Rogue Audio Hera II Reference Preamp

This Hera balanced tube preamp has been my personal long-loved reference preamp, in my main 2ch system, for the past 8 years. It's an end of an era for me, and I'm very sad to see her go. This unit started as an original Hera, and I had it upgraded to "II" status by Rogue Audio in 2010. The shipping box will be what Rogue returned it in.


Uses a octet (!!) of the famous 6H30pi "super tubes". Look at the build quality and guts. Look at the ridiculous power-amp sized separate power supply. There are 5-figure preamps that would be absolutely shamed by this unit.


I'm selling because I've finally moved on to an Audio Research Reference 6 preamp, which sells (used) at almost 3x my asking price here. I went back-and-forth dueling between these two preamps for over a month, and in fact at one point I had the Ref 6 up for sale! The Hera was a better match with my Ares phono stage, but the Ref 6 is better with my new VAC phono stage. By the way, this Hera absolutely embarrasses Rogue's 99 Magnum, Metis, and Perseus preamps -- they sound broken by comparison. This is a solid step into a much higher level of preamp performance.


What's included: an almost BRAND NEW set of Sovtek 6H30pi tubes, screened for extra low noise by Jim McShane. This tube set has only 30 hours on it. The remote. The custom power supply cables. A generic power cord. Free shipping to continental USA, even if you're in California (please don't be). Paypal fees covered if you go that route. This preamp weighs 60 lbs total! It's going to cost me a small fortune to ship it!!

CAVEATS:

1. This is a HIGH GAIN tube preamp. It weighs in with at least 23 dB gain (maybe a bit more) after the II upgrade. If you need some extra gain, this is perfect for you. If you need a medium-gain pre, this can still work. If your system is better suited for a low-gain preamp, you will notice the noise floor of the tubes and possible microphonics (a damping plate on top helps). My system is actually best suited for a low-gain pre, but I put up with these issues because of the stunning sound quality when music was playing.
   
2. This unit has the motorized stepped attenuator control, instead of a smooth pot. This gives better sound quality, but the control of the attenuator, especially with the remote, is awkward at best. You will need a clear direct path from remote to the sensor. It did work well enough for my needs, however. And again, I put up with this because of the stunning sound quality.
   
3. You can see that the feet from the amp unit have made black ring marks on the power supply unit. Also, there is a very tiny piece of the screening missing from the 2nd "e" in the "Hera Reference Preamplifier" label on the power supply module. This is picking nits, as the unit has great eye appeal overall, and will look like nearly new in your rack.