{"product_id":"rogue-audio-stereo-100-dark-amplifier","title":"Rogue Audio Stereo 100 Dark Amplifier","description":"\u003cdiv style=\"max-width:720px;margin:0 auto;padding:32px 24px 48px 24px;background:#ffffff;\"\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.25em;margin:0 0 0.35em 0;font-weight:600;\"\u003eThe Stereo 100, Specified Like a Race Bike\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eRogue borrowed the name from motorsport. A race team takes delivery of a machine in plain black, with the competition parts already specified, and builds from there. The Dark is the Stereo 100 handed over the same way.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eUnderneath, the architecture is the same. Ninety watts per channel of pure tube power, four matched KT88 output tubes in push-pull, and the same switch between ultralinear and pure triode operation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eWhat changes is everything the signal touches on the way through, and everything that feeds it. Rogue lists eight separate upgrades. Its designer is clear that no single one of them is the reason it sounds different.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.25em;margin:1.4em 0 0.35em 0;font-weight:600;\"\u003eInside the Chassis\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eThe power supply gets more storage, Hex Fred fast diodes, and polypropylene bypass caps. Nude Vishay and PRP resistors go into the critical positions. The small-signal tubes are upgraded as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eThe connections change too. Cardas rhodium binding posts, Cardas rhodium RCA jacks, and upgraded Cardas signal wiring throughout. Those are the parts that carry every note into and back out of the amplifier.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eAsked which three upgrades mattered most, Rogue's Mark O'Brien told Enjoy the Music: \"It's more than just the three. The sum of all the little changes and fine-tuning of the parts is what makes the whole.\" The Dark weighs 60 pounds and keeps the built-in bias meter, the 4 and 8 ohm taps and the integral tube cage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.25em;margin:1.4em 0 0.35em 0;font-weight:600;\"\u003eWhat Reviewers Are Saying\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eRic Mancuso reviewed the Stereo 100 Dark for Enjoy the Music in October 2023. \"It is an instrument that plays the highest to lowest notes without any timbral anomalies or faults,\" he wrote.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eWhat he valued was the ease of it: \"There's a purity and natural ease of hearing music, along with bringing out the very best qualities of all types of loudspeakers.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eHe also settled the usual objection to tube amplifiers. Bass, he noted, has always been the tube amplifier's Achilles heel — and yet \"The Dark is one of the best tube amps I've heard producing bass.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.25em;margin:1.4em 0 0.35em 0;font-weight:600;\"\u003eWho Is This Amplifier Best For?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cul style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;padding-left:1.4em;line-height:1.6;\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eYou already know you want a Stereo 100\u003c\/strong\u003e — the Dark is the same amp with eight listed upgrades to the supply, the passive parts and the wiring, so you buy further along the same road rather than sideways.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eYou care what the signal touches\u003c\/strong\u003e — Cardas rhodium binding posts, Cardas rhodium RCA jacks and Cardas wiring inside mean the connections are not the weak link in an otherwise serious amp.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eYou want tube sound with real bass\u003c\/strong\u003e — Enjoy the Music called it one of the best tube amps its reviewer had heard for bass, which is the thing tube buyers usually give up.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eYou want to choose your own character\u003c\/strong\u003e — the ultralinear and triode switch and the 4 and 8 ohm taps are both kept, so the amp still adapts to your speakers and your ears.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eYou are pairing this with a control stage\u003c\/strong\u003e — \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvisor.com\/products\/rogue-audio-rp-7v2-preamplifier-black\" style=\"color:#8a5a2b;\"\u003eRP-7v2\u003c\/a\u003e or a streamer\/DAC preamp provides the volume and the input switching\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.25em;margin:1.4em 0 0.35em 0;font-weight:600;\"\u003eHow Does It Connect to Your System?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eConnect your preamplifier to the gold-plated RCA inputs. Speakers go to the gold-plated binding posts, on the 4 or 8 ohm taps depending on what your speakers present.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eChoose triode or ultralinear on the rear switch, then let the slow-start sequence bring the tubes up. Check bias on the built-in meter occasionally and the amplifier will look after itself between times.