2. amps-preamps
  3. 134197-109435

Some Direction Please......

New here as an active member, but have read through more than a few threads over the past year or so.
I've finally taken a bigger dive (have a Mac 1700 hybrid) into tube electronics in the form of a Rogue Audio Cronus Mag II integrated. 
As I plan on dusting-off my LPs which have been ignored for some 15 years or so due to 'married with children' limitations imposed by my spouse, I need some suggestions/opinions on where to best spend my $$ considering where I'm presently at with gear.
Though I still have some old Yamaha SS separates from the late 70s, I plan on doing most of my future listening with the Rogue (all stock tubes but already I seem to have developed a new perversion of the dreaded I-must-buy-stuff-for-my-stuff disease manifesting as laying in different flavor tubes though I presently know little about them) and a pair of recently acquired Harbeth P3ES speakers. I have an old Ortofon MC 20 cartridge (actually two of them), and a previously owned low hour Grado Statement Sonata is on the way. Turntable-wise, I have on hand an old Yamaha PX-2 tangential and a Denon direct drive. I think that I can suffer along with either of these tables for the next year or so though the Small Audio Manufacturing tables have caught my eye.
I seem to have reached some type of vapor lock in making the next most cost-effective addition to my system. I presently feel/think that a good phono stage should be my next area of attention though I may be way off base here. My latest feverish 'idea', is to buy something like the Rogue Ares tube phono amp or a step up transformer like the Coincident Statement or one of 'Bobs' SUTs. Am I crazy for even considering this based on what turntables etc. I have at hand? Seems the more I read the more confused I am. I still have my old SS Yamaha C-2 pre-amp which has a built in MC and MM capable phono stage, and the Rogue has what's supposed to be an improved phono input albeit for high output cartridges only. Perhaps I should just buy a 'more better' high output cartridge, use the Rogue's input and upgrade my table/tonearm?
I'm spinning hopelessly into not doing anything for fear of wasting a lot of money (for me anyway) and not realizing much of an improvement. Opinions/thoughts please.

leoniruii


leoniruii

Showing 1 response by rbstehno

rbstehno
1,505 posts
 
I used to have the rogue Cronus magnum II with the kt-120 tubes,  wry nice tube amp. Heads up, if you have 4 ohm speakers, make sure you change the internal wire that sets up the rogue to 4 ohm load, it made a huge gain in driving my Usher MD ii’s. 
For the Grado cart, I’d use the the internal mm phone preamp of the rogue. Btw: I tubed rolled  all the tubes (except the kt-120’s) which improved the SQ.
if you want to use the MC20, get a step up transformer. But im not sure if I would spend the $$$ to use the mc20, I’ve owned both the Grado and the mc20 in the past. 
In the end, the rogue just couldn’t control the bottom end (a little wobbly bass) so I went back to SS. For tubes, with the better tubes for the preamp and phone, the rogue is very very good

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