Rogue Audio RH-5 Impression Thread

[4LoveOfSound]

I've had these GE's powered up since about 3 this afternoon. I'm really digging these tubes! Quite the bargain for $30. I wish I knew what year they were. I can't find any date codes on them. The Sylvania's are supposed to be delivered tomorrow.

 

[28Monkey]

Well.....the ROGUE is in the house. Exhausted after it's cross-country whistle stop tour of the Heartland, but undamaged, undaunted and resilient, I fired it up late last night and watched the countdown.
Stayed up well past my bedtime to give it a whirl.
First impressions: <Preface....I have been more than happy lately with my OG Pendant. Really nice tube mix that really works well with my Atticus/Aeolus combo. VO....not so much>
So....RH-5....stock power supply cable, stock fuse, stock tubes into the Furman Elite 15DMi. OK....Atticus/Aeolus OK...so/so, VO.....not so much. But.....it really lit up the HD600 modified cans....superb, much better than those on the Pendant.

Winner Round 1: OG Pendant

Next round, do I add in @Wes S suggestion of the Audio Envy PS cable....or slam in a set of the Funwerk ERFERT RFT ECC82's to start with??? Or both??
I have seven pair of tubes on hand (plus a few add ons), but I want to savor each upgrade / roll.

 

[4LoveOfSound]

Well.....the ROGUE is in the house. Exhausted after it's cross-country whistle stop tour of the Heartland, but undamaged, undaunted and resilient, I fired it up late last night and watched the countdown.
Stayed up well past my bedtime to give it a whirl.
First impressions: <Preface....I have been more than happy lately with my OG Pendant. Really nice tube mix that really works well with my Atticus/Aeolus combo. VO....not so much>
So....RH-5....stock power supply cable, stock fuse, stock tubes into the Furman Elite 15DMi. OK....Atticus/Aeolus OK...so/so, VO.....not so much. But.....it really lit up the HD600 modified cans....superb, much better than those on the Pendant.

Winner Round 1: OG Pendant

Next round, do I add in @Wes S suggestion of the Audio Envy PS cable....or slam in a set of the Funwerk ERFERT RFT ECC82's to start with??? Or both??
I have seven pair of tubes on hand (plus a few add ons), but I want to savor each upgrade / roll.

Drop those tubes in! The stock tubes do the RH-5 no justice at all!!
I prefer my VC and Aoleus with the RH-5. I still lean towards the Pendant with my Auteur.

 

[jonathan c]

Well.....the ROGUE is in the house. Exhausted after it's cross-country whistle stop tour of the Heartland, but undamaged, undaunted and resilient, I fired it up late last night and watched the countdown.
Stayed up well past my bedtime to give it a whirl.
First impressions: <Preface....I have been more than happy lately with my OG Pendant. Really nice tube mix that really works well with my Atticus/Aeolus combo. VO....not so much>
So....RH-5....stock power supply cable, stock fuse, stock tubes into the Furman Elite 15DMi. OK....Atticus/Aeolus OK...so/so, VO.....not so much. But.....it really lit up the HD600 modified cans....superb, much better than those on the Pendant.

Winner Round 1: OG Pendant

Next round, do I add in @Wes S suggestion of the Audio Envy PS cable....or slam in a set of the Funwerk ERFERT RFT ECC82's to start with??? Or both??
I have seven pair of tubes on hand (plus a few add ons), but I want to savor each upgrade / roll.

Go ‘full Monty’! Get the Envy & the Funkwerks in there! To the peak! Did Sir Edmund Hillary savour each 1,000 ft while conquering Mt. Everest?…

 

[28Monkey]

NO!!!!! Sir Edmund did not….he forged to the top and planted the flag.
However, all the Everest newbies, dragged to the peak by teams of sherpas, savored every ragged breath

 

[Wes S]

Well.....the ROGUE is in the house. Exhausted after it's cross-country whistle stop tour of the Heartland, but undamaged, undaunted and resilient, I fired it up late last night and watched the countdown.
Stayed up well past my bedtime to give it a whirl.
First impressions: <Preface....I have been more than happy lately with my OG Pendant. Really nice tube mix that really works well with my Atticus/Aeolus combo. VO....not so much>
So....RH-5....stock power supply cable, stock fuse, stock tubes into the Furman Elite 15DMi. OK....Atticus/Aeolus OK...so/so, VO.....not so much. But.....it really lit up the HD600 modified cans....superb, much better than those on the Pendant.

