Rogue Audio hard to resell, has it fallen out of favor ?

Traditionally Rogue’s lower price-tier true tube amps & preamps have held relatively good value. Their Class D hybrids are tougher on resale, as is their TOTL gear. It’s just market demands at play.

And if you take ASR seriously, then you should simply NEVR buy anything with a tube in it, EVER. There’s no overlap in those 2 audiences.

I’ve got I special Rogue two-tube VT99 preamp that I will probably never sell. I think in the case of the Sphynx (being a hybrid tube/class-D design), it has to compete in a rapidly changing and improving segment with saucy new technologies (GANFet). That said, I pair my Rogue preamp with older Ice Power Class-D mono’s, and I also own GANFet monos (driven directly by a streamer), and honestly I initially couldn’t pick one over the other, they each have their strengths and weaknesses.. both are great, but I chose the Rogue Pre paired with my older Ice Powers as my daily listeners because I like to roll, and with the right tubes the top end is more detailed.. yet organic. Some slight noise might be a small issue given a sensitive speaker, but not in my case. It’s very quiet from where I sit.

I think many buyer’s might worry about older class-D products.. whether it be Hypex or Ice Power. Also, selling audio gear in the months leading up to Xmas is a bit challenging given the potential buyer’s wife may not like seeing a present showing up for them right before.. I think many may hold off a couple mos. However, I’d also bet there are people out there somewhere pining for an affordable Sphynx. Some people just want a reasonably priced vessel to roll what has now become a particularly expensive NOS tube inventory.

@speedthrills asks a good question, which I honestly don't have a good answer for.

But I will say this, I sold a very old AR turntable in rough condition a year or two back, I did put a low price on it, but was still surprised it sold quickly. I think it's just luck. You have to have what someone is looking for at the right moment at the right price. 

In my experience with the preamp I had and the amplifier I had from Rog audio didn't impress me at all that maybe why you can't get rid of this stupid thing in my opinion they sound pretty crappy

Rogue attempts to appeal to the more cost conscious hi end consumer, but unfortunately this customer base has also been the most affected by inflation eroding their discretionary spending. 

This is a silly post. Rogue Audio builds world class gear and sells it at sane prices. No, it’s not audio jewelry but its performance, where it counts, is consistently better than its direct competition. I should also note that it has been my experience that their customer service is some of the best in the business. I’ve owned several Rogue products over the years including the Sphinx V3, and currently the Pharaoh V2 that I had Rogue upgrade to the Dark version. All I can say is I have not been disappointed with the results. YMMV.

OP....Might be that word on the street has it that Taylor Swiiitt bought Travis a Rogue Audio integrated for Christmas....

My 2 cents… I did not view this a disguised ad… it’s a legitimate concern…even Benchmark sales prices and timing have taken a hit….and there is definitely a lot more completion with more and more people wanting to at least try a Purifi, Hypex or GaN offering. 
 

So, if this thread generates a few creative ideas that help…then it was a useful thread. 

The Sphinx got a bad review on a prominent site. Also, I had a number of Rogue components but moved on to pure Class D (Nord) which sounds fantastic. Who needs tube components, hybrids,  massive preamps and amps anymore? But Rogue is a great company and if you like that stuff go for it. 

Oh punkin, I know you’re trying to be cute but spelling is hard. Try removing a couple of the ’i’, maybe one 't'. insert an ’f’. You got this!

OP....Might be that word on the street has it that Taylor Swiiitt bought Travis a Rogue Audio integrated for Christmas....

I'm not a tube guy but I do own the Rogue Metis tube preamp among other things. Nice thing about It is it mutes its circuit until the tubes (6SN7s) stabilizes. It puts out a massive soundstage, a very transparent device, pushes all the right buttons, and compares favorably to my Conrad Johnson.  My only gripe is that there is a bit more bass than I like, but could be circumvented by tube rolling.

Recently I put it up for sale and received several offers and one offer stood out. A guy from Seattle who owns a Winery offered several bottles of his finest wine in trade for the Metis. I declined only because I don't drink. Other offers were for trades as well. My conclusion is that people are harder up for cash which is not surprising given the current economic climate and it's not getting any better.

I plan to round out my small collection of amps with the purchase of the rogue sphinx v3 or maybe a v4 version if/when available. I already own a class A, and a class AB amp, so it would be nice to own a class D with tubes. Plus I think the sphinx looks  bitchin in black! I read HR's review of it, and I have great respect for the man. I've bought several components based on his reviews which include the Hana el and the wharfedale 225's. He's spot on with his reviews and is a humble and honest man. I've even spoke with him on messenger.....

@phd "You will own nothing and be happy" that is their greater plan for all of us. 

audioguiy85, yes that might happen but in the event it does you will see me running down the road with a speaker under each arm, balancing an amp and preamp yelling:: "But they're not getting this!" LOL

The thing about selling gear, and this is any gear, it doesn’t sell until it sells. I’ve had stuff sit there weeks or longer and then boom sold,  it just takes one buyer. Patience is a virtue when trying to sell gear in a crowded marketplace.

Jond, good point, it does only takes one buyer and you have to be patient.

@phd ...another Metis user. I Love my Metis because It’s only got two tube sockets.. no buffer tubes which means rolling is inexpensive.. and possible.. and gives very different results depending on the tube. NOS such as Tung Sol VT99, older Raytheon 6F8G, Sylvania Grey glass (all w adapters) are all excellent choices however. Transparency is the best quality about any component. I used to use a Steve McCormack passive but the Metis with the right tubes has let me pack that back into the box. Rogue has given me excellent support with my mod requests.

jhw9, you're really fortunate & lucky to own a Rogue Metis because they are not put up for sale very often, in fact I can't find even one for sale on the internet. I removed mine for sale after I got my senses.back. Purchased some new 6SN7s (Sylvania) and it sounds super good. It  already is beating out a five thousand preamp I own. 

@phd ..good to hear. Used to have 80wpc tube monoblocks driving the top modules of Von Schweikert VR-4’s and the heat was incredible (but so was the sound.. at least up top). Unfort the first time I had to re-tube it required a dozen Sovtek 5881’s and quad NOS Phillips 6SN7 GTB’s. Not sustainable.. and that was the late 1990’s (post-pandemic, I can’t even imagine). To keep a tube signature, a Rogue Metis Magnum pre seemed like an interesting alternative. I didn’t expect much, esp given how cheap the base model was, and even in its Magnum form with stock tubes it was still a bit rough, but after finding the right tubes and a couple mods courtesy of Rogue’s excellent support, it’s actually pretty impressive. The big improvement for me (being an unbuffered dual-tube design) was going to the right 6F8G/VT99 tube (with adapters to separate the power lead from the internals of the standard 6SN7 tube).

I’ve also got new GaNFET mono’s and an older Pass labs Class A amp in other ss system config’s, but the setup having an older class D amp coupled with the humble (but tweaked) Rogue surpasses them both for ambient soundscape with clean natural detail.. recreating the dimensional ambience of a recording in a delicate, non-fatiguing way without sacrificing dynamics, LF texture, extension, etc. My speaker’s designer once told me the 6SN7 is a very low distortion tube.. 7th order distortion, so not the predominately 2nd order you get w 300b’s, etc.. which might explain why the Métis is excelling at detailed ambient retrieval (while still being dynamic).

AFAIK, the later Rogue preamps are supposedly significantly better than the old Metis, esp in base form, but that inexpensive little thing has massive potential if you’ve got the right tubes for it.. it’s just highly sensitive being an unbuffered design.