Rogue 99 pre vs. BAT vk30

I home auditioned the 99 Magnum pre and loved the sound. I would've bought it but I found the zippy buzz sound of the volume control annoying whenever I turned it up or down. The sound came through the speakers and the dealer said it was normal and acted like I was a dope when I said I couldn't tolerate it. I ended up buying the VK-30 but went back to all SS later because it suits my taste better. Sound-wise the Rogue would've been my choice-very rich with all the good stuff tubes offer and more solid than the BAT in my system. Great wide soundstage, too. I was bummed that the volume control issue ruled it out for me.

If you purchase a Rogue, purchase the CBS 6SN7 tubes (not expensive $20/pair on ebay) for the preamp. They work magic in there. I onced owned the Bat VK-30SE and found it sounded like SS to my ears so I then went with a better SS preamp, the Pass X-1. Your taste may be different.

Happy Listening.

I owned both. The BAT was a little dark and grainy in my system. However, I never tried rolling tubes, so that might have resolved the issue. I bought it new and kept it less than a year. Build quality and ergonomics were excellent.

The Rogue 99 magnum was part of a system with the M150's. I loved it, although it was a little more noisy than the BAT. I used the internal phono for a while, but then upgraded to the Stealth. The Rogue gear is very responsive to tube rolling and the guys at Rogue can help you with best tubes based on the rest of your system.

I would own Rogue gear again. It's well made, can be easily upgraded with better parts and tubes, and is very reliable. Plus Rogue customer service is legendary.