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Any Rogue Audio Stereo 100 users here? Looking for opinions ....

173.52.235.3
Posted on September 1, 2014 at 19:35:12
Joeinid
Audiophile

Posts: 236
Joined: June 21, 2000
 I had the Rogue Atlas Magnum a while ago and liked it. I like the idea of the triode/UL switch on the Stereo 100 but don't know what other differences exist. Thoughts? Thanks.
Joe

 

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RE: Any Rogue Audio Stereo 100 users here? Looking for opinions ...., posted on September 2, 2014 at 00:14:39
Nunki
Audiophile

Posts: 644
Joined: November 27, 2010
 i assume the ST 100 is exactly and only designed for KT120. so switching over to other 6550, KT88 or even KT77 could be impossible caused by a higher plate voltage especially for that KT120 tube. less flexibility thus.

to boost tube output power necessarily plate voltage has to be lifted. right?.

Nunki

 

RE: Any Rogue Audio Stereo 100 users here? Looking for opinions ...., posted on September 2, 2014 at 05:08:04
Joeinid
Audiophile

Posts: 236
Joined: June 21, 2000
 I have to assume the bias is adjustable, just like the other amps.
Joe

 

RE: Any Rogue Audio Stereo 100 users here? Looking for opinions ...., posted on September 2, 2014 at 05:09:58
Joeinid
Audiophile

Posts: 236
Joined: June 21, 2000

http://www.rogueaudio.com/Products_100.htm
Joe

 

RE: Any Rogue Audio Stereo 100 users here? Looking for opinions ...., posted on September 2, 2014 at 05:28:26
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15524
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 Abe-
is into Rogue gear, maybe he will chime-in here.

 

I had the Tempest II intg., posted on September 2, 2014 at 05:44:26
fin1bxn@msn.com
Audiophile

Posts: 2215
Location: new jersey
Joined: November 15, 2005
 It was the 90 watt version of this with a passive preamp. I don't think it was one of their best products.

I cant say enough about the company, anytime I called I had great service...

I had this hooked up to Spendor SP1/2e when I had it

 

RE: Any Rogue Audio Stereo 100 users here? Looking for opinions ...., posted on September 2, 2014 at 11:05:47
AbeCollins
Audiophile

Posts: 46294
Location: USA
Joined: June 22, 2001
Contributor
  Since: February 2, 2002
 I have experience with the prior model Rogue Stereo 90 Super Magnum which I had 'hand picked' KT120 tubes installed. I bought the KT120s direct from Rogue at a very fair price, no crazy markup over other suppliers like the TubeStore or TubeDepot.

I'm not sure if Rogue made big design changes to the ST-100, you should ask them, but one of the issues with using KT120s in the Stereo 90 was proper fit with the amp cover on. Some KT120s are slightly taller than others and when installed, the perforated cover might touch the top of the tube, preventing you from securing the cover with it's screws.

Rogue hand picked 'short' KT120s for use in my Stereo 90 and everything fit and sounded wonderful. I would imagine that at a minimum Rogue changed some dimensions somewhere to ensure proper fit with any off the shelf KT120. Just a guess, but I would hope they fixed this in the ST-100.

As for sound, my Stereo 90 Super Magnum with KT120s was wonderful but I sold it as the Cronus Magnum integrated is slightly 'warmer' probably due to it's built-in tube linestage. I was driving the Stereo 90 directly from my W4S DAC at the time but a good tube linestage would likely have been a better combo.


 

RE: I had the Tempest II intg., posted on September 2, 2014 at 11:26:30
AbeCollins
Audiophile

Posts: 46294
Location: USA
Joined: June 22, 2001
Contributor
  Since: February 2, 2002
Rogue had a number of Tempest models over the years. Do you know if they switched to an active preamp section in later versions?



 

RE: Any Rogue Audio Stereo 100 users here? Looking for opinions ...., posted on September 2, 2014 at 12:48:36
Mendel
Audiophile

Posts: 1207
Location: GTA
Joined: January 17, 2009
 The Stereo 100 looks exactly the same as the Stereo 90---same power supply caps, meter, layout, tube fuses, etc. Since the Stereo 90 could use almost every output tube type including KT120s, I assume the Stereo 100 can as well. The big difference is the change in driver tubes from 6sn7 to 12au7. I prefer the 6sn7 drivers of the stereo 90, not sure why Rogue went with the 12au7s.
One nice feature is the seperate tube fuses and bias pots for each output tubes. This protects your amp should a tube fail, and allows you to use unmatched output tubes. Handy if you want to try NOS tubes like Mullard EL34s or GEC KT66---try finding a matched quad of those!
The sound is not very tubey (with the stock EH tubes) if that is what you are looking for, but has enough bloom in the midrange that it will not be mistaken for a solid-state amp. Very neutral sounding I think. You can make the amp richer by substituting tubes.
IMO the (Stereo 90) amp sounds superior in triode mode and I rarely use it in UL. Great service from the company, whenever I have called or e-mailed I have gotten immediate help.
An option you might consider is looking for a used Stereo 90. Then use the money you save to upgrade the coupling caps,diodes, binding posts, key resistors and wiring. I modified my stereo 90 and was surprised by the sonic gains. I liked it stock but liked it even better after the mods.
I think you can't go wrong with either amp.

