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| Rogue
Audio 66 LSR Pre-amp and 88 Power-amp Issue
15 - January 2002 |
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Ever wonder where the valve equivalent of the pared down, solid-state "budget esoterica" integrated amplifiers are? You know, a drive most things, good sounding basic design for less than UK£500. Well sorry to disappoint you but it's never going to happen. The inherent nature of the technology makes it impossible. That might seem like a strong statement but let's examine the facts. Valve circuits employ much higher voltages than solid-state equivalents making the components they employ more expensive. Add to that the fact that both the quality of the valves themselves and the output transformers is absolutely critical to overall musical performance, and that good ones cost money, and the parts bill is starting to escalate. Next factor in a decent power output and suddenly we need big valves (or lots of small ones) and big transformers to go with them, which as well as being even more expensive, also require a large (and expensive) chassis to contain them. I'm afraid that good, competent, all-round valve amps are always going to be the expensive preserve of the dedicated enthusiast. |
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| So what are we to make of the Rogue Audio 66 and 88? Here we have a genuine pre-power combination enclosed in stylish and beautifully executed casework. The 66 pre-amp uses a separate outboard power supply, offers six inputs and a choice of remote control volume or a MM phono-stage. With mute and balance too, the only thing missing is a mono switch, and let's face it, that's just a personal foible that most people will never use. The 88 power-amp is contained in a substantial, fan-cooled enclosure finished with Rogue's distinctive milled aluminium faceplate. Inside you'll find a round dozen tubes, with four KT88s arranged in ultra-linear output pairs providing a healthy 60 Watts per channel. Take the lids off both units and you'll find evidence of cost cutting hard to find. There might not be the dusting of "audiophile" brand name components (more on that subject later) but as Rogue are quick to point out, those are very much the expensive icing on the cake. All the fancy bits in the world can't turn a poor basic circuit into a good one. Much more important they reason, to worry about getting it right in the first place. The 66 and 88 represent a set of seriously well engineered and presented, classic valve amps. They are large, heavy and imported. Nothing unusual there then. The difference is that they only cost UK£1295 and UK£1495 respectively, and that's for products that have been brought across the Atlantic. Not surprisingly Rogue Audio has built an enviable reputation for value in their home market. It's a reputation that started with the 66 pre-amp and has embraced each and every subsequent product, including the 99 pre-amp and M120 monoblocks previously reviewed by CB. What's more interesting is that these aren't simple me-too or re-hashed application circuits. The Rogue products are carefully considered and implemented designs in their own right: Hardly surprising given the design and engineering credentials of the company's owners. Indeed, there ale a number of unusual features, such as the application of fixed bias, even in the powerful M120s. Dig a little deeper and you'll find other nice touches like the mechanically isolated transformers in the power-amp. There's no mistaking the thoughtful and considered choices that have been made in the design and development of these products. Looking at specifics, the 66 pre-amp has its own, highly regulated, off-board HT supply. The line stage employs a pair of 12AU7s, and if you go with the phono option then that adds a further four 6DJ8s. The balance and volume pots are sourced from Noble, another case of spending money where it matters. The unit that arrived for review was the 66LSR complete with its solidly built two button remote control. Not being a fan of remotes I would have preferred to try the phono option, but understandably these are far rarer beasts in this day and age. The remote works fine, with a decent range of operation, but I'd have liked better level indication on the pre-amp, and a mute button would have rounded things off nicely. The 88 power-amp is a model of common sense. It offers a pair of phono inputs and single sets of binding posts for each channel. Internal adjustments allow you to optimise the transformers for 4 or 8 Ohm loads, and there's even a switch to allow the output stage to be reconfigured into triode mode (if you absolutely must). The cooling fan is temperature controlled, and rarely activated in my colder than average listening room. When it did (with the cat asleep on the top grille) it made nothing more than a low murmur and I can't see it disturbing anybody In use, both units were completely fuss free, testament to the sound engineering that's gone into them. Internally, the amp makes use of massive regulation that accounts for the high component count. Overall, the 88 weighs in at an impressive 55lbs dead weight, just in case you thought that a few material corners had been cut along the way. It's an impressive package, regardless of price, but pitched at UK£1500 it has the look of a real bargain. Having said that, there's only one way to find out. |
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I used the Rogue amps between the Eikos and Marantz SA-1 digital front-ends and Living Voice and Audioplan Kontrast speakers, the latter providing a particularly happy match. Vinyl replay was provided for by the Clearlight Recovery, armed with an Incognito Rega arm and Lyra Helikon cartridge. The Groove stepped in to amplify the signal. Both the Rogue units fitted perfectly into my Clearlight RDC racks, and accommodation shouldn't be a problem. For those who don't get on with the sculpted silver faceplates, there's also a black option. It's a matter of personal opinion, but I'd take the silver every time. |
