Don't know about the synergy in that particular system, but I've heard the Rogue Athena and Hera sound awesome into M180 and Apollos, respectively. In the long run, I slightly preferred the Hera II over a VAC Ren III into my Apollos, and that's saying a lot as the VAC itself is pretty special! Either of them made more modest preamps sound sad by comparison.
However, I preferred the VAC's built-in phono stage over the Rogue's Ares in the same system, so it's not always the case that same-company synergy rules.
If you can swing it go for the Hera, but if not then the Athena sounds very similar for a more modest price.
However, I preferred the VAC's built-in phono stage over the Rogue's Ares in the same system, so it's not always the case that same-company synergy rules.
If you can swing it go for the Hera, but if not then the Athena sounds very similar for a more modest price.