Rogue 99 pre vs. BAT vk30

I home auditioned the 99 Magnum pre and loved the sound. I would've bought it but I found the zippy buzz sound of the volume control annoying whenever I turned it up or down. The sound came through the speakers and the dealer said it was normal and acted like I was a dope when I said I couldn't tolerate it. I ended up buying the VK-30 but went back to all SS later because it suits my taste better. Sound-wise the Rogue would've been my choice-very rich with all the good stuff tubes offer and more solid than the BAT in my system. Great wide soundstage, too. I was bummed that the volume control issue ruled it out for me.

If you purchase a Rogue, purchase the CBS 6SN7 tubes (not expensive $20/pair on ebay) for the preamp. They work magic in there. I onced owned the Bat VK-30SE and found it sounded like SS to my ears so I then went with a better SS preamp, the Pass X-1. Your taste may be different.

Happy Listening.

I owned both. The BAT was a little dark and grainy in my system. However, I never tried rolling tubes, so that might have resolved the issue. I bought it new and kept it less than a year. Build quality and ergonomics were excellent.

The Rogue 99 magnum was part of a system with the M150's. I loved it, although it was a little more noisy than the BAT. I used the internal phono for a while, but then upgraded to the Stealth. The Rogue gear is very responsive to tube rolling and the guys at Rogue can help you with best tubes based on the rest of your system.

I would own Rogue gear again. It's well made, can be easily upgraded with better parts and tubes, and is very reliable. Plus Rogue customer service is legendary.

thanks a lot, guys - VERY informative

I've owned a Rogue 99 Magnum and current own a BAT 3iX. I had 60 cycle hum problems with the Rogue, and overall I prefer the sound and build qaulity of the BAT. However, when it comes to power amps, I think I'd give the edge back to Rogue.

Bizango1.
You are partially correct about the noise of the volume control in the Magnum 99.however the noise is strictly coming from the servo motor controlling the volume pot and IS NOT coming through to the speakers,at least not in my system.I can hear the motor noise when adjusting the volume with the remote control and I am seating about 8 feet away from my system head on,but when the volume is higher it's hardly noticeable.
Rogue makes great gear and the magnum 99 is an exceptional pre in my opinion.
George

George, I wish the volume control sound was only coming from the servo. The one I demoed buzzed through the speakers at my home and in the store later and the dealer said that was normal. Maybe it was a bad pot AND a bad dealer. I was using Rotel's RB-1090 amp which put out 700 WPC into my 4 ohm speakers and that may have exacerbated the problem. The zippy sound got louder and louder as the volume increased when I turned it up before starting a song. If it hadn't been for that I would've bought it for sure because I thought it sounded fantastic. The same dealer told me my amp didn't sound good although he admitted he had never heard one himself. One of those types of dealers if you know what I mean.

Can't speak to the Rogue, but previously owned the BAT VK30 and was disappointed with the sound (grainy and mechanical sounding), however the build quality and appearance of BAT gear is top shelf. I highly recommend the Aesthetix Calypso with NOS tubes... the best preamp I have ever owned, and quite reasonable used.

I had Rogue 99 magnum with Linn amp, and currently have BAT vk30 with vk60 and vk200. Both with Tyler Linbrook Systems speakers.
It was supposed to be an upgrade but not as much difference I expected, andI somehow miss Rogue. Its onboard phono was super. Better than vk30 onboard phono, to my ears.
But, Rogue had a bit of microphonic problem. Also, BAT's remote ($500 extra) is much better. Sound wise, Linn/Rogue sound warmer than vk30/vk200 which sound a bit like solid state. vk30/vk60 sound very tube like and excellent midrange, but lacks power and base compared to vk200.

Being able to roll tubes on Rogue was nice. It might have been more interesting if I had matched the Rogue with Rougue amp (M150?).
Personally, I don't think you would go wrong in either direction.