays or buttons on the front panel, except for a single power button: all control, from source selection to upsampling settings, is done via the Volumio application or web interface. Such minimalism allows the Rivo Black Edition to imperceptibly "dissolve" in the interior or even hide in the system cabinet - only the textured leather panel is designed to steal attention here.
The device supports Spotify, Qobuz, Tidal and Tidal Connect, as well as playback from local DLNA servers, AirPlay and Bluetooth, covering formats from MP3 and AAC to FLAC, ALAC, WAV and DSD. Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas, an Ethernet port, a microSD slot, and USB ports for external storage make Rivo a truly versatile digital playback center for any audio system.
