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.