Winner Round 1: OG Pendant

Next round, do I add in @Wes S suggestion of the Audio Envy PS cable....or slam in a set of the Funwerk ERFERT RFT ECC82's to start with??? Or both??
I have seven pair of tubes on hand (plus a few add ons), but I want to savor each upgrade / roll.

Definitely roll some tubes first. The RFT ECC82 is a good neutral start. The RFT actually don't do it for me at all anymore now that I am rolling and have heard some 5814 tubes, but they may be just the ticket for you. If you want more bass and a bit of organic warmth and a holographic stage to die for the CBS-HYTRON and Raytheon Black Plate 2 Mica Square Getters are two tubes that will do the trick, and the Sylvania 5814a triple mica grey plate is a hair behind those other two. I would change out the fuse, interconnects and power cable asap, and each of these tweaks will yield better and better results. The RH-5 will let you hear every little change to the system for better or worse.

Of note, the volume control has a ton of steps (185), and has a unique way of ramping up. I listen with my VC on high gain (3), and push the volume further than I normally would (usually between 90 - 110 on dial) and the dynamics really come alive. This amp does not do low level listening as well as some other amps (like the Pendant) in my opinion, and really only comes alive once it's cranked up. I have it on good authority that the designer of the amp and owner of Rogue likes to rock out (plays loud at trade shows) and that makes since to me once you crank the volume on the RH-5 it really does come alive and the mids fill in a bit and it's becomes a fun ride.

Just out of curiosity, what DAC are you using?

Good luck and have fun dialing in this amazing amp!

 

[28Monkey]

Definitely roll some tubes first. The RFT ECC82 is a good neutral start. The RFT actually don't do it for me at all anymore now that I am rolling and have heard some 5814 tubes, but they may be just the ticket for you. If you want more bass and a bit of organic warmth and a holographic stage to die for the CBS-HYTRON and Raytheon Black Plate 2 Mica Square Getters are two tubes that will do the trick, and the Sylvania 5814a triple mica grey plate is a hair behind those other two. I would change out the fuse, interconnects and power cable asap, and each of these tweaks will yield better and better results. The RH-5 will let you hear every little change to the system for better or worse.

Of note, the volume control has a ton of steps (185), and has a unique way of ramping up. I listen with my VC on high gain (3), and push the volume further than I normally would (usually between 90 - 110 on dial) and the dynamics really come alive. This amp does not do low level listening as well as some other amps (like the Pendant) in my opinion, and really only comes alive once it's cranked up. I have it on good authority that the designer of the amp and owner of Rogue likes to rock out (plays loud at trade shows) and that makes since to me once you crank the volume on the RH-5 it really does come alive and the mids fill in a bit and it's becomes a fun ride.

Just out of curiosity, what DAC are you using?

Good luck and have fun dialing in this amazing amp!

@Wes S …really good to know about the volume. I knew it was a stepped attenuator, but the first time I listened with the ZMF’s (Gain 3) and was at 90, I thought “oh no…figuring it was a 0-100” and I was close to max volume.
Later, as I pushed it, I figured it was a 128 stepped attenuator. 185 is great.

Ok…..when I put in the RFT’s, I will also put in the SR Purple fuse. (Is it directional?)
I notice that the Audio Envy 3p, almost feels like it’s not going all the way in (amp side), but it works.
I have seven sets of tubes to roll, so I am really looking forward to the next few weeks.

DAC,,,,I use the Gungnir 2 MB off of a MacMini server (running ROON) or my Musical Fidelity CD player into the Gungnir.
I have tried out two other DAC’s in the last few months (a Denafrips Pontus and an older MHDT Pagoda). I know R2R’s are the new favorites, but they both sounded a bit brittle. Maybe I wasn’t patient enough with burn-in?? I like (or am used to) the Gungnir. It’s about five years old, but has been upgraded twice.

Interconnects….haven’t decided to go either balanced or SE yet. Right now using a lower end Audioquest RCA pair. Any thoughts?

