Rogue Audio Sphinx V3
The problem for me with the Sphinx is the class D amp section. Lots of negative personal comments of class D amplification on the AudioAsylum audio forums. It deterred me. I’d research a little more before taking the plunge on a class D hybrid amp. I left a comment on your other post for amp recommendations. As far a phono preamps the Schiit Mani is one of the best budget phono stages for cheap. |
Concerning the Class D section, this is precisely what I've been reading about with the Sphinx. It seems all the reviewers were surprised that Rogue has been able to achieve the sound that they do with the Class D, and the audio world cannot understand how it can sound as it does. I'm still quite perplexed as to why I've not found a negative review of the Rogues in general. |
Rogue makes a good product period. No, I don't claim them to be SOTA, but offer very good sound for the money. I have a Rogue Pharaoh, the Sphinx's big brother. Their tube pre with class D solid state output work very well together. The all tube Rogue Cronus Magnum III integrated is also a winner. IMO. |
I had a Sphinx 2 and its sound was very good in terms of balance, articulation, sound stage, etc. I did use a Rogue Ares Magnum phono amp in lieu of the built in phono amp of the Sphinx. The sphinx was a nice compromise between a warm tube and a "cool" solid state-- it just passed the music along without "interpretation." About 18 months ago, I upgraded to the Rogue RP7 preamp and Stereo 100 amp. Obviously a very marked improvement. Having listened other preamps and amps including McIntosh and Audio Research, I find the Rogue to be as good or better for less money. Note that my speakers are Sonus Faber Amati traditions and I listen to classical and jazz which may make a difference in my viewpoint. |
Think I'm right in that a big difference with v3 is the pre tubes work with all line inputs whereas v2 was just phono. Correct if wrong. Regarding class D, the only negatives in some cases can be a slightly lean or recessed mid. This amp doesn't have that issue, tube pre and class D works pretty damn well. Also the tubes are 12AU7.. Very inexpensive to roll in some great sounding nos radio technique or similar |
I recently purchased the Rogue Sphinx V3. One week now andcompletely satisfied. It keeps getting better. Very musical. It does reveal the faults in "lesser" recordings. More so than other integrated"s I tried; and more in alignment with separates. But then. what good system will not reveal poor mixing, engineering, or production choices? No issues with an 8 ohm - 85dB sensitivity speaker. Stout. Musical, well built and a great value in my opinion. A standard-bearer for High Fidelity made in America. Love it. |
msafrick, I share mjcmt's concern about a Class D output stage. I think the tube front end covers for the output stage. Never trust the reviews completely. I would want to listen to it first. Compare it to a unit with a class AB or A output stage at a similar price. Something like the Rega Elix-R. I would be willing to bet the Rega has a more effortless and open character. You should listen to both and go with your own ears. |
I ended up auditioning the Sphinx v3 side by with the Belles Aria, and went with the Belles. It seems I’m not the only one who was impressed with Belles products as the wait time is longer than usual due to the number of orders, so hopefully I’ll have it next week. While I did enjoy the Rogue, I instantly thought the Belles just sounded a lot better. Before making my decision I also listened to the Elix-R and Moon 340i (didn’t have the 240i). |
Pulled the trigger on a Rogue Audio Sphinx v.3. about 3 months ago. I wanted to dip my toes into tubes but not too deep. I linked it up to a Tube Box S and swapped out the tubes for Mullard 12AX7 and Brimar 4003’s on the Rogue. Sounds just great run into my Maggie MG 12s. Plenty of power and great bass for the small ensemble music I listen to. They’re Maggie’s so midrange and treble are reach out and touch you transparent. I’m looking at component isolation and cabling to fine tune my system. Any suggestions. |
I pulled the trigger also 2 months ago - and absolutely enjoy this amplifier more and more everyday- haven’t listened to music this much in years- listening to all vinyl as the phono pre-amp is amazing for a $1400 piece of equipment- don’t let the class-d naysayers fool you- one of the most musical amps for $ value |
