Rogue Audio Sphinx V3 Integrated Amplifier / Separate Phono Preamp
I have a Rogue Audio Sphinx V3 Integrated Amplifier with a built-in phone amp. I'm having an emotional desire to upgrade to a separate phono preamp based on Paul McGowan, of PS Audio, recent post saying it was the most important part of an audio system..What budget do I need to have to improve what I currently have and any suggestions?
Hi John - I liked the sound quality overall of the Rogue Sphinx v3 quite a bit, but I found the on-board phono preamp to be prone to hum and noise. Couldn't get to the bottom of it, so I replaced the amp. For a $2000 hybrid amp, I would imagine a budget of $500 max. The Parasound Z-phono or the Cambridge Audio come to mind. Granted, I don't know which TT/ cartridge you are using.
Rich
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Hi John - I started out the same way with the Pro-ject DC Carbon and Ortofon Red. Is there anything that you are not satisfied with? It’s easy to say replace this and that, and you can always find better than what you have, but is it worth it to you? Tough question. Assuming you are not having the hum problems I was having. I would replace the Ortofon Red if I were to start anywhere. The Blue and Bronze are significantly and audibly better. Then again, you wind up with cartridges that cost more than 1/2 your TT. The phono section in your Rogue is pretty decent. Well regarded in Herb Reichert’s Stereophile review. He used the Ortofon Black, https://www.stereophile.com/content/rogue-sphinx-v3-integrated-amplifier To save some space, I landed with the Technics 1210. I swap out cartridges from time to time (using a Goldring E4 now). It took some time to get there, before I stopped the chasing. I like the ability to swap out cartridges when I want. Rich |
