I can confirm, I had an rp-9 and it had no warmth, so take care with system matching on that. The older Rogue 6H30 preamp line of Athena / Hera had more warmth (not a traditional tube warmth to be sure, but still there). The rp-9 actually had fantastic bass, to go with great detail and dynamics. But not warmth. The ARC Reference 6 is warm by comparison. I kind of wonder how the rp-9 would sound with different coupling caps than those Mundorf gold/silver/oil EVO.
Which Preamp with JC5? Rogue Audio RP-9 or Parasound JC2
I’m deciding which preamp to use with a Parasound JC5 Amp: JC2 or RP-9?
I’m looking for a spacious, 3D, holographic presentation. I like to fuse the euphonic tube characteristics with the extended frequency response, detail, and dynamics of solid state. I’ve decided on a JC5 Amp, but I’m wondering which preamp will excel in these characteristics, the JC2 or RP-9?
I had a demo Pass XP-22 and X250.8 in my listening room for 2 weeks. It sounded stellar, everything you could want in the sonic department, but the XP-22 required the volume to be turned up 75% to achieve moderate listening levels, which introduces slight noise. The X250.8 developed wobbly XLR connectors after the third IC hook up. I was told that connectors can wobble to break up cable stress - hogwash for a $14k system! I returned the Pass system at a $700 loss. Horrible experience with QC.
I’m ready to try again, this time with a Parasound JC5 and a new preamp. I’ve heard they have no QC issues with the JC5 or JC1+.
I do have other tube equipment to compare and test the JC5. A Don Sachs 6SN7-based Custom Linestage, Kootenay 120 KT88 Amp, and the Manley Chinook phono stage provide tube galore.
Thanks!
Showing 4 responses by mulveling
Interesting! I’d also upgraded from the Rogue Apollo monoblocks (plain white M-Caps) to Apollo Darks (EVO silver/gold/oil caps), and I’m not sure I really enjoy the Darks any more than the standard version. When their top 6H30 preamps were Rogue Athena & Hera, they used standard Mundorf Supreme caps and I really liked them! I’m definitely suspicious that I simply don’t dig the EVO’s voicing. Don't get me wrong, I still love the Apollo Darks - they can rock like crazy - but they do better with warm partner gear. The pairing with RP-9 was way on the other side of that lol. I also have VAC gear which uses a mix of Genteq and Jupiter / Beeswax coupling caps - and for numerous reasons including cap selection, I’m sure - these components always sound warm and sweet. I have sizeable stash of vintage 6922 / 12ax7 / 12au7 / 12bh7 tubes here too. When the 6H30 sound is "right", I love it and am content to not roll. |
Thanks again for your thoughts regarding coupling caps! Definitely got me thinking again on the modern Rogue gear. This may not be helpful due to the cost involved, but since you mentioned this your opening post:
The Audio Research Reference 6 is the line stage which comes by far closest to this sonic ideal, imo and experience. The older top Rogue 6H30 preamps Athena & Hera also succeed at this, to a lesser degree. |
@gakerty i think it’s another thread and OP that didn’t like the Rogue Stereo 100. I got a bit confused myself. And I agree everything I’ve heard from others and experienced myself indicates that the ST100 should be a stellar amp choice for many. |