Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum 3 Full Tube Integrated Amplifier

Description

MY TAKE: Established in 1996, Rogue Audio has a well-earned reputation for quality and performance. Their products have received rave reviews and awards from the audio press worldwide. We especially appreciate the fact that 100% of their products are proudly crafted right here in the USA. The Cronus Magnum full-tube integrated is one of their most popular products, and it's easy to see why, with amazing performance, excellent feature set, and great build quality, this amp is a stonking-good value. That being said, the latest edition, Cronus Magnum III raises the bar even higher!.  - Galen

The Cronus Magnum is one of the most popular units in the Rogue line. One listen, and you’ll know why. This full tube integrated amplifier offers a remarkable level of performance at this price point and competes with many other products at up to twice its price. You’ll hear the qualities of tubes but without any undue implicit coloration or softening.

The ever-popular full-tube integrated amplifier has undergone a significant upgrade! The Cronus Magnum II was an outstanding product offering fantastic performance, great reliability, and absolutely remarkable value. So how could Rogue improve on that? Read on.

One of the most exciting upgrades is the ability to operate the Cronus Magnum 3 in Triode mode. An external switch selects between ultra-linear (100WPC) and triode (60WPC) operation allowing the listener to enjoy the qualities and characteristics of each mode without powering down.

The Cronus Magnum 3 also sports a completely new phono section that can now accommodate low output cartridges. It features new ultra-low-noise circuitry and now offers user-adjustable loading and selectable gain (44 dB or 58 dB). Most importantly, it sounds terrific!

The headphone amplifier is also completely new and is a direct derivative of Rogue’s award-winning RH-5 headphone amp. The new design is much more comprehensive and features MOSFET buffers on the outputs. Along with significantly enhanced performance, the powerful new design will drive even the most difficult headphones.

The line-level circuitry has also been improved and now features a super-low noise floor and better overall sonics.

Finally, the three-button metal remote is back and included with every unit!

REVIEWS:

The Absolute Sound: Spoiler alert—I love this amp! By starting with such a bold statement, I don’t mean to suggest that the latest iteration of Rogue Audio’s Cronus Magnum is without flaws. (What is?) I’ll get to that later, but for now let me begin with this: Here we have a terrific-sounding, all-tube integrated amp that is so musically engaging, such a joy to use, and such a superb value that it’s completely won me over." - Wayne Garcia

The Audio Beat: "I could easily build a very rewarding system around this integrated amplifier with phono stage. Rogue Audio has my admiration for the overall build quality and sonic performance of their Cronus Magnum III musical instrument. My advice, you need to audition the Rogue Cronus Magnum III even if you only had but one motivation. And that motivation is your love of music." - Roy Nagle
 

Cronus Magnum II -

Enjoy The Music: “I genuinely feel the Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II is far more than simply entry-level high-end audio. For $2495 it is far more capable than expected and can easily drive virtually any speaker and headphone, plus it has a great MM phono stage too! Am still shaking my head in disbelief at how well this glowing tube amplifier performed. Music sounded very natural and authentic to the recording. There is an openness backed by an abundance of drive, if the recording calls for it naturally. The guys at Rogue Audio most definitely tuned this hefty jewel by ear, versus just choosing this or that part off the shelf.

“This is my first Rogue Audio product within our home, and without a doubt it is obvious why they have earned many awards. I attribute the Cronus Magnum II's rock solid quality and reliability due to a massively overbuilt design. Sound quality carefully designed in by ear, not by measurements alone. Considering the wide variety of speakers, it had to drive during this review, Rogue Audio's Cronus Magnum II proved to be extremely versatile too! Dare I say it is so flawless in ease of operation that a 15-year-old girl can do it?

“Hmmm, how shall I put the final wrappings on this review? Obviously it is a must-audition and highly recommended, yet that leaves me feeling like something is still being left out? With an impressive wealth in versatility and exceptional sound quality for $2495, the Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II could be high-end audio's Poster Child for high achiever. Call it the 'renaissance man' of integrated amplifiers.” - Steven R. Rochlin Enjoy The Music Best of 2016 Award Winner

The Absolute Sound: "As I would hear on a wide range of music, the Cronus strikes a beautiful balance between elegance and power. Its dynamic scaling is very fine—lilting with chamber music, muscular with rock and orchestra. Yet that muscle is sinewy and well defined, bringing a great sense of tunefulness and detail to low-frequency instruments. For instance, on Rhino’s outstanding release of the Grateful Dead’s The Warner Brothers Studio Albums (reviewed in this issue), the Cronus Magnum brought great clarity, instrumental texture, and tonal richness to Phil Lesh’s one-of-a-kind bass lines. Although the Magnum may not carry the sledgehammer-like weight of a hefty solid-state design—a quality that has its own rewards—I rather like its more elegantly musical low-frequency delivery.

"This musicality extends across the spectrum, as was nicely demonstrated with Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major—Argerich/Abbado/Berlin Philharmonic [DG Originals CD]. The balance between soloist and orchestra was spot-on, with a lovely lightness and transparency, lively dynamics, swift transients, and a recreation of a soundstage that was a pretty convincing facsimile of, say, orchestra center.

"The Magnum is also remarkably transparent to the source, allowing listeners to “peer” into a recorded performance in a way that is highly unusual in this price class. Turning to the playful brilliance of H.K. Gruber’s superbly recorded Frankenstein!! was akin to pulling back the curtain on the session. If you don’t have this Chandos CD, which was listed by Jonathan Valin in last issue’s “Guide To Audiophile Demo Discs,” you really should. It has it all. As channeled through this Rogue integrated this delightful cabaret-style piece of mad fun revealed not only the Cronus Magnum’s transparency, but also its excellent sense of focus, recreation of the air surrounding instruments, as well as Gruber’s own singspiel vocal delivery, dramatic dynamic swings, snap of the percussion, and a soundstage that at times extends well beyond the speakers’ boundaries, with nicely layered depth.

"The high end and music lovers alike can only benefit from such a satisfying design. So satisfying, that when the economy does rebound Cronus Magnum owners may not be tempted to upgrade at all, but simply sit back and enjoy the music through this terrific product. I have nothing to add in my praise for this outstanding effort." - Wayne Garcia  (click here)

Audio Video Revolution: "The most striking thing, as mentioned above, was the huge soundstage, along with superb bass weight and articulation, and control." - Andre Marc (click here)

To see just how easy it is to bias a Cronus (click here)

FEATURES & SPECIFICATIONS:

- 100 WPC
- 20Hz-30KHz bandwidth
- 4 and 8 Ohm transformer taps
- Slow start turn on sequencing
- Massive high storage linear power supply
- (2) 12AX7, (3) 12AU7, (4) KT120 output tubes
- Gold plated RCA inputs
- Gold plated binding posts
- Machined aluminum faceplate
- 4 inputs (phono, line 1,2,3)
- Active outputs for subwoofer or bi-amping
- 4 RCA inputs (phono, line1, line 2, line3)
- All precision components
- Heavy (2 ounce) copper circuit board traces
- Full tube cage/cover (optional)
- Fully tested, burned-in, and auditioned
- Detachable IEC power cord
- 18" W x 17"D X 5.5" H (actual)
- 25" W x22"D X 11" H x 55 LBs (shipping dimensions)
- Power requirements: 120V/240V - 50/60Hz
- Entirely designed and hand-built in the USA