good points. as for stock tubes the kt120s cannot be beat in my trials. not even close. the jj small signal tubes are not bad but some reasonable cost 12au7s and somewhat reasonable 12ax7 and the amp becomes serious competition.
A great point. I agree the power tubes do not need to be touched. I should have clarified I was referencing the ax7 and au7 positions, with specific attention going to that center au7.
I got that upgrade last year... ui also wasnt very kn owledgeable about such circuitey differences but i was able to hear the difference and it was worth every penny
I purchased a Rogue Sphinx three years ago after it was recommended by a forum member as a possible match for my Klipsch Chorus II’s. The Cronus Magnum was also recommended, however, it was out of my budget at the time. I had been using a SS 90w Denon Integrated that I purchased back in the early 90’s along with the Klipsch, but never knew what I was missing until I heard them with Sphinx. It absolutely transformed my playback level. Fast forward these three years, and I never gave up the desire to upgrade to the Cronus. In the meantime, I upgraded my Project Debut Carbon DC with the VPI Super Prime Scout special that Upscale Audio offered a year or so back. When I got wind of the CM III and it’s latest improvements, I decided to pull the trigger. I’ve had the CM III for a couple of days, and I love it. Haven’t had a lot of time with it obviously, but loving what I hear so far!
I have my Sphinx 2 with my Klipsch Quartets... its a match made in heaven.... you will notice the cronus Mag has a whole different sound... i love both of my Rogue integrateds for what they each do. The Sphinx for general listening in the main iving room and the Cronus Magnum in my listening room for when i want to sit back and dissolve into the music.... Each amp serves a purpose and they do it well.
Entering a new upgrade phase. Have the Sphinx 2 now and will be buying a CM 3 in a few weeks. Speakers are MMGs or the Totem Model 1 with Storm sub for now. Maybe use the Sphinx in the summer and the CM 3 in winter months <grin>. Had an original CM I sold last year with the intention of eventually buying a 3. I love the sound of both...and really like having a tube or (mostly) solid state option just for an occasional change. I love the Rogue sound and the way the company goes about their business. Great value, too.
I agree. I’m keeping the Sphinx for a 2nd system I’ll eventually put together in my study. I was gonna trade it in on the Cronus, but then realized I’d be mad at myself later on, and that it would be better making it work financially now and holding on to it. It’s a great amp, but hoping that the CM will open up my vinyl playback with the improved phono stage. I’m using a 2M Bronze on the Scout, but it’s nice knowing I can now explore MC cartridges on it in the future.
I’ve only played one album on the CM III to this point just to confirm its operation, and it sounded great. The phono stage in my Sphinx V2 sounded good as well, however it has been my only benchmark into vinyl playback since the mid 80’s. Sorry, I can’t help with your inquiry on Jc3 Jr. I’ll post in the future on how the CM III does when I have some time with it.
I used the phonostage for a few months on my CM2 when i first got it and i remember it being fine. I wanted an all tube sound though and soon got a Parks audio " Budgie". I have never used the phonostage on the Sphinx 2 as i also bought aa paarks audio "puffin" which i use with it. Ive heard that the Sphinx 2 stage is nice though
as a side to this thread i lived with my CMII for ~ 3 years and loved it but thought i needed more power . so i recently went with a rogue audio preamp and a very good powerful solid state power amplifier. the dynamics and bass are incredible but i miss the rogue audio tube sound so i am picking up a rogue audio tube power amp tomorrow! basically it looks like s souped up cronus magnum but i cannot wait to get that rogue audio tube sound back! you guys cannot underestimate how good these CM amps sound!
The CM is great when that's all you can spend. The next level is in the separates. Since you already have the Rogue preamp, sell the CM, get the Stereo 100, thank me later. -Bill
So on Sunday, i was online looking at preowned preamps at different shops and on a whim contacted a hifi store in Portland Oregon whose website i had been Checking regularly for a couple of weeks in hopes of getting a deal on a preowned preamp. Within a half hour i got a respone saying that amazingly enough, the store had a Rogue Ares Magnum in 9/10 condition and that they hadnt yet listed it and did i want it... it was $1495.00 I checked the stores reputation and after seeing great reviews, i comitted. It was shipped today and im hoping to get it before next friday.... So when it arrives, i will be able to give another Rogue Ates Magnum vs. Parks audio "Budgie" review....
Same here when you hear your CM2 with the upgraded Caps & resistors... your gonna really be pleasantly surprised
I hope so! And just to clarify, I also got the CM3 improvements with the better phono stage, etc. I appreciate folks like yourself mentioning the cap/resistor upgrade as I certainly wouldn't have known about it otherwise. Hope your Ares arrives safe and sound.
It actually shipped last evening so i should get it early next week... as a side note, i emailed them on monday to ask if they knew what it had in it for tubes and the rep emailed back that it was already packaged and he didnt know.. i said no problem... so this morning i get an email from him: Hi Scott, I got confirmation on the tubes: Two beckmann, two mullard. The fellow we got it from spent over $700 on these nice tubes, don't toss them! Best, Matt. So im pretty impressed with this store... i wish it wasnt 3000 miles away haha... anyway, im not familiar with beckman tubes.... im ok with the Mullards
How about the other way around? If you wanted to keep the cm2 for your amp and add a preamp so you technically had seperates as well.... what would be a good preamp to harness to the CM2?
It doesn't need one. The Cronus has a phono preamplifier, a headphone amplifier, and a 12AU7 linestage built into it. If you wanted to buy a preamp, use the CM for a while as a power amp, and then buy a dedicated power amp such as their excellent Stereo 100, then I recommend buying the best preamp that you can afford. That way, you are not replacing it as well as the CM at a later date. It always makes the most sense to buy the best product that you can initially and to keep that for the long haul. So, I like the RP5 for something that is super nice but which mere mortals can afford. The RH5, which @avanti1960 owns, is also a nice choice and at a more affordable price point. -Bill
i didnt think the cronus mag dos has pre to power amp jumpers that would let you use it as a power amp. does the cm III ?
The ares did arrive safe and sound... set it up last night and have been listening for the last couple hours... ive found that all the cliches are present such as,"i hear things ive never heard before" & "it sounds like were in the same room"..... obviously some tracks and albums differ in the positive changes and nuances but overall im pleased and happy with the purchase....
No, but you could run another preamp into one of the line level inputs. Not ideal, but it's easily as good as many other power amps when connected that way. You'd want to leave the attenuator at about 12 o'clock or a bit more if you did that. I am not recommending it, just saying that it could be done. -Bill
