Roger with Rogers

Roger Gibboni of Rogers High Fidelity unveiled the Rogers 34S-1 integrated amplifier ($19,900, top on rack in photo). A dual-mono class-A amplifier with eight EL-34 power tubes, this baby, set to ship in March, has a unique, dedicated iOS platform (visible on Gibboni's iPad) which allows for complete functionality including bad tube indicators. Apple and Android smartphone operation via Bluetooth is included, and auto-bias circuitry and a lifetime warranty are other pluses. On a scale of 1 to 10, this product's cool factor is very, very high.

The sound, on the other hand, was anything but cool. The notably warm and quite lovely midrange through Rogers High Fidelity's 34S-1 integrated and PA-1A phono preamplifier ($7300) graced Madeleine Peyroux's voice with enticing smoothness. Also deserving ample credit were VPI's Avenger turntable with 3D-printed tonearm ($12,000), Ortofon's Cadenza Bronze cartridge ($2300), Devore Fidelity Gibbon X loudspeakers ($15,890/pair), Transparent Reference Series interconnects and speaker cable ($12,300 total), and Box furniture ($4000).

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