2. amps-preamps
  3. 149332-369

Preamp for Rogue Stereo 100 amplifier

Hi, I am considering getting a Rogue Stereo 100 power amp to drive my Tannoy Prestige speakers. I have heard the amp and really liked the way it "tried" to disappear. For a tube amp, it did not show any signs of sluggishness or tubey processing of sound. But tonally it had a more humane character than solid states so it was impressive overall. However the system I heard it was a very different one than what I have at home. The speaker brand was Audes. It uses smaller 5" drivers for mids and ribbon tweeters (unlike Tannoys). The rest of the chain was also kind of unknown but pretty neutral from what I could gather. The preamp was an EMT JPA66 Mk2. Very high end stuff, which I wont be buying.

So what kind of preamps would suit the tonality of Rogue ST-100 ? Neutral, a bit warm or..? Rogue's own preamp is an option but they are not as well reputed as the power amps so I am considering other options too. Budget, $3-4k new/used
pani
pani OP
1,212 posts
 
Thanks Mulveling. I wonder why not a good CJ Premier series preamp ? I once heard a CJ Premier 11a amp with PV12 preamp driving a Tannoy Monitor Gold. It was wonderful. It was fast, fluid and colorful. Tones were so believable. It was not analytical but neither was it soft or rolled off. It was vibrant and just the nice kind of warmth which doesn’t spoil the authenticity. I am still considering that combo if I could find it for a good price. Else a Premier series preamp with ST-100 could be interesting too
helomech
1,482 posts
 
Thanks everyone. The RP7 seems very promising, though expensive. But now my interest has also piqued for Cronus Magnum III with their SE upgrades (resistor and caps upgrade). If it is close to the sound of seperate ST-100 and RP7 then it would be a great deal. I will not have to worry about interconnects, power cords and their effects etc.

Whats the feeling on this from existing Rogue users ?
To elaborate on my experience: the CM provided a more "euphoric" and 3-dimensional experience than the ST-100, however, that was with the latter being driven by a SS preamp. It might've been very different with a tube preamp I suppose.


wolf_garcia
6,591 posts
 
A Shiit Freya preamp is balanced, and new versions just came out. I own an original version that sounds astonishingly good. USA made, more sophisticated features than nearly anything out there, and relative to other great preamps these things are a bargain.
avanti1960
1,402 posts
 
as reference for this thread I have the Rogue Audio RH-1 preamp / headphone amp less phono stage and the Stereo 100 power amp.  
i used to have a Cronus Magnum II.  
The sound of the RH-1 Stereo 100 is much more dynamic than the cronus magnum as it should be.  The sound is also capable of playing louder and with deeper more controlled bass.  
The Stereo 100 has multiple power supplies in a dual mono configuration and at least twice the amount of reserve capacitors.  
Since I used similar tube rolling on each, the overall sound is similar to the cronus magnum being smooth, huge soundstage and ultra refined.  
Add more dyanmics (especially using the balanced connections) , bass impact and capability to drive bigger speakers in a bigger room and the sound is a winner.  
soundone
12 posts
 
I own a Rogue RP5 Preamplifier and a Krell KAV250 a 2 channel amp.  Great combination .  Nice balance of tube warmth and the solid punch of Krell.  I am not sure if you are looking to replace both a preamp and amp or just a pre amp or just a amp.  

I do see that you have a budget of between $3,000- $4,000.  If you are looking at a pre amp only the  Rogue RP5 would fall in that price range.  For a amp only you might want to consider the new Atlas Magnum III amp  or the Stereo 100.  Either one of these amps would also follow in your budget guidelines.  However, you will be out of your budget if you go with a preamp and a seperate amp.  

Either way you decide to go, Rogue would be a good choice.  Solid reliability across the board.  They are made in America by Americans, and are supported by live people on their phone line. Great company to deal with.   Best of luck in your audio adventure.  Have fun.
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