2. amps-preamps
  3. 1328457645

Rogue Tempest II magnum or Cronus Magnum for VR-33

I recently picked up a pair of Von Schweilert VR33 speakers which I thought might be a bit polite for my tastes until trying a buddies Rogue Cronus Magnum which gave it awesome texture, percussive bass and the raw aliveness and dive I missed from my zu speakers.

I haven't seen a Cronus come up used in a while, but a non local buddy has offered me a Tempest 2 magnum at a good price... what do you guys think? My biggest hesitation is the active pre I the Cronus vs the passive in the tempest.

Any thoughts?
gopher
gopher OP
499 posts
 
Thanks for chiming in Valinar. I suspected I might lose in terms of body with the tempests and its passive pre, but it sounds like while it may be a great integrated, it could be a departure from what I am after.

I pretty much committed to buying a tempest, so it may be a learning experience. Not too big a deal I suspect as they seem very liquid on the use market.

I will keep my eyes peeled for a Cronus still...
fin1bxn
140 posts
 
Dont buy it, I had a Tempest II and my Modded Dynaco kicked its ass....and compare 90 watts/per to 35. I was using Spendor SP1/2e speakers at the time with a bottlehead preamp (300 used) I pd 1200 for the tempest and sold in 1 month after trying multiple tube sets.

Just my actual experience

Regards
tpreaves's avatar
tpreaves
2,687 posts
 
I've owned a Tempest II Magnum for over 2 years and have not once thought about replacing it.
gopher OP
499 posts
 
Thanks for the feedback, guys. I decided to pass nd just hold out for a reasonably priced Cronus Magnum. Sellers seem whacked these day, the last two listed for the same price I could walk into a dealer and get one new....
reynolds853
387 posts
 
Gopher,

The Tempest-III is switchable between passive and active preamplification. It therefore works with a wider range of speakers than the first two Tempest generations. I believe it comes in a magnum version, maybe even a super magnum. I believe too that if you make your decision between one of the Tempest-III's or Cronus Magnum you can't go wrong either way, although I would give the nod to the Tempest-III.

A few years ago when I brought a Cronus and a Tempest home from the shop here in town to audition I found the Cronus to be a bit warmer than the Tempest. I don't recall which Tempest generation it was, 1 or 2. I don't believe I had the magnum version of the Cronus.

The guys in the shop have a Tempest-III Magnum (or Super Magnum, I can't recall) that has KT90 tubes in it. We didn't like the KT90s at first, but since they've been breaking in they've really changed character and are pretty nice. Nice musical texture. I have Gold Lion KT88s in my M180 monoblocks, and I like the detail they convey, but the Tempest-III with the KT90s is a nice setup.
More to discover