OCTOBER 2006
The Rogue Stereo 90 amp is set up and running in my main system. I
ended up picking it up on the way back from Massachusetts where I left my
daughter at college. My wife and I were looking at what route we wanted to
take home and it became obvious that dropping down into New York State
would be a viable way to go. So I contacted the seller of the amp about
picking the Rogue 90 up rather than having it shipped. We worked out a
plan where he would meet me with the amp just north of New York City,
which was fine except that the Map Quest maps we were using were wrong
and showed an Interstate exit that didn’t exist. Other than that, things
worked fine.
I’m really glad that I brought the Rogue back with me. Packed, the box is all
I want to try to lift. I can only imagine UPS dropping and dragging it around
during transit, not an image that I find comforting.
The Rogue sounds very good. There were a number of changes needed to
integrate it into the main system, which took time and are still being
evaluated. I will write about everything in detail in an article on the Rogue
itself. One thing that I am very pleased with, though, is how quiet the
Rogue is. It is even quieter than the VTL. I also really like the built-in
biasing system. I’m looking forward to trying some different tubes in it
once I get a handle on its sound. So far, the Rogue seems to have better
detail and less precise imaging than the VTL. This may be only a temporary
observation as, for example, I had to make longer interconnect cables and
they have had no time to break-in.
Since buying the Rogue, the VTL has started making popping noises in the
right channel when switched off. It is also running much hotter than I ever
recall it doing. Buying the Rogue may be more opportune than I first
thought.
The trip to central Massachusetts was made almost entirely in the rain but
did have a few bright spots. We were driving through upstate New York
when I saw an exit sign for Vestal, New York. Audio Classics is in Vestal, so
I promised my wife and daughter that if we could find it quickly, I would just
briefly check it out. Well, we found it without any problem. And I spent
about an hour having a very nice conversation with Ernie Schleider, mostly
about daughters and college, but we fitted in some audio talk, too. Just
seeing all the McIntosh equipment Audio Classics has is amazing. The place
is just packed with stuff. I’m glad I got a chance to visit and am grateful for
Ernie’s time. I’m sure I’ll be back. www.audioclassics.com
I also had a pleasant but brief visit to Spearit Sound in Northampton,
Massachusetts. I got to see some Jolida tube amps that I was unaware of.
They also carry a good selection of used equipment--unfortunately nothing
that I needed or could afford. I had no time to listen but everyone was very
nice to me. They also sell over the web at www.spearitsound.com.
September has been an interesting month for estate and garage sales. I
bought and sold a pair of Klipsch Heresy speakers, which gave the audio
budget a nice little boost. (Buying and selling like this is how I feed my
habit.) I have an interesting Marantz SR-1020 receiver waiting to try out in
the living room system. I am presently running a Luxman R-117 receiver in
the living room that I am also trying to sell. I still enjoy hearing different
kinds of equipment even though sound-wise much of it isn’t terribly
exciting. The Luxman is rated at 160 Watts but doesn’t sound any more
dynamic than the Eico. Nor does it image quite as well. It is still a nice
sounding receiver though.
This has been a very good month for used CDs. I have over thirty CDs
sitting in the listening room waiting for the time to hear them. Most of
them are classical music, including quite a few with the St. Louis Symphony
and Leonard Slatkin, but there are also some interesting jazz CDs and other
stuff as well. I have found nothing in the way of CDs all spring and summer
and then found them everywhere I went this month. I was in a local
Goodwill store and found six interesting CDs. When I went to pay for
them, it turned out that it was two-for-one day on CDs so they only cost
me a dollar fifty each. On the way to the car with them, I found a five dollar
bill blowing around the parking lot! Net cost: four bucks, a very good day in
my book.
Hope your September has been good, too.
Kent Johnson
September 28, 2006
The Rogue Stereo 90 amp is set up and running in my main system. I
ended up picking it up on the way back from Massachusetts where I left my
daughter at college. My wife and I were looking at what route we wanted to
take home and it became obvious that dropping down into New York State
would be a viable way to go. So I contacted the seller of the amp about
picking the Rogue 90 up rather than having it shipped. We worked out a
plan where he would meet me with the amp just north of New York City,
which was fine except that the Map Quest maps we were using were wrong
and showed an Interstate exit that didn’t exist. Other than that, things
worked fine.
I’m really glad that I brought the Rogue back with me. Packed, the box is all
I want to try to lift. I can only imagine UPS dropping and dragging it around
during transit, not an image that I find comforting.
The Rogue sounds very good. There were a number of changes needed to
integrate it into the main system, which took time and are still being
evaluated. I will write about everything in detail in an article on the Rogue
itself. One thing that I am very pleased with, though, is how quiet the
Rogue is. It is even quieter than the VTL. I also really like the built-in
biasing system. I’m looking forward to trying some different tubes in it
once I get a handle on its sound. So far, the Rogue seems to have better
detail and less precise imaging than the VTL. This may be only a temporary
observation as, for example, I had to make longer interconnect cables and
they have had no time to break-in.
Since buying the Rogue, the VTL has started making popping noises in the
right channel when switched off. It is also running much hotter than I ever
recall it doing. Buying the Rogue may be more opportune than I first
thought.
The trip to central Massachusetts was made almost entirely in the rain but
did have a few bright spots. We were driving through upstate New York
when I saw an exit sign for Vestal, New York. Audio Classics is in Vestal, so
I promised my wife and daughter that if we could find it quickly, I would just
briefly check it out. Well, we found it without any problem. And I spent
about an hour having a very nice conversation with Ernie Schleider, mostly
about daughters and college, but we fitted in some audio talk, too. Just
seeing all the McIntosh equipment Audio Classics has is amazing. The place
is just packed with stuff. I’m glad I got a chance to visit and am grateful for
Ernie’s time. I’m sure I’ll be back. www.audioclassics.com
I also had a pleasant but brief visit to Spearit Sound in Northampton,
Massachusetts. I got to see some Jolida tube amps that I was unaware of.
They also carry a good selection of used equipment--unfortunately nothing
that I needed or could afford. I had no time to listen but everyone was very
nice to me. They also sell over the web at www.spearitsound.com.
September has been an interesting month for estate and garage sales. I
bought and sold a pair of Klipsch Heresy speakers, which gave the audio
budget a nice little boost. (Buying and selling like this is how I feed my
habit.) I have an interesting Marantz SR-1020 receiver waiting to try out in
the living room system. I am presently running a Luxman R-117 receiver in
the living room that I am also trying to sell. I still enjoy hearing different
kinds of equipment even though sound-wise much of it isn’t terribly
exciting. The Luxman is rated at 160 Watts but doesn’t sound any more
dynamic than the Eico. Nor does it image quite as well. It is still a nice
sounding receiver though.
This has been a very good month for used CDs. I have over thirty CDs
sitting in the listening room waiting for the time to hear them. Most of
them are classical music, including quite a few with the St. Louis Symphony
and Leonard Slatkin, but there are also some interesting jazz CDs and other
stuff as well. I have found nothing in the way of CDs all spring and summer
and then found them everywhere I went this month. I was in a local
Goodwill store and found six interesting CDs. When I went to pay for
them, it turned out that it was two-for-one day on CDs so they only cost
me a dollar fifty each. On the way to the car with them, I found a five dollar
bill blowing around the parking lot! Net cost: four bucks, a very good day in
my book.
Hope your September has been good, too.
Kent Johnson
September 28, 2006
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