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Audio Research VSi-60 vs Rogue Cronus Magnum side-by-side comparison

Posted by AbeCollins (A) on October 24, 2014 at 13:37:27

I've always wanted to try the relatively compact ARC VSi-60 Integrated amp and when I found a lightly used one in MINT condition with the silver faceplate, I pulled the trigger and bought it. Thank you Audiogon. There was another one with all black faceplate available but I prefer the silver face with black buttons which go well with most of my other gear. Yup, superficial stuff especially since I don't spend a lot of time staring at my gear while I listen to music.

So here we have the 100wpc $2295 USD MSRP Rogue Cronus Magnum with KT120 power tubes and the 50wpc $4495 USD Audio Research VSi-60 also with KT120 output tubes. The Rogue has an active all vacuum tube preamp section. The ARC has a passive volume control ahead of JFET gain stages and 6h30 drivers.

My first observation was that the ARC is fairly light weight as I lifted it from it's shipping box. I confirmed what I experienced after looking up the specs. The ARC weighs in at 35-Lbs and the Rogue is 50-Lbs. A lot of that weight difference appears to be in the transformers. The Rogue power supply transformer and each of the two audio output transformers appear to be about 30% larger than the ones in the ARC. This may also account for the difference in power output specs between the two amps. 100wpc vs 50wpc.

Both amps are very well built but the ARC looks more pleasing to the eye from a design perspective. The ARC looks more modern with front panel and remote control functionality to match. The Rogue appears old school with basic rotary input selector knob, balance control knob, and larger volume control knob. The ARC has square push buttons for Power, Mute, Mono, Input Select, Volume Up, Volume Down, along with LED indicators showing which input is selected and Volume level. The plastic ARC remote is also 'full-function' while the beefy aluminum Rogue remote offers basic Volume Up / Volume Down.

In Rogue's favor, it does come with a decent phono stage and headphone amp. The ARC has no phono section and no headphone jack. And although the MM phono on the Rogue isn't fantastic, it's not bad at all - better than a couple bargain basement outboard phono preamps I've had including one by Cambridge Audio and the other being the Musical Fidelity V-LPS.

Rogue Cronus Magnum & ARC VSi-60 Side-by-side


But how do they sound, Abe?

Coming off the Rogue Cronus Magnum which has been my favorite integrated amp for a long time, my initial knee jerk reaction hearing the ARC for the first time was that the ARC was 'bright'.

- The Rogue is warmer and richer sounding especially in the lower mids and it's bass is a bit rounder and fuller. This is an amp I can listen to for hours with no fatigue. And did I mention it has a nice full-bodied robust sound to it, even at modest listening levels? It doesn't have to be cranked up to sound great.

- On the flip side, the ARC is snappier and more agile, probably more toward 'neutral' sonically but it still has that liquid smooth tube sound. It is more revealing and transparent than the Rogue. The top end on the ARC is more extended and crisp. It's not bright but it does seem to have better treble extension than the Rogue.

Both amps produce a nice soundstage but the ARC is little larger and more 3-dimensional.

The ARC mates nicely with my Tannoy Definition D500 speakers but I'm not sure it would be a good match for my more detailed and power hungry Thiel CS2.4's. At 50wpc the ARC might be border line for these speakers. The Rogue was border line on the Thiels until I swapped out it's EL34 tubes with the more powerful KT120s. I'm not going to try the ARC on the Thiels because they're packed away down in the basement.

What about "Value" for the money?

No question in my mind that the Rogue Cronus Magnum at half the price of the ARC is the better value. Hands down, no contest! $2295 vs $4495? It's not like the ARC is twice the amp! In fact, it's half the amp if we're talking power output. Yeah, I know, that's like comparing a American muscle car that's quick at a drag strip vs a Euro sports car on a road course. In any case, the Rogue is no slouch and at $2295 it's probably one of the best bargains in audio today. Just my 2-cents worth.

The Rogue may also be the better amp but that really depends on your taste. Some folks have said the Rogue isn't that 'tubey' but compared to the ARC it is to my ears. If you prefer a warmer more harmonically rich sound, the Rogue is the obvious choice over the ARC. If transparency and treble extension is something you crave then the ARC might be more to your liking.

Another data point: My all time favorite sounding tube amps were the bargain priced AES/Cary SixPac monoblocks. Each 50wpc amp came with six EL34 tubes running rather hot but oh so sweet! The Rogue Cronus Magnum isn't quite as lush and romantic sounding but they lean more toward warm and full-bodied vs the ARC.

I like both the ARC and Rogue amps for different reasons. YMMV depending on associated gear in your setup and personal taste.

Mac Mini > Audirvana Plus > PS Audio NuWave DAC > Rogue or ARC amp > Tannoy Definition D500 Speakers.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Atma-Sphere Music Systems, Inc.

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