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| It's rare indeed to receive a pair of equally matched pre and power amps for review and the Rogue's are no exception. Generally speaking it is the pre-amp that suffers, and so it is here. The only surprising aspect is the 66's stellar reputation in the US. It makes me wonder what these guys are listening to. However, before we get carried away let's make it clear that the 66 is far from a bad product. In fact it's actually pretty good. The problem is that it's eclipsed by the truly outstanding performance of the 88 power-amp. |
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| Listening as a pair it's the 66 that dominates proceedings. Playing the wonderful opening track from Gillian Welch's Time (The Revelator) (Acony Records ACNY-0103) it is hard to miss the pre-amp's influence. I hear it in a broadband tint that robs the guitars of individuality and the voice of colour. |
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| There's a consistent texture there too, not exactly a grain, more like orange peel, that homogenises the harmonic structure of the notes. Finally, there's a hesitancy and lack of melodic fluidity, and this on music where the melodic line is both everything and beautifully delivered. Sounds pretty damning huh? Well, on the plus side the 66 offers presence and emphatic dynamics, excellent s separation and excellent top to bottom evenness, which are no mean achievements in a pre-amp at this price. I'm tempted to pass it on to PR with his recent experience of the Crofts for a second opinion. |
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| Pre-amps have always been the hardest part of the amplification equation, with worthwhile models being countable on the fingers of one hand. The only stuff around for comparison with the 66 is both proven and more expensive, so whilst it's easy to criticise the little Rogue Audio unit I'm not sure you can do any better for the money, and that's really the point, because the 88 deserves better - a lot better. Substituting the Klimo Merlin, a similarly specced but rather more expensive unit, in place of the 66 allowed the 88 to spread its wings. The new pre-amp brought a much more natural tonal palette to proceedings, but it was the timing and flow of the music that was transformed. The shape and sustain of the notes, the way they are stretched, the subtle little dynamic graduations that accent the melody were all far more convincing. With music as sparse as this (two acoustic guitars with an occasional backing vocal) the believability of the presentation is critical to its enjoyment. Each and every deviation stands out like the moustache on the Mona Lisa. What the Rogue Audio 88 allows is the music to enjoy its full range of dynamic and temporal expression without imposing itself on proceedings. Of course that's what low powered, single output pair, push-pull valve amps are renowned for. The difference is that the Rogue offers a healthy 60 Watts per channel which will happily embrace a whole host of distinctly real world speakers. |
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| Turning to the other end of the spectrum Eiji Oue's fantastic performance of the Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances (Reference Recordings RR-96CD) gave the 88's power delivery full rein. But the really impressive thing, in a piece of music which depends on dynamic contrast for its impact and the quiet passages for its effect, was not so much the sheer power and volume of the loud passages, but the fact that the crescendi arrived exactly on time. Dynamic scaling was excellent, allowing each orchestral layer to build on the last, but it was the way in which blasts of broadband energy were delivered right across the lower registers without any slurring, emphasis or lag that really delivered the full orchestral impact. It's a trick which eludes far too many real power house amps, and whilst the 88 isn't in that league it has power enough for most of us. Equally impressive were the quieter passages, revelling in the 88's broad, stable yet intimate sound stage. |
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The complex and constantly shifting contrasts of Rachmaninoff's score were beautifully preserved, held separate without ever being dismantled. Transparency and tonal colours are good, but it's this rhythmic and organisational suppleness that makes the Rogue so musically expressive. Whether it's a case of conjuring the individual contributions of the Minnesota players under Oue's baton or the stark intimacy of Gillian Welch, the Rogue proves equal to the task. I've deliberately chosen examples from opposite ends of the scale simply because that's where so many amps fall down. The Rogue doesn't, because it gets so many of the basics right. Its sure footed stability and the evenness of its energy delivery enabling it to survive in really exotic company whilst demanding more performance than the 66 can provide. Fortunately, the answer lies in Rogue Audio's own 99 pre-amp, which at UK£2000 does for line stages what the 88 does for power-amps. |
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But that's not the whole story. Given the performance of the Rogue Audio amps it was inevitable that someone would ask just what might be possible with better componentry. Well, the answer exists in the shape of the Magnum editions, more expensive versions of the basic Rogue products, built with audiophile bits, and in the case of the power amps, better output valves and transformers. The upgrades add UK£200 to the cost of the 66 and UK£400 to the 88, and yes, they are retrofittable, although the precise logistics of that for UK customers are still being considered. So, whilst the jury's still out on the 66 and the Magnum version might well swing the vote, the 88 is a definite star. It could just be that elusive all-rounder I've been searching for. The 88 Magnum sure has a hard act to follow, but hey I'm reviewing it in the next issue so all will be revealed. |
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| TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Rogue
Audio 66 LSR Pre-amp Rogue
Audio 88 Power-amp Distributor:
Manufacturer:
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