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Rogue versus Peachtree

Hello, all,

This is my first post. I highly value many posters' opinions in here, so I am soliciting some advice. I recently feel in love with and purchased some Magnepan 1.7s. They are so spectacular that I am considering upgrading my amp. I currently have a Rega Mira 3. It does nicely, but I have no DAC and no headphone jack. Some people would also consider it underpowered for driving the 1.7s. For cost, space, and WAF reasons, I'd like to avoid a ton of separates, so I am considering the following four options. I listen to a mix of vinyl and CDs ripped as AIFF files into iTunes on my iMac (then into an Airport Express, so I need something that will accept the AE's optical output). Opinions?

1. Peachtree Grand Integrated with a separate phono stage (Graham Slee or Rega).

2. Peachtree iNova with separate phono stage.

3. Rogue Cronus Magnum with separate DAC (Peachtree iDAC or Rega DAC).

4. Esoterica RZ-1.
zachzins
hotmailjbc
571 posts
 
i would first ask how loud do you like your music and how big is the room. as you may know it takes several times the power to drastically increase volume output.
digitalaudio
22 posts
 
If you are thinking about a class D amp like the Peachtree I would think you would also want to consider Rogue's new Class D hybrid Medusa and perhaps the Bel Canto Ref150s or Ref500s and Dac 2.5 combo.
zachzins OP
6 posts
 
Hotmailjbc, my listening room is approximately 14' x 22' with 10' ceilings, though I do most of my listening from about 6'-8' away--pretty close to the speakers. I may be moving them to the basement room, though, which is roughly the same size but with 7' ceilings.

I occasionally would like to listen loud, but with a toddler, I rarely get the chance. It'd be nice to have the ability to do so, but sound quality is much more of an issue than volume.

Digitalaudio, I am not married to Class D, but I like their efficiency, and I understand they have become very competitive quality-wise with Class A and A/B amps. I have considered the other Rogues and have peeked at Bel Canto, too. I will take a closer look at both. (Plus, like Magnepan, I like that Bel Canto is a Minnesota company! Born and raised, blah blah blah...insert Vikings joke here.)
zachzins OP
6 posts
 
Oh, Digitalaudio, one problem with the Medusa is that it is just a power amp, right? For just a tad more than the Medusa, I could get the Peachtree Grand Integrated, which also has a killer DAC AND a pre-amp AND more wattage AND still has the hybrid tube/SS design. For the reasons listed in my original post, I'm probably going to steer away from gobs of seperates.
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