Rogue 99 vs. BAT 3i

Lvk47, I can only give you my oppinion on the Rogue 99. I owned a Magnum 99 that I bought new; it replaced a AES AE-3. The AE-3 is a great sounding preamp at a fraction of the cost.

I bought the Magnum 99 never hearing it. I read user reviews and the Stereophile review that Chip Stern wrote, and thought I would give it a try. Heck if I dint like it I could always sell it , as I have done in the past with equipment.

The Rogue had great soundstaging both wide and deep, but it was missing that tube charm or even presence that I grew to like. I tried many different NOS tubes hoping that might wake it up. I now had a good selection of NOS tubes, with a slight improvement in sound. Changing tubes is a chore...after removing the screws you have to fight(pry) the cover off, this was always a pain. The tubes sockets are attached to the curcuit board and there were times that I felt they were going to be pulled out before the tube. The Rogue is not a quiet preamp....you always know its there....at this price I thought it should have a black background with no noise at all. When using the remote on the Rogue, you will hear a sound like a vibrating cell phone coming through both speakers; I found this to be annoying.

I kept going back to the Stereophile article that says its sound is somewhat dry, solid state with a touch of tubes. You might want to read that review; they gave the Rogue good marks. They have world class customer service with Mark Obrien there to help you any question you might have.

Having bought the Magnum for over $2100 new, and finding it not to my liking, I sold it only a few months old for $1400 with a 4 NOS tubes. The new owner only had it for a short while and he also sold it. You can find used 99's here on AA at any given time.

Yes the Rogue is a nice piece of equipment, but I was not impressed at all. I bought a Cary SLP98, I find it superior to the Magnum 99....except that the Rogue does the soundstaging better.

good luck

I had the Rogue Magnum 99 and found it less than ideal. As Kek23 points out. The circuit board layout and tube removal was killing me. I thought for sure everytime I changed the tubes out that I had broke the Rogue. Also as Kek23 points out, you do always know the 99 is in the circuit.
I hated the remote. It wasn't that it was loud, which it is. (very loud) I could never get to the desired volume level. It was to broad of a change.
I replaced it with a AES/ AE-1. Which I love. I have almost sold it here twice, but reconsidered after offers were made. And in the end always decided to keep it. Point to point wiring in my mind is the only way to go in a tubed preamp.
But, many customers are very satisfied with the ((. I am just offering my opinion.
Scott

I own a Rogue M99 and feel the above comments are over harsh. Yes, the remote makes a sound through the speaker when you operate it, but it has never been a big issue for me. The $6000 Pass X-1 makes clicking sounds when the remote is operated. I find this to be a non-issue. On a motorized volume control, as opposed to a digital one, small volume changes are more difficult. However, I simply have a quick finger on the volume button, and am able to do fine with volume changes.

The circuit board does flex a little when changing tubes, but I have done many tube changes without a problem. Perhaps a thicker board would be ideal, but if you look at the overall construction of this piece, it is built like a brick Sxxx-house.

I do not consider this a 'dry' preamp. ARC is dry. Cary is overwarm and colored. Depends on your perspective. If comparing the Rogue to a transistor preamp, it sounds pretty warm to me, and is overall a great sounding product that lets you enjoy the music (with good tubes!).