 

[4LoveOfSound]

Definitely roll some tubes first. The RFT ECC82 is a good neutral start. The RFT actually don't do it for me at all anymore now that I am rolling and have heard some 5814 tubes, but they may be just the ticket for you. If you want more bass and a bit of organic warmth and a holographic stage to die for the CBS-HYTRON and Raytheon Black Plate 2 Mica Square Getters are two tubes that will do the trick, and the Sylvania 5814a triple mica grey plate is a hair behind those other two. I would change out the fuse, interconnects and power cable asap, and each of these tweaks will yield better and better results. The RH-5 will let you hear every little change to the system for better or worse.

Of note, the volume control has a ton of steps (185), and has a unique way of ramping up. I listen with my VC on high gain (3), and push the volume further than I normally would (usually between 90 - 110 on dial) and the dynamics really come alive. This amp does not do low level listening as well as some other amps (like the Pendant) in my opinion, and really only comes alive once it's cranked up. I have it on good authority that the designer of the amp and owner of Rogue likes to rock out (plays loud at trade shows) and that makes since to me once you crank the volume on the RH-5 it really does come alive and the mids fill in a bit and it's becomes a fun ride.

Just out of curiosity, what DAC are you using?

Good luck and have fun dialing in this amazing amp!

I have to agree with you on the volume. Turning up the volume a bit yields awesome results.

 

[Wes S]

@Wes S …really good to know about the volume. I knew it was a stepped attenuator, but the first time I listened with the ZMF’s (Gain 3) and was at 90, I thought “oh no…figuring it was a 0-100” and I was close to max volume.
Later, as I pushed it, I figured it was a 128 stepped attenuator. 185 is great.

Ok…..when I put in the RFT’s, I will also put in the SR Purple fuse. (Is it directional?)
I notice that the Audio Envy 3p, almost feels like it’s not going all the way in (amp side), but it works.
I have seven sets of tubes to roll, so I am really looking forward to the next few weeks.

DAC,,,,I use the Gungnir 2 MB off of a MacMini server (running ROON) or my Musical Fidelity CD player into the Gungnir.
I have tried out two other DAC’s in the last few months (a Denafrips Pontus and an older MHDT Pagoda). I know R2R’s are the new favorites, but they both sounded a bit brittle. Maybe I wasn’t patient enough with burn-in?? I like (or am used to) the Gungnir. It’s about five years old, but has been upgraded twice.

Interconnects….haven’t decided to go either balanced or SE yet. Right now using a lower end Audioquest RCA pair. Any thoughts?

The SR fuse is directional and there should be some pics in this thread showing which direction to put it. Also, I would definitely get some balanced interconnects. The Gungnir and RH-5 are designed to be optimal in balanced mode, and this is especially so with the Gungnir. I owned the Gungnir before my Morpheus and loved it when I had it, and balanced out is really the way to go, as it did not sound nearly as good from it's single ended outputs.

 

[4LoveOfSound]

The Sylvania's arrived today! They look like they were made yesterday. The lettering is pristine and they are in the original boxes, also in pristine condition. I see why the cost was more than I usually spend. I paid the extra couple bucks to have them matched. Both tubes have the same test results. I'll wait a little bit before I put them in. I need more time with the GE's before switching out. Looking forward to it though!

 

[4LoveOfSound]

Ok, I couldn't stand it any longer and dropped in the Sylvania's. Definitely better over all than the GE. I think the GE had more sub bass, but that's about it. The Sylvania sounds more balanced without the recessed mids. I can listen to these at low volume and they still sound great. Happy so far.

 

[4LoveOfSound]

@Wes S you had the Sylvania in third place behind the Raytheon #1 and CBS Hytron #2? I can't wait to get the Raytheons I have coming. This Sylvania is really nice! I'm just sitting here bobbing my head to the tunes....... beautiful mid range listening to Diana Krall Night and Day in high res.

 

[28Monkey]

@Wes S ….. lots of Raytheon 5814 tubes out there….hard to tell which is real or a wannabee.
If possible, could you share a pic of yours?
Here is a pic on a claimant on the auction site.

 

[Wes S]

@Wes S ….. lots of Raytheon 5814 tubes out there….hard to tell which is real or a wannabee.
If possible, could you share a pic of yours?
Here is a pic on a claimant on the auction site.

Those are triple mica Raytheons of which I have not heard, but are said to not quite be on the same level as the 2 mica.

 

[Wes S]

My # 1 Raytheon 5814 Black Plate Square Getter 2 Mica

Sylvania triple mica short grey plate 5814 (left) and CBS-Hytron 5814, 5814A, 5814WA Black Plate Bent Square Getter (right)