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.25em;margin:1.4em 0 0.35em 0;font-weight:600;\"\u003ePairs Well With\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eHere are some great companions:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;padding-left:1.4em;line-height:1.6;\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePreamplifier:\u003c\/strong\u003e Required, and the natural next decision — see our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvisor.com\/collections\/preamplifiers\" style=\"color:#8a5a2b;\"\u003ePreamplifiers\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpeaker Cables:\u003c\/strong\u003e Match the output taps to your speakers — see our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvisor.com\/collections\/speaker-cables\" style=\"color:#8a5a2b;\"\u003eSpeaker Cables\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eInterconnects:\u003c\/strong\u003e Quality RCA cables feed the amplifier — see our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvisor.com\/collections\/interconnect-cables\" style=\"color:#8a5a2b;\"\u003eInterconnect Cables\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAudio Rack:\u003c\/strong\u003e A tube amplifier wants air around it — see our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvisor.com\/collections\/audio-racks\" style=\"color:#8a5a2b;\"\u003eAudio Racks\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.25em;margin:1.4em 0 0.35em 0;font-weight:600;\"\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003ch3 style=\"font-size:1.05em;margin:0.9em 0 0.25em 0;font-weight:600;\"\u003eWhat does Dark actually mean?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eIt is a motorsport reference. A race team takes delivery of a machine in plain black, with the competition parts already specified. Rogue uses the same idea for its upgraded models.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3 style=\"font-size:1.05em;margin:0.9em 0 0.25em 0;font-weight:600;\"\u003eWhat exactly is upgraded over the standard Stereo 100?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eMore power supply storage, Hex Fred diodes, polypropylene bypass caps, nude Vishay and PRP resistors, Cardas rhodium binding posts and RCA jacks, Cardas signal wiring, and upgraded small-signal tubes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3 style=\"font-size:1.05em;margin:0.9em 0 0.25em 0;font-weight:600;\"\u003eHow much power does it make?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eNinety watts per channel minimum, the same as the standard Stereo 100, from four matched KT88 output tubes in push-pull.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3 style=\"font-size:1.05em;margin:0.9em 0 0.25em 0;font-weight:600;\"\u003eWhich output tubes does it use?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eFour matched KT88 output tubes in push-pull, plus two 12AU7 and two 12AX7 in the small-signal stages. Rogue moved the whole range to KT88 in summer 2022; earlier units shipped with KT120 and were rated at 100 watts per channel. You can still order KT120s as an upgrade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3 style=\"font-size:1.05em;margin:0.9em 0 0.25em 0;font-weight:600;\"\u003eDoes it still have the bias meter and the triode switch?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eYes. The built-in bias meter, the ultralinear and triode switch, and the selectable 4 and 8 ohm taps are all retained.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3 style=\"font-size:1.05em;margin:0.9em 0 0.25em 0;font-weight:600;\"\u003eWhere is it built, and what warranty does it carry?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eRogue hand-builds it in Brodheadsville, Pennsylvania. The warranty runs 3 years, with 6 months on the tubes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.25em;margin:1.4em 0 0.35em 0;font-weight:600;\"\u003eSee It in Action\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eRon at New Record Day reviews the standard Stereo 100, the amplifier the Dark starts from before Rogue's eight upgrades go in:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_ACzGXYpxsA\" title=\"Rogue Audio 99 Super Magnum \/ Stereo 100 Review\" style=\"border: 0; margin: 0 0 0.9em 0; display: block;\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.25em;margin:1.4em 0 0.35em 0;font-weight:600;\"\u003eWhy Audio Advisor?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cul style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;padding-left:1.4em;line-height:1.6;\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e40+ Years of Expertise — Since 1981, we've helped over a million music lovers find the right gear.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e60-Day Money-Back Guarantee — Take your time. Listen, enjoy, and make sure it's right for you.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReal Experts, Real Help — Our team is here to answer your questions at 800-942-0220, weekdays 9am–6pm EST.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFree Shipping — On orders over $49, delivered to your door.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFlexible Payment Options — Financing available so you can start listening now.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.25em;margin:1.4em 0 0.35em 0;font-weight:600;\"\u003eLearn More\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 0.9em 0;line-height:1.55;\"\u003eWant to learn more about tube amplifiers, triode and ultralinear operation, or building a separates system? Visit our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/learningcenter.audioadvisor.com\/\" style=\"color:#8a5a2b;\"\u003eLearning Center\u003c\/a\u003e for guides, tips, and expert advice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Rogue Audio","offers":[{"title":"Black \/ New","offer_id":45980513337517,"sku":"NEW-RAST100DK-BLK","price":4995.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Silver \/ New","offer_id":45980609282221,"sku":"NEW-RAST100DK-SIL","price":4995.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/3708\/1773\/files\/RASTE100_BLK_01-Large__59231.1730398022.1280.1280_f79ea91d-77de-42a0-9066-8d5d9c0313d3.jpg?v=1778100592","url":"https:\/\/www.audioadvisor.com\/products\/rogue-audio-stereo-100-dark-amplifier","provider":"Audio Advisor","version":"1.0","type":"link"}