Thoughts about tubes and the Cronus Magnum II

MP-501 V5 KT120 KT150 Tube Amplifier

Only a seven day return window, but that's more than some allow and enough to realize if it's any good.

 

MP-402 MK2 FU25 1625 Tube Amplifier

This one should sound more similar to the Rogue being it's a push-pull class AB.

 

These are nice sounding amps.

Integrated Amp | Amplification | Shop High End Audio Equipment - Music Direct

 

The Rogue Cronus Magnum is a fantastic amp with lots of power and an incredible, rich and full sound. The III by all accounts takes it to another level. I will be doing the upgrade.

Save up an extra grand and go for it. Don't think you'll be sorry.

 

I enjoyed a cm2 for a couple years before upgrading.

Mine was used-no hum through various speakers. I did not use the headphone jack and really thought the phono stage was average-but did not buy it for that.

loved ampex in the pre 12au7 slot but rolling other stuff is silly imo.

 

I returned the CMII to the dealer tonight. They said they were going to look into the hums.

I brought home a Rogue RP-1 preamp to try with the power stage on my HK990. Now I'm getting a hum (through the speakers) from the RP-1!

 

These look kind of interesting. Anybody heard them?

 

Yikes!

 

Ugh. There it is, every time a song ends: hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

 

Not really surprised, however, it appears your HK floats the earth ground, so you might try attaching a wire from its phono section ground lug to the ground socket of a nearby outlet.

 

Yeah maybe I will. But this was happening with the CMII also (the HK was plugged in but not connected to CMII in any way). This was not happening with any of the other amps I’ve tried lately.

 

Hum was the bane of any Rogue products that have been through my system. I've heard of similar accounts from countless others, which is why I said I'm not surprised. Still, I wouldn't rule out a ground loop since they use different grounding schemes. My Yamaha and Cayin are silent on their own, but when paired together I get a loud hum.

 

This is my vote as well.

how is your ground? Rod?

 

The grounding of our electrical system? Yup, big ol' copper rod driven into the ground. Only about 2 years old.

 

My Rogue Cronus is hooked up to stereo M&K subs so if it was a hummer at full blast you would definitely hear it.
It is so quiet you can't even tell it is turned on---at full volume!
The phono section is NOT state of the art but it sounds like a good $400 phono pre and while it makes some noise you have to turn it to full volume to hear it hum faintly.
Compared to other phono sections I have owned it is more like a good outboard unit and better sounding and much quieter than the one I ordered from Bryston with my BP25 pre.
I have replaced the stock center 12AU7 with a Mullard but haven't found any other improvement swapping tubes around.
Stock it was making a slight white noise "hiss" and a little bit of hum and that one Mullard 12AU7 improved the tone while lowering the noise to where it is now.
At this point I'm thrilled with the performance this high value product has demonstrated over the last year.
Careful attention to grounding is par for the course with tube amps and I took my time getting it hooked up correctly.
I remember swapping several different interconnects looking for improvements in shielding to get it to how quiet it is now.
By the way I have a low output moving coil phono setup using Denon DL103r cartridge with K&K trannies.
It takes a lot of gain to run such a cartridge and most guys would be thrilled at how much bang I am getting for the buck...
A defective Cronus might be a problem but mine is one of the best amps I have ever owned and that covers a lot of territory.
The tubes get hot but not dangerously so and no hotter than I expect KT120s to run.
Check my profile if you are curious about what I consider good gear.
Maybe I know more about setups than some folks but that is because I am a professional installation expert by trade.
Some folks have problems sorting out gear---but I am used to the drill by now.
If you love tubes and that sweet musical sound---the Rogue Cronus II is no slouch and a true high end bargain IMHO.

 

I would still prob verify if your able to replicate him with more than one piece of valve equipment

 

Another sure fire way for me to hear something on an electrical circuit through a tube amp-plug a led lamp or light on the same circuit