How quiet is your Rogue Sphinx?

Thanks to all for suggestions and information. I will try the amp at a friends house to see if that changes anything as the first step to finding the issue.

I am a "humaphobe" and will not tolerate hum in hifi gear. I have 2 amps (tube and SS) plugged into a PS Audio Humbuster III (mostly for transformer hum in the SS amp...used rarely only for outdoor deck speakers), and my tube amp (Jolida jd502p) is extremely quiet anyway...you can stick your ear on the tweeter and barely detect it's on. Any issues remotely like the ones described here would drive me nuts, so my sympathies.

From Simao: "Hell, my MLA Statement hybrid integrated (originally $11500) has some hum when it's on. Does it screw up the music?"

Ummmm.....yes, it does.

My Rogue had a hum so easily heard from the listening seat that it was actually distracting. Any amplifier I've had that had a hum was distracting. To me it's like listening to vinyl with all the clicks and pops....sorry, I don't want to spend my money listening to that.

Also, let me make another thing perfectly clear. In addition to the hum, the Rogue made "swooshing" and "popping" sounds from the left channel with or without music playing. There was obviously something defective with the amp. Not just transformer hum. I'm with Wolf. I detest ANY noise other than music coming from my speakers. It's way to distracting and removes me from the emotional connection.

I was at a friend of a friend's house about 15 minutes from my home about a month ago. He has a system that retails for somewhere just south of 300K. He played vinyl on his $30Kish 'table. Every album he played sounded like crap. Yes, garbage, because of all the pops. Way too distracting.

Devilboy,

Who chose your screen name here?

So an update on the humming sphinx.

I took it to the audio store and compared it to their shop floor model, both units demonstrated the same unit hum and noise from the speakers. The conclusion by the store associate was that it was a bit noisier than he expected but hadn't especially noticed though I think he had noticed the hum from the left speaker was louder than that in the right. He felt the unit hum was the transformer but was a bit perplexed by the hum from the speakers especially how the hum increased on the right side when the balance was turned all the way left!

Anyway I will assume for now that the unit is operating to spec even if it a bit noisier than ideal, I have provided Rogue with the details, although it is interesting that Rogue felt the amp should have no noise but the two units examined do give off some noise.

Only if the balance control was turned entirely left would the hum be audible over quiet music at close listening, in practice I don't use the balance anyway so it is not an issue. Overall I feel the sphinx could be quieter but for me the noise does not affect the music, it is simply not loud enough. Maybe Rogue could change something in the amp to quiet things down a bit in the future. If I had been more aware of the noise upon initial demo I might have been persuaded to try quieter models but as it stands I like the amp so its good for now.