Rogue Audio. Reliability issues? Anyone?


I recently have been loving an Atlas Magnum power amplifier. I had a tube go bad, a fuse blow, and now red-plating. All of this could be related. But I am trying to decide if I want to pay shipping both ways ($90 each way), pay Rogue’s $175 bench fee (minimum) and then spend ungodly amounts on tubes that are hard to find.

I have friends, two to be exact, inform me that Rogue is notorious for this crap and their amplifiers are money pits. Is this normal tube stuff? Should I go for it or cut my losses and buy something else. I really love the way it sounds amd I really want to love Rogue. 

128x128nickrobotron

Check your plate voltage.  Is it autobias?  if not, confirm your bias current by calculating the plate dissipation with P=IV,

Jerry

russ69,

So much attention went into matched tubes. How am I supposed to just replace one tube and throw out all that paid-for attention to detail? I guess maybe the answer is to pony up more money for ANOTHER matched quad. Feels like a very, very expensive endeavor that makes the tube game silly. Do you think finding a used KT-120 with low hours will fit the bill?

@nickrobotron "I have friends, two to be exact, inform me that Rogue is notorious for this crap and their amplifiers are money pits."

Do your friends have firsthand experience with Rogue amps to make this claim? If they do which amps and what were the problems. I had a Rogue Cronus integrated for a few years, zero trouble with it. Also, and maybe I've missed them , but I don't recall seeing threads here or elsewhere thrashing Rogue amplifier reliability. Feel free to correct me on that by posting some links.

@nickrobotron matched tubes is of greatly exaggerated value.  Especially if your amp has good bias control.  

Now you're having trouble with bias (is my guess).  This is why I greatly prefer manual bias control.  So don't even consider paying for a matched set until you get everything back under control. Your amp will sound fine.

Finally, if you are using new production tubes they will be very close to the same.  Unmatched NOS tubes that may have even been manufactured in different plants and diferent years can have much more variance.

Jerry