Let’s take a little trip down to memory lane. Back to the summer. No, not of ’69 as Bryan Adams would. It was August 2025 when we published our review of the Silent Angel Rhein Z1 Plus with Forester F2 power supply and Munich MU music streamer. When we recap the Munich MU part, Silent Angel positions this product as a true high end streaming device, offering the best of both worlds: digital and analog. And then some. The full array of digital outputs (AES/EBU, coaxial, USB audio and i2S) stand next to the complete analog outs (both XLR and RCA). But the unit has more to offer! Utilising a seperate power supply and/or external clock offer a possible upgrade path. Last but not least this player carries an integrated ESS SABRE DAC for world class conversion. A true high-end offering if I remember correctly.
Moving the spotlight to the other side. The side where the newest addition to the Silent Angel line-up receives some light: the Bremen SL1 Plus music player. Silent Angels claims that this device builds on the succes of their B1 and B2, establishing the Bremen series as a benchmark for hi-fi streaming with exceptional media processing, sound quality and compatibility. Would it be that simpe to say that regarding the pricepoint (849 EUR vs 2.599 EUR), the Bremen SL1 Plus could be considered as the “hi-fi” version, while the Munich MU earns the “high-end” label? Of course not. I think that both products have a different target audience and represent a different visual (design) and sound (performance) offering. Here’s why …
The Silent Angel Bremen SL1 Plus explained
Calling the Bremen SL1 Plus some kind of a “stripped down” version of the Munich would be totaly unfair. Objectively speaking, both units offer streaming audio. The Bremen SL1 Plus is more “convenience” orientated, with having both wired and wiresless streaming on board. With only wired ethernet, the Munich MU focusses on absolute performance. Hence the posibility to connect a power supply and external clock. These options are simply not available with the Bremen SL1 Plus. There’s also a visual difference in terms of design. The Bremen SL1 Plus represents the low key, but quality driven approach with its sleek, low height body and standard hi-fi component width, perfectly compatible with your other audio gear! Looking at the Munich MU you instantly think: high-end enclosure with an in-between width of 36cm. Both have the same quality feel when you take the units into your hands. They ware well-designed, beautifully finished and radiate potential. Both units work seamlessly with the VitOS Orbiter app. The app makes controlling the units child’s play. Setting up the device and switching between analog and digital inputs is effortless. No long waits for the app to find the device. No, they’ve got it right! What strikes me is the speed at which selected tracks start. The consistency of playback is excellent. I’ve never experienced any hiccups. Both players also offer the possibility to acces stored music.
For whom is the Bremen SL1 Plus the ideal product? I would like to introduce the term “hybride” product. Let me explain. It fills the gap for audiophiles and music lovers with traditional analog gear, that want to explore the world of digital audio streaming without breaking the bank or throwing their current gear out of the window. The Bremen SL1 Plus could close that gapp, make that bridge between both worlds wothour any problems. Or maybe you own a pair of active speakers? You can use the Silent Angel Bremen SL1 Plus as a streamer/DAC and control the volume with the VitOS Orbiter app. Ready to start digitizing your analog music or cd-collection? Hence the term “hybride” product. Perfect for those in an ‘in-between’ situation.
Zoom in on the key features
The Silent Angel Bremen SL1 Plus provides flexible connectivity for lossless music. Both wi-fi and wired connections offer low latency, anti-interference listening. Digital audiophiles will cheer with the support of a large number of high-resolution audio formats and high-res streaming platform compatibility. Advanced high-frequency filters effectively reduce noise for better audio quality. A galvanized steel chassis, sleek aluminum alloy front panel and polished bottom cover enhances its structural integrity and premium aesthetic. The Bremen SL1 Plus integrates hardware and software for unmatched sound quality. A thick copper layer on the core board and SSD section ensures heat dissipation, delivering stability and minimized interference.
Advanced EMI shielding further reduces electromagnetic interference. A dedicated DAC board is housed within an aluminum enclosure to minimize power and digital circuit module interference. This design seperates analog and digital circuits, ensuring a cleaner and more precise sound output. To power the unit, Silent Angel incorporates a custom radar-grade switching power supply for stable, low-noise performance, essential for audio performance. Offering MQA decoding and seamless access to online music content including Qobuz, Spotify, DLNA, Tidal, Airplay2 and Intenet Radio. Setting up a new device, browsing and streaming music is very easy with the VitOS Orbiter app. The app displays bit rate, sample rate, bit depth and format.
Hybrid listening session impressions
Finding the Silent Angel Bremen SL1 Plus via the VitOS Orbitor app was child’s play. In no time the device was set up. Many manufacturers can take an example from how well that app works. I started by activating the digital outputs and connected the music player to the Lyngdorf MP-60’s coaxial input. This option offered an interesting comparison of the same tracks between Roon Ready (Lyngdorf MP60 direct) and Tidal/Qobuz. There were slight differences in the timbre of guitars, piano and voices. I also noticed a minor difference in musical presentation. Not in a typical good-bad kind of way, but rather in terms of interpretation. What was really exiting was that I prefered some tracks on Tidal and others on Qobuz. It’s a comparison made easy by the VitOS Orbitor app, depending on how much streaming subscriptions you have running. That a dedicated music player of below a 1.000 EUR can present a similar en almost equivalent presentation, is commendable.
Switching over to the Stormaudio ISP Core 16+ processor, the differences were somewhat more noticeable. That’s not all due to the Silent Angel Bremen SL1 Plus because the Stormaudio and Lyngdorf don’t sound the same and are not the same processors. The real challenge, of course, lies in discovering what the unit’s capabilities are in terms of analog performance, fully utilising its DAC board. I hooked up the Bremen SL1 Plus directly to a pair of Purifi EVAL5 Deluxe mono power amplifiers with a set of XLR cables. Now it gets interesting! Using the VitOS Orbiter app I switched to the analog outputs and checked the volume control in the settings. This way I was able to use the unit as “pre-amp/DAC”, feeding the Purifi’s analog signal.
