I auditioned the Rogue 99 Magnum head to head with the CJ 17LS and the Cary SLP2002 yesterday. The Cary had a unique room filling sound that is not what I expect in Audiophile heaven. However the sound will definatley appeal to some. The Rogue however had me A/B'ing back and forth between it and the CJ for a while. The CJ was definately a bit smoother and had a deeper sound stage. But at almost half the price the Rogue sounded good. Perhaps with some work with the right amp, IC's and speakers the Rogue could work for a lot of audiophiles. It did run hot, however, when compared to the others. Salesman said something to do with the biasing or some techno stuff which causes Rogue to run their tubes on the hot side. After that was all said and done I listened to the CJ 16LS again and made my decision. Although I wanted to fall in love with the Rogue for the price/quality reason, I am not someone who wants to change equipment every year and felt the CJ 16LS would fit into my systems for many years to come. Just my very un-professional opinion.
The Rogue was defiantely something that will appeal to the masses and should be listened to by all in the market for a tube pre...If for nothing else to hear what all the talk is about.
I hope this helps, happy listening.
The Rogue was defiantely something that will appeal to the masses and should be listened to by all in the market for a tube pre...If for nothing else to hear what all the talk is about.
I hope this helps, happy listening.