Rogue Audio

Rogue Audio of Pennsylvania, founded 1996, offers something precious few hi-fi companies can. Rogue creates audiophile grade electronics right here in the USA, at very competitive prices! The vast majority of Rogue’s competition comes from China- without Rogue’s TLC.

Rogue uses tubes in its designs to achieve a warm, BREATHY sound quality. Rogue emphasizes high level audio performance over feature sets. For example, Rogue doesn’t build DACs or Bluetooth into its integrated amps or preamps because they won’t accept the sonic trade offs. Such features can be bought affordably a la carte if you need them.

Since most of our customers are streaming, it’s logical you’ll buy a Bluesound Node to run into your Rogue electronics. Node also has Bluetooth as a feature. Hence with Node you have an affordable streamer with BT option that pushes the edge of the art. There’s no need for Rogue to build in these features.

Integrated Amps

Integrated amps are my favorite electronic category. They represent the best VALUE to drive your speakers. Rogue offers two fabulous integrateds that sound better than what’s coming out of the far east.

Sphinx Magnum $2000 (100×2 with metal remote)

Rogue’s Sphinx Magnum offers an excellent value at $2k. It is a tube (matched 12 AU7s) preamp with a Class D power amp in one box. It even has an MM/MC phono section, which may sway the temptation for vinyl hounds.

Sphinx Mag’s biggest selling point is its uncongested midrange character. It delivers vocals in an especially expansive character. The bass is leaner instead of heavier.

It is an evolutionary upgrade of the classic Sphinx lineage. There are several bullet points worth noting for Sphinx Mag vs its forefathers.

*Improved linear power supply that features high speed diodes, larger output coupling caps of higher storage capacity

*PRP resistors in the tube preamp stage and phono stage

*Cardas binding posts for speaker connections

*JJ Gold Pin tubes from the Slovak Republic, which are warmer sounding and more open on top than the JJ non gold pin tubes used in v3.

Sphinx Magnum also comes with a solid metal remote, whereas v3 came with the plastic Skeleton remote. This is a nice upgrade for sure.

Magnum’s sonic advantage over V3 is in a more extended, airy top end without adding any bite. The phono section is a distinct cut above as well.

I give kudos to Rogue Audio for paying attention to, and improving the Sphinx, at such an attainable price point. Keep in mind that most competitors in this range are made in Chinese job houses- even if they have American or Euro names on the face plate.

What makes Sphinx so special is, it sells for similar $ to the Chinese imports but gives your music a more living, breathing presentation.

Pharaoh 2 $4000 (250×2 With Remote)

P2 is a nice step up from Sphinx in that it has enough muscle to drive ANY speakers well. Sphinx will do well with some “consideration” on your part vis a vis speaker matching. With P2 you can just buy the speakers you like, regardless of their demands. You can’t do better than Brystons and Maggies. P2 is at home with either.

As part of its architecture P2 has a much more substantial power supply than Sphinx. It weighs 41 lbs compared to Sphinx’s 30. P2 features a much larger transformer, filter caps and of course amplifier than Sphinx.

P2 also uses a pair of MATCHED 12 AU7 tubes. Matched, by the way, means that Rogue tests hundreds of tubes and matches them by precise volume output. Most companies that employ tubes just grab a couple of the same model and away they go. Well, tubes have different personalities. It’s a blessing and a curse of glass bottles. You certainly want to make sure your tubes have identical output. Rogue insures that.

P2 has a refined MM/MC phono section and headphone amp.

P2 has a balanced input as well, in case you have a magnificent source with XLR output.

You can really appreciate P2’s air, space and power through speakers that can reveal these characteristics. Bryston speakers out of Canada, and Magnepans out of Minnesota, are particularly strong mates. Either of these brands with mundane electronics cannot rise to the occasion as they can with P2. Brystons can deliver bass weight and impact well beyond flimsier Asian imports. Driven by P2, the Brystons can throw cinder blocks around your room while providing lovely vocal content. If you use generic imports to drive the Brystons, you might wonder if their bass capability is anything special. P2 will show you, it is!

By the way, the Chinese competitors with Euro brand names clip at about half the power they claim they have.

Cronus Magnum 3 $3500 (100×2 With Remote)

CM3 is a full bore, tube preamp and power amp on a single chassis. Obviously CM3 doesn’t have Pharaoh’s power. But if you want the full enchilada of what glowing filaments bring to the party, CM3 is for you.

CM3 uses five tubes in the preamp section (two 12AX7, three 12 AU7). It uses four KT88s in the amplifier section. This nine tube combo will warm up your music and is a fine match for the right speakers.

The topic of “the right speakers” is something we have to discuss. Please stop in or call to go down this path. While Pharaoh will drive ANYTHING, we pick our spots with CM3. Suffice to say, you pick CM3 for its golden hue instead of vice grip bass control.

CM3 does have Rogue’s outstanding phono section that supports MM & MC. It has a fine headphone amp. The amp section allows you to choose between triode and ultralinear modes. While CM3 offers a burnished sound quality, I’m definitely a Pharaoh 2 kinda guy.

Power Amps

Dragon $4000 (300×2)

Dragon is flat out, one of the best power amp values in all of hi-fi! It is a stand alone stereo power amp with 300×2. Dragon can drop the hammer for big volume without sounding grainy. Its dynamic contrast is outstanding. The breathy nature of singers in particular is a pleasure to wash over you. The bass is extremely well controlled. Speakers that sound soggy on lesser amps tighten up with alacrity when run by Dragon.

Dragon is stronger than P2 above for use in separates form. Dragon uses a pair of 12AU7 tubes. The tubes aren’t used just in the input as virtually all hybrid competitors are. Rogue has its own TubeD design where the tubes are also used in driving the amp section as well. For all the world… Dragon sounds tubey without the noise or lethargic bass region.

If your system needs a strong punch but sounds a touch harsh now, please consider changing your power amp to a Dragon to get rid of the grain. Or if you need to save a few buxx, just replace both with a Pharaoh 2.

Dragon MonoBlocks $6000 (300w per monoblock)

The Dragon MonoBlocks are more refined than the Dragon stereo amp. With beefier power supplies and some important superior parts, the Dragon MonoBlocks are very special and take your demanding speakers to a more dynamic level of performance.

Preamps

Of course all these preamps feature tubes!

RP1 $1800

RP1 is a single ended, line stage (no phono) preamp. It uses a pair of matched 12AU7s to bring tube flavor to your system at low price point. RP1 is a distinct step above any of the imports that are laden with a pile of chips, DAC and Bluetooth. Please consider RP1 instead to improve your air, space and 3D soundstage.

RP3 $3500

RP3 is Rogue’s new line stage (no phono) tube preamp that offers balanced, as well as single ended operation. It runs a pair of matched 12 AU7s. The volume control moves in .5dB steps, instead of 1dB steps. It isn’t much of a difference but some of our customers are soooo picky, it might be a difference maker for you.

RP7 $5000

But of course some of us don’t know where to stop. RP7 is a line stage preamp that uses four matched 12 AU7s and surrounds them with a cut above component choice. It features balanced operation as well.