| Rogue Audio Perseus Magnum Preamplifer Review |
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| Home Theater Preamplifiers Stereo Preamps | |||||
| Written by Andre Marc | |||||
| Thursday, 27 October 2011 | |||||
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Rogue Audio has enjoyed a loyal following for many years now, and when I reviewed their entry level Atlas power amplifier with Magnum upgrades, I saw what all the fuss was about. It was an amazingly built, made in the U.S.A., ballsy sounding tube amplifier. The Atlas Magnum cast a huge soundstage and was a true heavyweight in the bass area. It was also priced at an embarrassing to the competition $1995. As a matter of fact, if I had not already invested in a more expensive tube amp, I would have sprung for the Atlas Magnum.
After such a positive experience, I sought out a review sample of a Rogue tubed preamplifier. Mark O’Brien, the man behind Rogue Audio kindly sent me a Perseus preamp with Magnum upgrades. The standard Perseus sells for $1895, and the Magnum version for $2195. The Perseus has been in production for a number of years, but was tweaked with updated circuitry back in 2009.
Magnum upgrades include:
These are not just cosmetic or surface improvements. These are significant and somewhat costly parts upgrades. In either version, the Perseus is a full function preamp, with the ALPS volume control that can be commanded via the chunky metal remote. There is a bypass feature, a mute button, and beautifully machined volume, source, and balance control knobs. There is also a high gain phono section which is user adjustable and compatible with moving coil and moving magnet cartridges. Unfortunately I won’t be able to report on it as I gave up the vinyl ghost years ago. Around back there are two sets of variable outputs and one fixed output, any of which can be used with a subwoofer.
Set Up:
Out of the box, the Perseus Magnum is very impressive. The preamp is available is silver or black, and my review sample arrived in a sinister black finish, which made for a rather stunning contrast to the silver knobs. A cage protects the four upgraded 12AU7 tubes that protrude from the top of the chassis in the Magnum version. I had the Perseus Magnum set up in 5 minutes, as the tubes came pre installed. I put them atop a set of Symposium Rollerblocks for vibration control, and used my reference Acoustic Zen Tsunami II AC cord. |
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