 

RE: Any Rogue Audio Stereo 100 users here? Looking for opinions ...., posted on September 2, 2014 at 14:58:17
mulveling
Audiophile

Posts: 222
Location: Atl
Joined: April 29, 2011
 I also don't know Rogue's reason for changing from 6sn7 to 12au7, but that's in line with their top M180 and Apollo monoblocks. They also claim to be using better parts quality in this new ST100, including Mundorf EVO coupling caps, which even my Hera II and Apollo don't have (just the Mundorf M-Cap and standard Supreme).

I know that the 6sn7 should be electrically superior to any 12au7, and I'm no big fan of the 12au7, but I've been far more disappointed by the 6sn7. Every piece of gear I've had that has taken 6sn7 has either been replaced in short order with a better sounding non-6sn7'd component, or the 6sn7 has been subbed for something else (where possible). The only 6sn7 I've heard that I really like is Tung-Sol RPBG, and those are now impossibly rare & expensive (they also don't sound at all close to any other 6sn7, which is suspicious) -- and many of the few that find their way back to the used market are pushing RIGHT UP against end of life (and they'll still sound great, but not for long...). At least most 12au7 slots can be subbed with a 12bh7, which is a much better tube.

In one particularly flexible headphone amp, I could swap between 6sn7, any 12a_7, and 2c51 types for input/gain -- here a WE 396A completely obliterated everything else; a cheap GE 12ay7 was still far better than any 6sn7 other than the TS RPBG. That same amp could use 6sn7, 5687, or 6bx7 drivers; the latter 2 were FAR superior in every respect (at the usual expense of higher filament draw), and much cheaper too.

Any gear using 6sn7 usually makes my interest wane. This tube has a rep for "monster tone", but the rare Tung-Sol is the only one I've heard that from.

 

RE: Any Rogue Audio Stereo 100 users here? Looking for opinions ...., posted on September 2, 2014 at 22:14:47
AbeCollins
Audiophile

Posts: 46294
Location: USA
Joined: June 22, 2001
Contributor
  Since: February 2, 2002
I loved the Cary SL-05 linestage. It is an all 6SN7 design.

 

Sorry, dont know - Nt, posted on September 3, 2014 at 06:38:35
fin1bxn@msn.com
Audiophile

Posts: 2215
Location: new jersey
Joined: November 15, 2005
 NT

 

RE: Any Rogue Audio Stereo 100 users here? Looking for opinions ...., posted on September 3, 2014 at 07:21:22
Mendel
Audiophile

Posts: 1207
Location: GTA
Joined: January 17, 2009
 Sorry must disagree. Had the Stereo 88 originally (which Rogue then converted to a Stereo 90) which used the 12au7s and MUCH prefer 6sn7 as drivers for those amps. To imply that the Tung Sol round plate is the only real good sounding 6sn7 strains your credibility. So many good 6sn7s out there.
I find the 6sn7 drivers give you a better tool in voicing the amp, the 12au7s I tried all sounded very similar. Much prefer rolling and collecting 6sn7s, to each his own but in general I will take an octal over a mini any day.

 

RE: Any Rogue Audio Stereo 100 users here? Looking for opinions ...., posted on September 19, 2014 at 06:29:30
samzx12
Audiophile

Posts: 378
Location: Kentucky
Joined: November 6, 2002
 Mendel is spot on with the 6SN7 opinion. Could not agree more. I have a Tempest 2 and have rolled several types of 6SN7's and find I can tailor/change the sound much easier with these than power tubes or 12ax7's. I did like the matched quad of KT-90 rather than the EH KT-88 stock tubes I bought directly from Rogue. The only downfall to the 6SN7 tube rolling is they can get rather expensive but there are plenty of very good sounding ones at a reasonable cost.

 

The Tempest III had an active pre-amp section..., posted on September 20, 2014 at 18:55:01
classfolkphile
Audiophile

Posts: 533
Location: Florida
Joined: December 17, 2002
 actually switchable between 0 and 10db of gain.

 

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