Rogue vs ARC


I wonder the Rogue M150 or M180 is on par with the VT100 or Ref 110 from Audio Research. They seems to be voiced as moden tube sound but I have not been able to listen to the Rogue.
luna

Showing 5 responses by chrissain

both are great companies . I worked part time at a dealer that sold both and are very familiar with both. I bought and still use Rogue m150s with revel f32s and it sounds great. I have four of my audio buddies that bought Rogue amps after hearing mine. I love them. I think they offer fantastic value for the money, and they keep upping the build quality with each new generation. check out the pictures of Rogues new five grand pre-amp , outstanding build, all aluminum case, mundorf supreme caps ect. The one feature that the Rogues have is being able to bias each output tube individually, and having lived with this I dont know if I could do without. Tubes do drift, even if it is a small amount, It is a real ear opener just how much sonic difference this makes, It sounds WAY better when they are all biased to the same number MA . Everything snaps into focus, clearer from to to bottom, and the sound stage is much better also. And you can play with the bias number, 45ma sounds different from 40ma or even 35ma, all which you can use to tailor the sound to your liking . The rogues are also very good for tube rolling , if your into that sort of thing. Do they sound as good as a pair of Ref 210 monos ? No they dont, but they are not 20,000 a pair either. So its not apples to apples. But they come closer than you might think, for 15,000 less. good luck, Chris
only sane thread ? depends on what your idea of crazy is. at a friends we had a shootout between arc hd220 vs rogue apollo monos both at ten grand, the rogues KILLED the hd 220 it was not even close, and in every way , from top to bottom. there, I said it.
If I won the lotto , a ARC ref 5, ref phono, and a pair of ref 210s might be in my future, but alas, I dont have such deep pockets yet. so the Rogue m150s stay, and make great music at my place. check out the Rogue m180 review in stereophile, a total rave.
When rogue first started its true, they were good budget amps,but they were not built anywhere near arc standards. Rogue today however is a better company than it was then. Mark has learned a thing or two and now makes some of the best made gear in the industry. Look at the pictures on there web sight for the new five grand pre amp. outstanding build, all aluminum casework, mundorf supreme caps ect, check it out for your self. ARCs reference gear is better still, but for twice the price.
I cant believe that rogue is not selling more m180s because they are a giant killer. You get so much for your money, a true value in today's market. Yes you can get better sound, but usually for a LOT more money.