Rouge Audio RP-1
My much beloved Cary Audio SLP-3 preamp is in the shop. Hopefully it comes back fixed but I am looking at replacements just in case. The Cary presents a great sound stage and vivid colors and cost just a little over $1K over 15 years ago.
Not many new tubed preamps in that price range, from what I can tell. The RP-1 is one of the few. I don’t care for the Prima Luna house sound, and I’ve owned McIntosh before, but consider them poor value, as I feel they are charging a premium for their face glass and meters.
I don’t need the phono stage of the RP-1, so not happy about having resources devoted to that. It also has a headphone amp, which I guess I could use, although I don’t do much headphone listening; so again a dilution of resources , imo.
Does anyone have any familiarity with this pre amp, and can they compare it with a Cary?
Here's a comparison between the Rogue RP-1 and the RH-5. Phono is an option on the RH-5 and used they go for a bit less than a new RP-1. Also, if interested, look @ the Stereophile review of the RH-5 https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/rogue-rap-1-to-rp-5
DeKay |
I have a RP-1 that I purchased new 7-8 ago. I’ve rolled 5 different pairs of nos 12AU7’s with good results. I use a Morrow 3 power cord and Morrow 5 interconnects to feed a Had Inspire with nos tubes. I have a modded Thorens TD16 with a Grado cartridge, Schiit Yiggy and Odesy LC-2 headphones. I can’t compare it to the Cary but the RP-1 is an entry level line stage pre. FWIT I run Tekefunken G73-R tubes , the mentioned cables and have it on cheap anti vibration footers and a weight on top. The cost of my related items equal the cost of the unit. Having milked every bit of performance from it , I can say it’s a good little pre. The phono section is surprisingly good , but I’m not that impressed with the headphone section. I recently acquired a pristine Rogue Hera and am switching from single ended to balanced. My suggestion is buy a clean used one and change the pair of tubes. Most of the used ones come with owner nos tubes. You could always resell it , but for me it’s a keeper for a second system. Rogue support is fantastic and I’ve talked to Nick and although they don’t offer a Dark Upgrade, I was told I could send it in for some upgrades as soon as I rotate it out. I hope my ramble helps , Cheers Mike B. |
@mahler123,
As a fan of Cary gear, have you looked at any Dennis Had gear? I have an LP3.1 preamp and Inspire 45 "Fire Bottle" amp and they are fantastic. Sometimes his used gear comes up for sale. He has very kindly responded to me via email once he saw I owned his gear. Even offered me a Phono Preamp build at a discount. |
Thanks for the responses. The RP-1 sounds like it might be a bit to entry level for me, but the RP-5 gets into McIntosh price range at over 4 K. If I have to , depending on what happens with the Cary, I might just opt for Mac, since I at least like the house sound. The last comment about Dennis Had (sp?) intrigues me |
RP-1 is excellent. Throw in a matched pair of Brimar CV4003 from upscale audio and it will compete with much higher priced preamps. The built in phono stage is very nice even though you don’t need it - I wouldn’t worry about it there’s no compromise is RP-1 performance because of it. |
