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What tube preamp is a step up from Rogue Magnum 99

Hi,

I wanted to try a tube preamp as I think my system sounds a little bit lean.

My local dealer let me take a Rogue Magnum 99 for an in home test.

In my system, the Rogue was an improvement because there was higher resolution and a more live presence (probably a lower noise floor with the separate power supply?) and better bass.

However, I am wondering what other preamps excel in providing a great "live" presence and bass.

I have read about the Cary SLP 98 and the BAT VK 51SE but I do not have access to try these out at home. The reviews seem to single these out as being a little bit warmer than, say, ARC equipment, and they are supposed to do bass well.

While I could purchase the Rogue now I want to avoid the upgrade in the future. I would rather spend more now and definitely move up.

I would appreciate any learned comments to help me out with this decision.

My system is:
Ric Schultz modified Oppo 105,
W4S STP SE Preamp
W4S ST1000 Amplifier
Cullen Cables
Maggie 3.6 Speakers

Thanks!
dsper

Showing 2 responses by mulveling

mulveling's avatar
mulveling
1,774 posts
 
Get the Rogue Athena. The 99 is nice, but the Athena is way better sounding and well worth the price difference (which Rogue hasn't ever raised, yet). I also prefer the Athena/Hera to the VAC Renaissance III line stage -- however the sonic signature is obviously different there.
mulveling's avatar
mulveling
1,774 posts
 
I'm a Rogue fan too, but frankly I'm uninterested in a new 3K+ preamp that uses a quad of 12AU7, as their RP5 does. Seems they haven't done any new flagship-level tube stuff since the Apollo.

The 6H30 based Hera (Athena too) works magic in my system -- no lack of musicality there. There was no question when I swapped a Hera I in for my 99 Magnum 5 years ago -- the 99 went up for sale immediately. The Renaissance III was a worthy challenger, and very musical, but in the end I felt the Hera was more detailed and tonally accurate. I still miss the MM stage in that Ren III though; that was a GREAT built-in phono stage.
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