Check with www.tweakaudio.com for possible upgrades |
Tweaks are fine but the Sphinx is a most capable music producer that will far exceed the expectations of most right out of the box. Also true of its big brother Pharoah. If a tube amp is your thing then Rogue Cronus Magnum is another good one though technically more limited. Most music lovers really can’t go wrong with Rogue. Rogue is proven and well established high end sound for reasonable cost |
IMO Rogue Audio’s best value proposition lies in its all-tube power amps (at every price point), and the Cronus integrated. Their class-D based amplifiers are using outdated Hypex UcD modules, except for the Dragon which steps up to the nCore. In general it’s hard to keep up with the class D "latest module" churn unless that’s your main thing. Rogue’s preamps & phono stages are solid, but not as special as their badass tube power sections. |
The Rogue Sphinx V2 sounds very nice indeed paired up with a Hot Rodded Rega P5/Ortofon 2M Black combo feeding an upgraded pair of Zu DW`s and 3 subs. Has the stock tubes with only about 60 hrs on them so some tube rolling should ad a little more to the mix down the road. I now see why so many people like the 2M Black. |
I have the rogue sphinx v3 and really like it. Another benefit of buying from rogue is that when they come up with a rev of the sphinx, they usually allow you to ship the old model back and pay to have them upgrade it. I did such moving from the v1 to the v3. The only nits I have about its design is that you have to take the cover off to replace tubes or change the phono loading for MC. If you have it out, that is not a problem. If its in a rack, however, you have to disconnect everything and remove the unit from the rack. I wish they would build a hatch on top to make things easier. |
Lived for 2+ years with a V1 Sphinx that I bought used ...and loved it. In December 2021 sent it back to Rogue in PA and they did the V3 upgrade. It was a definite improvement and I'm glad I did it, but not light years. The phono stage actually, is light years better. Overall, the tone got even clearer and more detailed without losing it's subtle sweetness, and never getting dry, etched, or anything in that direction. It also doesn't sound particularly "tubey" in the old sense at all. I rolled in some 1964 NOS Mullards to enhance the tube-iness a bit and love the results. Of current production tubes I like the Genalex Gold Lion reboots slightly more than the stock JJ Tubes but the difference is minimal. The tubes and Class D section work some definite magic together. I've driven all kinds of speakers with it effortlessly from across the sensitivity/efficiency spectrum. Magnepan, hard to drive, need current, 87 db - 4 ohm. Klipsch Chorus 2, hyper efficient 99db, 8 ohm. And, in between, Energy RC-70s towers, 90db, 6 ohm. Sphinx is good to go, with anything. Mine also has the home theater bypass option in place of fixed-level outputs. With the flip of a switch it can be a power amp. It's a huge value. Sounds great. I'll definitely be looking at Rogue products in the future.
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Anyone experience a noise issue when using the MM section of the phono Amp In the Sphinx v3? I ask this because John Atkinson of Stereophile mention this issue during his testing/measurements...however Herb made no mention of any issues in his review. How is the headphone Amp? It was supposed to be an improvement over the previous versions.... |
I bought the V3 in June 2020. I am consistently amazed every day how great this thing sounds for $1700. Easily worth twice that imo. The phono preamp is also unbelievable, currently running a Quintet Red mc but looking to upgrade to a Hana SL. Only issue is that the Hana likes to be around 500 on the load, but the choices on the Sphinx in that neighborhood is 300 and then 1k and 47k. Herb Reichert reviewed the Sphinx and chose 300 on the load for the Hana EL. Back to the Sphinx....this anp will be legendary some day at price/performance ratio.
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V3ers - What are some good speakers that will play nice with the V3? Focal 826 or MA Silver 500? Any other good choices? Probably something on the mellower side, but I haven’t tube rolled my V3, still have the 12au7s in there. I’m wondering why I would tube roll when Mark specified those in this? He must have tried others no? Cheers |
