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Large valve push pull monoblocks- impact/bass

Hello Agon. Spinning my wheels at the idea of a pair of higher power tubed monoblocks, particularly Rogue M-180’s. I am seeking advice for those whom have more experience with larger power tube amps as such, regarding them meeting my needs.

I have owned SS and tube amplifiers, and likewise, efficient and less efficient speakers. My current set up, to say the least, was a 180 from the prior. I currently enjoy a pair of KEF LS50W. Great speakers. My prior set up was an LM219ia running through 1980’s cornwalls. The 219ia was a lovely amplifier, but I eventually let it go only because of my listening habits. I listen to a wide variety of music but also, lot of very loud/aggressive/percussive music. Heavy metal etc. to be rather vague. Meeting the demands for this sort of music requires impact and availability of power and current as we all know. The 219 being a set amplifier was of course capable of putting the instruments in the room, with space around them, with air and transparency, but lacked the impact needed for other listening.

I am happy with my KEF’s. These little speakers really deliver smooth music, with a shocking amount of impact for their size, due to KEF equipping them with DSP, allowing them to be finely tuned.
Those who have spent time with valves, know how they present the music in a way that brings the instruments more into the room. I figured if I ever grabbed a tube amp or amps again for that matter, that push pull with higher power instead of SET, in order to be able to meet my particular listening needs, would be the wise and more practical avenue for myself. I am considering a pair of the rogue monoblocks. The 180’s have upgrades power supplies, and provide 180w each. This puts me into a range where I could drive a wide range of speakers. I would opt for speakers that meet an 8ohm impedance and sensitivity in the 90’s anyhow.
Do I like tubes? Yes. I have 5 vintage tube guitar amps, and prefer tubes in this department clearly. With hi fi I can go either way and am not sided to either topology, My question is. Will these rogue 180’s likely do the job as far as delivering in ‘slam’ and punch, of course considering being paired with the proper speakers etc. I would prefer not to bring a subwoofer into my 2channel setup, as a note. I am inexperienced with ‘bigger power’ tube amplification in hi fi. I am experienced in the lower powered guys a bit more. Will large power reserved push pull style tube amps deliver slam and impact ‘satisfactory’ enough to compete with SS is essentially what I’m asking. I do not want to sacrifice speed and immediacy, or much bass. I realize this question maybe yield somewhat subjective answers, so I apologize ahead. Thanks

jkull

Showing 1 response by mulveling

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mulveling
2,190 posts
 
I’ll assume you’re using the LS50 and not the self powered LS50W. Yes, the Rogue amps have amazing slam to go with enough speed and clarity to keep up. They have actually been criticized for being too SS-like, and I can see that, though it’s more a problem with awful stock EH small tubes and the days of shipping with EH KT90 (the current Tung-Sol KT120 are better). I listen to some heavy metal and hard rock - Rogue amps are great for that; the more power the better. I had Parasound JC-1 monos a long time ago, then went in a totally different direction to lower powered vintage PP tube amps (20 - 35 Watts /ch), then worked my way up the Rogue line to Apollos and found my desired balance. The Rogue amps are not as "wet" and liquidy tube sounding as the vintage tubes, but they’re a lot more powerful and with a lot more slam and speed. And with small-signal NOS rolls you can dial back in some of that tube magic. Rogue amps respond REALLY well to tube rolling. And the M180s are really good amps. I ended up with Apollo then Apollo Darks before I switched to much more expensive VAC 200 iQ monos. I like those even better, but all the Rogue amp are great for the money, at every price point. The VACs don’t respond as well to tube rolling, btw - the proprietor Kevin is an incredibly meticulous voicer, and if you love his products’ voicing (as I do) you are well advised not to mess with it by tube rolling - I learned that even tho I’m a bad rolling junkie! With Rogue amps - go crazy, go nuts with the rolling! Find your sound. The "Dark" models ship with better sounding tubes but I’m not 100% sure the upgrade cost is worth it tbh. I was happy enough with my non-Dark Apollos and special blend of NOS small tubes.

That said, you have to consider whether $6.5K amps on $2K speakers may be overkill?
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