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Before I took the Rogue through its final evaluation, I returned to my Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista pre/power reference combo, along with the Joseph Audio RM7si speakers and the Soliloquy S10 powered subwoofer, to refresh my aural palate. I narrowed my selection of recordings to a few discs listened to repeatedly over the course of a couple of days, particularly those that illustrated extreme frequency extension, where I anticipated the Nu-Vista combo would excel. Then I switched to the Rogue preamp, mated primarily with the Nu-Vista 300 power amp: once with the 200W, dual-mono, solid-state…
Sometime back, when I had my Baron upgraded to its final specs (with the Tri-Tube option), I fooled around with some sets of E34L Teslas from Frank Morris of Gold Aero. Those tubes sure did have a lush, open midrange before they sighed, died, and fried a few resistors and pulled down a channel or two. The Baron's original circuit was optimized for the rugged 5881 output tubes, which in my experience are damn near indestructible. The 5881s don't possess in abundance the lavender-cream midrange of the E34L or EL34, but they have more low-end bark and top-end bite, better focus, and faster…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Polarity-inverting tube line-stage preamplifier with remote volume control, separate power supply, ceramic tube sockets, all polypropylene capacitors in signal path and 1% metal-film resistors throughout. Tube complement: two 12AU7. Inputs: five line-level (CD, Tuner, Phono, Aux 1, Aux 2), one tape. Two preamp outputs. Frequency response: 10Hz-50kHz, ±1dB. Voltage gain: 23dB. Rated output: 1.5V RMS. Maximum output: 50V RMS. THD: 0.1%.
Dimensions: Preamplifier: 14" W by 5.5" H by 10.75" D. Weight: 16 lbs. Power supply: 4.125" W by 3" H by 8.875" D…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Rega Planar 3 turntable/tonearm, Grado Reference Master cartridge.
Digital source: Musical Fidelity A3 CD player, California Audio Labs CL-20 DVD/CD player, Sony SCD-777ES SACD player.
Preamplification: Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista preamplifier and X-LP2 phono stage.
Power amplifiers: Mesa Baron, Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300 and A3CR.
Loudspeakers: Joseph Audio RM7si with Soliloquy S10 powered subwoofer, Vandersteen 2CE Signature.
Cables: Interconnects: Synergistic Research Resolution Reference Mk.II, Designer's Reference (with…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Although the Rogue 66LSR was tested using its "CD" inputs, all of its inputs appear identical, including the one marked Phono. The unity-gain setting of the volume control was 3:00, and the gain with the volume control at its maximum measured very much lower than specified: 9.1dB rather than 23dB. In addition, the second pair of outputs was inoperative in either passive or active mode. As all the operating voltages appeared to be correct, no fuses were blown, and there was no sign of "cooked" components, I assumed that the preamp's main signal path was operating…
The Rogue preamplifier gave the lowest THD+noise readings when its input and output floated above ground, which suggests something peculiar in its internal grounding. Much to my surprise, the 66LSR gave lower distortion into 10k ohms than into 100k ohms. This can be seen in fig.4, which plots the THD+N percentage against the output voltage into the two loads. The lower trace was taken into 10k ohms, and reveals a sensible gain architecture: the preamp offers the lowest distortion, 0.07%, at around 2V output, which is near the level at which the partnering amplifier will clip. Below that…
When I learned that Madrigal Audio Labs was marketing their first integrated amplifier, the Mark Levinson No.383, I felt this was a big change for the Connecticut company. Mark Levinson literally started the high-end marketing revolution back in the early 1970s by manufacturing cost-no-object separate amplifiers and preamplifiers. The purist designs had one overriding rule: employ the simplest circuit path possible. Each amplifier or preamplifier used only individual circuit-board components (no integrated circuits) and had a minimal number of controls, eschewing elaborate switches and tone…
Ergonomic Heaven
That user-friendliness begins with the No.383's size and weight. At 65 lbs, this baby is the lightest and smallest ML amplifier. The 112-lb No.334 ($5900), the 155-lb, 250Wpc No.335 ($7900), and the 165-lb, 350Wpc No.336 ($9500) are so massive that they require two people—both wearing Madrigal's white-ribbed protective gloves, of course—to safely unpack them.
That user-friendliness begins with the No.383's size and weight. At 65 lbs, this baby is the lightest and smallest ML amplifier. The 112-lb No.334 ($5900), the 155-lb, 250Wpc No.335 ($7900), and the 165-lb, 350Wpc No.336 ($9500) are so massive that they require two people—both wearing Madrigal's white-ribbed protective gloves, of course—to safely unpack them.
Stacking the No.383 atop a Mark Levinson No.334 made this point convincingly. The No.383 shares most of the No.334's physical dimensions, including its width and depth. It, too, has the rounded heatsink edges…
Circuitry and Construction
The No.383's back panel features five analog input pairs, for use with sources single-ended (three pairs of Madrigal-designed RCA inputs) or balanced (two pairs of Swiss-made XLR inputs). The No.383's rear handles protect the interconnect cables if the unit is upended onto its rear panel. All the sockets mount directly to the printed-circuit board (PCB), and inputs are independently buffered. Unselected inputs have their ground connections lifted, eliminating a path by which noise might enter the chassis. All single-ended signals are converted to balanced at…
The No.383's back panel features five analog input pairs, for use with sources single-ended (three pairs of Madrigal-designed RCA inputs) or balanced (two pairs of Swiss-made XLR inputs). The No.383's rear handles protect the interconnect cables if the unit is upended onto its rear panel. All the sockets mount directly to the printed-circuit board (PCB), and inputs are independently buffered. Unselected inputs have their ground connections lifted, eliminating a path by which noise might enter the chassis. All single-ended signals are converted to balanced at…
Listening
Most listening was done in the nearfield of my current reference loudspeakers, the Revel Salons. These sat on a circular area rug, 63" from the rear wall and 36" from the sidewalls. Imaging and soundstaging were optimized when speakers and listening chair described an 8' equilateral triangle, measured from the tweeter centers.
Most listening was done in the nearfield of my current reference loudspeakers, the Revel Salons. These sat on a circular area rug, 63" from the rear wall and 36" from the sidewalls. Imaging and soundstaging were optimized when speakers and listening chair described an 8' equilateral triangle, measured from the tweeter centers.
The good news is that the No.383 played with clarity, transparency, liquid mids and highs, and an ability to render dynamic contrasts second only to that of the Mark Levinson No.334. Whether driving the Dynaudio Contour 3.0s, Quad ESL-63s, B&W…