Axel
Thanks, that's exactly the feedback I'm looking for, an actual user rather than speculator!
Gotcha.... I had the Rogue Metis, Rogue Perseus, and the Rogue 99 hooked up to my Summits with the Plinius sa102 as the middleman.
As far as the Metis, I thought it was a very good entry level tube preamp! Very good performer, but as I got up the Rogue lineup, I noticed that they had a very similar sound to them... atleast it had this "sizzle", this spice that it adds to the music that made it sound a bit more directed at you.
Now, I never got around to a write up for the 99 vs the Cary Audio SLP-98, but I remember listening to the two in direct A/B for about 1 hour before deciding on the winner. Obviously, you will notice which one stayed per my sig.
The reason why the 98 sounds better is because it has a way fuller soundstage, instruments sound better, and isnt "thin" sounding which the 99 turned out to sound like after the A/B session. By "thin" I mean this in the centerfill and not the bass (I couldnt really tell the difference between the 2 in this aspect)... the 99 just had this unnatural feel that made it sound more like speakers and less like reality, especially evident in Ella Fitzgerald's Sleigh Ride when the trumpets come out from the R stage. Add to the "thin" feel, the sizzle, and I get this feeling that Frank Sinatra is "yelling at me".
The Cary 98 is a more natural performer... less "sizzle", not "thin", and a lot better in terms of build quality. The 99 has a very audible harmonic oddity through the Summits whenever I turn up the volume using the remote... and a tap on the chassis results in reverb through the Summits, bad microphonics. The Cary is far quieter, point to point wiring, easy access to the tubes for tube rolling.... which is my next report as I just recently tube rolled from the China stock tubes to some NOS Sylvania 6sn7gtb!
Anyway, I like the solidity of vocal imaging far too good on the Cary 98, moreso than on the 99. Add to that a more natural sound all across the board on the 98 and a seemingly more lush centerfill and more coherently put-together soundstage. Lastly, add to that the solid build of the 98, and it was a no brainer for me and my Summits.
Next up is the Cary 05 for Christmas 07... that has a nice ring to it doesnt it?
Anyway, here are some pics since everyone likes pics!
Good luck, Jerry! I will add this, the Perseus (2nd top from the line) was a pretty good performer, I thought it was the sweet gem of Rogue's lineup. I didnt find the 99 to be that much better for what you pay over the Perseus. Also, you should know that Rogue is coming out with a new top of the line pre.
