Rogue Cronus vs. Tempest II?


Has anyone compared the new Cronus integrated to the Tempest II from Rogue Audio? I'd be curious to hear anyone's thoughts...
jh2os

Showing 4 responses by jclyle

I had a Cronus for about 2 weeks, I wasnt sure how a 55wpc integrated would handle my B&W N804s. It handled them in style, I was very impressed with the Cronus, so much that I went ahead and snagged a Tempest II. The cRonus is a great unit, switching the pre-amp tube made the biggest difference, i threw in a NOS 12au7 Mullard & that took things to a new level. The reason i wanted a T II was to have a little more power for those times when im home alone & can rock the house. For regular listening the Cronus is just as good as the T II.
The T II does 60wpc in triode & 90 in ultralinear mode. The sound in triode mode is wonderful, very detailed & ohh so smooth. Ultralinear mode loses some detail but is great for loud listening. The TII has more bass than the Cronus thanks to the KT88/6550 output tubes. I did notice that the mid-range of the Cronus had an edge over the TII. Much smoother than the T II, I was using NOS Mullards in all 3 12au7 slots so im sure that helped
right now I have the stock EH KT88 power tubes. i switched to the EH 6sn7 driver tubes. As for the 12ax7 input tubes they change several times a week :) I have had best results w/ NOS Mullard box plates, but they are kinda pricey. The stock Sovtek LPS tubes are great, but they are a little too airy for my tastes. I recently got a pair of the Grove Tube 12ax7M "mullard clones" they seem to be OK but still need more break-in time.
one more thing, the T II doesnt have any tubes pre-amp stage, it has a passive pre-amp.