the rogue audio 99 vs the audible illusions

That's an easy one. Sonically, the Rogue 99 is much better. Also, in the after the sale factor, IMHO, Rogue Audio has figured out how to answer phone calls, have a conversation without bragging about their product endlessly, and last but not least, repairs are handled on-site by the people who build the units. AA can't claim any of the above. Art from AA has a reputation for being one of the rudest people around. Just ask anyone who owns a AA unit and had the misfortune to have isent it back for repairs long it took.

tubey
i can't comment on the ai3a sinc i've never had the opportunity to listen, though i did consider making the efoort to when i was shopping for a pre a few months back.
what i did end up with was a rogue 99 magnum pre and i have been listening with a huge grin ever since. i'm sorry i cannot address your question more directly or precisely since i also do not listen to vinyl at the moment ( strange as i have about 300 vintage lps, mostly blues). my 99 was purchased sans the phono board, but i can tell you this: the phono board comes in two flavors, stock and magnum. the magnum uses nos tubes and better parts. both boards have an output section that can be configured in one of three gain levels to accomodate diff cart output levels. my manual says the phono gives 63db of gin using two 12au7s. an additional 10db of gain can be had by swapping the 12au7s for 12at7s. finally it says 12ax7s can be used for even more gain than previous configurations. cartridge loading is factory set for 47k ohms and 150pf of capacitance but speacial loading can be factory ordered. the stock phono board runs about $400, the mag about $500, i would think a stock board could be magged though i'm not sure on price, call or email mark at rogue, he's very friendly and honest.

my 2 cents, hope it is worthwhile
fujindemon

I purchased the Rogue 99 w/ phono several weeks ago. Unfortunately, due to the holidays and the accomadations necessary for a 10 ft. Christmas tree I have not had enough optimum listening time yet. ( All my furniture gets re arranged and the tree sits directly in front of one speaker). I will say that right out of the box the 99 was quite an improvement over my old CJ PV10. Two audiophile terms that came quickly to mind were " separation of instruments" and " depth of sounstage". The bass is superb ( and Im using a 7 mtr. IC between pre and power.) I am taking down the tree today and getting my room back to normal, and am looking forward to playing some non Christmas music extensively. I also can verify that Mark at Rogue is someone you will love to deal with. He answered e mails quickly and arranged to have my unit shipped directly to my house from the factory (no local dealer) even though I bought from a dealer in FL.( Hollywood Sound, another great place to do biz...) Hopefully I will post back when I get more time ,but for now i agree with Fujindemon about the grin...

sorry, no ai info here, but i found the cary slp-98 to be more neutral, more dynamic, & w/better bass extension than a magnum-version of the rogue 99, in my system. (if you're interested in my systems' specifics, see it on audio asylum). but, for about the same $$$, a used melos music-director is in a completely different league, & puts both the cary & the rogue out to pasture, imo...

doug s.