Tube Amps Cary V-12 or Rougue 150 mono's


I operate a LP-12/PH-3/LS-15. Also Cal Audio CL-10, and Vandersteen 2W with Maggies 2.6. Recently auditioned the Rogue 150 mono's and the ARC VTM 200 mono's in comparison to my Sunfire. The ARC is out of my price point but the Rogue's were great. I am considering the Cary V-12 Mono's but cannot audition because of dealer location. I am considering buying untested because of Cary reputation. Any feedback on Cary/Rogue amp products would be helpful.
xagwell
i can't speak for the v12 monos, but i own a pair of cary audio slm-200 monos and i don't think i'll be upgrading anytime soon. the amps sound so great to me. wonderful extension, delicate highs, and a lush midrange. i've never heard anything by rogue so i can't give any input there. i seriously doubt you can go wrong with either.
Rogue is an excellent brand.They make the Zeus tube dual mono power amp.!!!.Cary is good too.I am very impressed with my M-150's.You can't go wrong with them.
Cheers.
George.
This comparison was recently brought up over at the Asylum:

Cary V12 vs. Rogue M-150

Here's what was said:

I'm not one for reviews and all the typical audiophile jargon, but I can say that on initial listening I far prefer the Cary V12R. Here are the differences I have noticed thus far:

Tone - the biggest difference...I find the Cary presentation to be more consistent with a "tube sound" - i.e. warm, full, fleshed out but without sounding the least bit "rolled off" at either extreme. More depth to the sound and soundstage.

Power - the Rogues take the cake here - having more objective as well as subjective power. I pretty much always ran them in triode mode with my Maggie 1.6's and they never ran out of juice. When I switched to Ultralinear for more dynamic or bass-heavy music the difference in dB and bass response was minimal in my set-up. However, the Cary seems to run out of juice with bass-heavy music in triode so I sometimes end up flipping to UL for this type of music.

Imaging - while the Rogues may have been a touch more "pinpoint" in the solid-state sense of the word, the Cary is more 3-dimensional with an added palpability to the presentation - a sound that I prefer.

In any event, these two comparably-priced amps present extremely different sounds - very interesting. I suppose if you need the power and enjoy deep bass and pinpoint imaging the Rogue may be for you. However, I'm enjoying the warmth, timbre and inner detail that I find to be the strengths of the Cary. Having recently moved to a Cary preamp as well, I am completely smitten with the Cary sound - especially in my system and room. Now listening to Angela Hewitt playing Chopin nocturnes on Hyperion SACD and the sound is absolutely breathtaking...

So, there you go....a little mini-review writtin by a non-reviewer! Hope it helps!
Thanks for your responses, but ultimately I have to make a decision based on taste/$. The bass response should not be diminished because of my Vandersteen 2W. I am really in love with the sound of the Rogue's but curiosity with the Cary mono's is killing me..........I'll be glad when I make a decison.
Nrenter Hi.
Thanks for the review from Asylum posts.It's always interesting to hear other people's opinion.I love my 150's Rogues.Right now I am busy,saving my pennies so that I can bring home a mighty Rogue Zeus to bi-amplify my Aerial 10T.Zeus will be on the woofers and the M-150's will drive the mid's and highs.
Regards
George