I used the Ninety Nine on two separate power amplifiers. First my usual Audio Research VS55 50 wpc reference, with KT120 tubes, and then with the new Bob Carver Black Magic 20 wpc amp with EL84M tubes. Both worked beautifully with the Rogue, and I had a hard time picking a favorite. Both combinations breathed life into every piece of music I cued up, and the sense of refinement was clear.

The gain setting on the Ninety Nine came in very handy on a number of selections. For instance, the SACD of Shelby Lynne’s sublime Just A Little Lovin’ is extremely quiet, one of the quietest digital releases I can remember. The SACD was mastered with literally zero compression or added gain.  No complaints there, but getting realistic volume required turning the volume up to 75% of maximum.  Increasing the gain setting a notch made it much easier to find the perfect sweet spot for this meticulously recorded album. 

The superb SACD version of the classic Moody Blues album, In Search Of The Lost Chord, was ravishing with the Rogue and Carver combo. Justin Hayward’s majestic vocals, and the band’s impressionistic soundscapes sounded absolutely lifelike and the psychedelic vibe of the time was recreated in full measure. The stunning B Side on the second disc, “King And Queen” brought it all home, with a melancholy melody and a sweeping, Mellotron heavy arrangement. If it is at all possible to get “lost” in the music, it happened to this listener here.

Moving on to music of a more recent vintage, the 2000 release Transcendental Sky Guitar by German guitar master, Uli Jon Roth, was beautifully served by the Rogue’s excellent soundstaging. Having seen Roth live in late January, the Rogue captured his Hendrix-inspired tone perfectly. The album happens to be well recorded and the accompanying orchestration and heavy rock sensibility was indeed otherworldly.  

To illustrate how uncolored the Ninety Nine was, I experimented with driving the Bob Carver amp, which features a volume control, with the Marantz SACD player directly. This way I was able to see exactly what sonic signature the Rogue was contributing. What I noticed with the Ninety Nine in the signal path was a very slight darkening or thickening in the sound, and an increase in dynamics. But there was no change in focus or detail retrieval, which indicated to me darn good transparency.  Without the Rogue in the signal path, the sound was a bit flatter, although there was a smidgen more bass articulation and definition.

In operation, the Ninety Nine was flawless. Switching inputs and volume changes were utterly noiseless, save for the occasional mechanical sound of the motorized volume control. The machined remote control was also impressive in its precision when in use. I find it annoying when remote controlled volume changes are too severe in nature. Not so here, I was able to increase or decrease the volume to the exact setting I desired with each recording.

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Jules Lefrançois  - 99 vs Perseus Magnum   |2013-02-21 19:05:07 Hi, Since you reviewed the Perseus Magnum and the 99, could you elaborate on the sonic differences between the two preamps. 1   0

Andre Marc  - Hi Jules     |2013-02-21 21:15:58 Hi Jules: Good question. It has been a significant amount of time since I had the Perseus Magnum in the system. But working strictly from memory, I would say the PM is a bit more lush sounding. They are both very similar...big soundstage, great bass. The Ninety Nine does have a few more features. 0   0

Lance  - Sphinx   |2013-02-22 06:24:12 Would love to read a review of the Sphinx in the near future 0   0

Glen  - 99 close to 100%     |2013-03-22 19:03:53 Thank you for the review of the Rogue 99. It is model I have the most interest in. Lacking perhaps only a HT bypass, I appreciate the many features. Even down to having a headphone output. Home grown and built well and sounding great. Could as for little more. Would like a further information and insight of the sonic differences of the magnum upgrade 0   0

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