What came out of the Lyngdorf CUE-100’s was quiet impressive. Once again we could experience the Silent Angel sound signature. In terms of soundstage the picture was clear, defined, well-spread and with satisfying layering. Timbres were natural, bass was punchy, powerfull and with sufficient transparency. The amount of fine detail was pleasing and enjoyable. Taking in consideratino the asking price for this music player, the hi-fi performance was decent. This musical jack-of-all-trades performs his duties exceptionally well. We”ve said it from the beginning of our publication: high-end means exclusive components that offer exceptional performance, or products whose performance far exceeds their price. The Silent Angel Bremen SL1 Plus is a perfect example of the latter.
Backpanel
- Power socket
- Power switch
- SA-Link
- XLR/RCA right
- XLR/RCA left
- Digital coaxial
- Optical toslink
- USB storage expansion
- USB audio output
- Gigabit LAN input
- Wi-Fi antenna
Technical specifications
- Color: Black
- Power input: IEC power socket (AC)
- Control app: VitOS Orbit
- Connections: Wired (Gigabit Ethernet), Wi-Fi
- Digital outputs: Optical, Coaxial, USB audio
- Analog outputs: XLR balanced, RCA unbalanced
- USB ports: 2.0 x 1, USB 3.0 x 2
- SA-LINK port: Available to connected AU and AUH devices, controlled via SA-Link
- Reset button: Wi-Fi connection mode (press and hold for 5 seconds to reset the wi-fi settings to default)
- Memory: Low-noise 4Gb
- System storage: 32Gb high-speeld flash storage
- Processor (CPU): Dual-core Cortex-72 at 1.8Ghz + Quad-core Cortex-A53 at 1.4GHz
- SSD Expansion: M.2 NVMe SSD (22*80mm), up to 4Tb (not included)
- Dimension: 439(W) x 50(H) x 250(D) mm (excluding antennas)
Silent Angel Bremen SL1 Plus pricing
Silent Angel Bremen SL1 Plus price: 849 EUR
Software list
- Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) Acoustic – Aurora – All my demons greeting me as a friend
- Broken boy dreams – Febe / Aram Abgaryan – Broken boy dreams
- Wicked Game – Daisy Gray – Wicked Game
- Queen Mary – Francine Thirteen – Queen Mary
- Station – Lapsley – Long way home
- Plans we make – Son Lux / Kadhja Bonet – Tomorrows III
- Trentemöller – Klodsmajor – The Trentemöller Chronicles
Hardware list
- Lyngdorf Audio MP-60 AV Processor
- Stormaudio ISP Core 16+
- Purifi Audio EVAL5 mono 1ET9040BA Deluxe amplifiers (L, C, R)
- Lyngdorf Audio MXA-8400 8-channel power amplifier (woofer L, woofer C, woofer R, L surround, R surround, L back surround, R back surround)
- Lyngdorf Audio SDA-2400 2-channel power amplifier (L front height channel, L back height channel)
- Lyngdorf Audio SDA-2400 2-channel power amplifier (R front height channel, R back height channel)
- R_volution PlayerPro 8K Signature Edition
- Silent Angel Bremen SL1 Plus music player
- VitOs app for streaming music (mainly Tidal and Qobuz)
- Roon Server for bitperfect Tidal streaming
- Lyngdorf Audio Cue-100 speakers (L, C, R)
- Lyngdorf Audio BW-20 passive boundary woofers (L, C, R position)
- Lyngdorf Audio FR-1 speakers (L surround, R surround, L back surround, R back surround)
- Lyngdorf Audio MH-2 speakers (L front height channel, R front height channel, L back height channel, R back height channel)
- Oehlbach Powerstation 909 multiple socket strip (2 pcs)
- Oehlbach High End Power Cable 4m (2 pcs to feed Powerstations 909)
- Oehlbach High End 8K – Ultra High-Speed HDMI Cable (2 pcs)
- Formovie Theater Premium Utra Short Throw 4K Triple Color Laser TV
- Vovox Excelsus XLR cables
- Vovox Sonorus XLR cables
- Vovox Excelsus speaker cables 5 (L, C, R, woofer L, woofer C, woofer R)
- Devine Neutrik SpeakON 2 x 2.5mm speaker cables
- Vovox Excelsus power cables
- Standard network switch
Or check out our Reference System for more details.
Silent Angel Bremen SL1 Plus
849 EURFor real! The Silent Angel Bremen SL1 Plus could be the right pick for music lovers who don’t want to engage in building a stack of components around streaming audio. They would rather opt for one device that could suit all their needs. Pitty it’s only available in black. Use this hybrid versatile device for flawless digital streaming with the convenience of wired or wireless ethernet. What about utilising the internal DAC to feed active speakers or an integrated amplifier/pre-amplifier in a traditional analog system or listen to your stored digitized music collection? Setting up and controlling the unit with the VitOS Orbiter app is easy and worry-free. Starting tracks is lightning fast, listening without hiccups and/or interruptions. In summary, it’s a rock solid investment at a very reasonable price. Go ahead and listen, the hi-fi performance won’t disappoint you!
Pros
- Quality design
- Hybrid versatile device
- Decent hi-fi performance
- Digital music collection
- VitOS Orbiter app
- Flawless streaming
- Attractive price
Cons
- Only available in black
- No upgrade path
