Lets talk tubes in Pharaoh Integrated

How do you like the Pharaoh? What associated gear are you using with it? Obviously it sounds like it has a bloated mid-range out of the gate. I've been thinking of simplifying my setup by getting an integrated amplifier. The Pharaoh has most my wants, but I'm worried about how it'll compete with my separates which are ~3x the cost of the Pharaoh.

I would contact Rogue. They are very helpful and really assist you get the best out of their products. Cant go wrong with their advice. I have had two of their pre amps and three incarnations of their mono blocks since 2000 and have had nothing but great advice and service from Mark and Nick at Rogue.

I have heard back from Mark at Rogue, the Pharaoh has JJ ECC802 long plate tubes. My other equipment is Tyler Acoustics Woodmere II, Oppo 105, Audioquest Bulk solid copper speaker cables, Signal cable Silver reference interconnects. I also have some hi-rez downloads on a hard drive through the Oppo. I'm not sure if bloat is the right word for the only thing not pleasant about the sound. On sound, on some female vocals it is just not right sounds overly full? could be room acoustics or cabling or poor recordings. I just thought I would start with a tube upgrade and see what that does. Any recommendations would be appreciated, thanks Walter45.

Are you sure it's fully broken in? You don't want to compensate for temporary sonic issues that may change in time. Assuming it is broken in, if you are seeking more midrange clarity, I would first try some cones or whatever gizmo you like under the Rogue and/or the Oppo. On some components, this can make more of a difference than you might imagine. IMO, cones tend to thin out the sound somewhat, which is NOT what most people around here are looking for - But it might be perfect for you. I would also check your speaker/floor interface. Spikes or disc footers may make a substantial difference in certain cases.

There are a lot of new production tubes (cheaper way to experiment than NOS) which will impart a different tone than the JJ802's, which BTW I suspect could be the cause of your impression of a mid range bloat. I used them in a couple of different amps and ultimately chose a different tube. They do have a mid-range emphasis I think. Although I don't use them, I did try some EH's and I found them fairly linear with good clarity. I do not recall any mid-range emphasis. You should hear a difference - if you don't then perhaps you should focus on other possibilities. If you do you can consider refining your search for an even better tube.