Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum III

"The other reason I’m hesitant is that I see quite a few of them for sale online right now, which makes me wonder why - unless it’s just a matter of typical audiophile fickleness/upgraditis and not a reflection on the quality of the product"

Not an owner but heard countless times.

It’s an established popular model for many years. That alone tells you it’s a solid choice. The abundance of used means you can find one for a price you want to pay-if you chose to try used.

@tablejockey  Agreed. It’s the audiophile version of survivorship bias - taking the wrong data points and drawing the wrong conclusion. What you really want to avoid is flavor-of-the-month items that are super-duper-hot for a stint (usually triggered by a major glowing review), but then a few years down the road you realize you haven’t seen or heard of it again - and usually the company that made them is long gone too (oops!). 

Rogue’s tube power amps give you a lot of sound for the money. They don’t outsource their production, and service its top notch too. Cronus has been a top seller for a long time (all versions) - so there’s orders of magnitude more of them in circulation than other models from boutique-maker tube amps. Being "entry high end", a lot of owners get an itch to upgrade - often because they love it, and want to experience the next level!

Agreed. It’s the audiophile version of survivorship bias - taking the wrong data points and drawing the wrong conclusion

I didn't really draw a conclusion from the fact that many CM IIIs are currently for sale, it was more of an observation/curiosity.  But point taken.

Current Cronus III owner. Previously owned one, sold it, and immediately regretted my decision. My current unit runs KT120 tubes and would not change a thing, although I might try KT88 tubes in the future. 

My listening space is relatively small (11x13) so there is more than enough power for the Omega CAM monitors and SVS subs (able to connect to 2 subs was a selling feature). This is likely my last amp and will just consider factory upgrades.

Bottom line - you cannot go wrong with this amp, and you have no trouble selling it if you want or need to.   

Current owner of the Cronus Dark. My previous amp was a Rogue Audio Pharaoh hybrid. You won’t go wrong with anything from Rogue Audio. Their service is first class, and manufacturing is rock solid. The phono stage in the Cronus is more than acceptable, and will serve you well until you decide to upgrade to a separate phono stage. I use Psvane Summit KT-88’s and Psvane Horizon 12AX7’s. My 12AU7’s are Ray’s Select. I’m driving Klipsch Cornwall IV’s with it, and the sound is excellent. 

If you get the Cronus make sure to get some respectable tubes. I use Gold Lion (Reissue) as power tubes and NOS Sylvania Jan tubes in pre-amp section. I think with many brands, one can always increase the performance and sound with better tubes. I think most audiophiles would agree that different amp topologies and designs will give a distinct sound signature. I have been drawn to tubes upon listening to my first tube amps. That is why I have two integrated tubes amps in two separate systems. A tube phono preamp in another and a tube line stage preamp in a fourth system.