A few more observations before I go to bed. The sound has changed noticeably even in three hours of listening tonight. It's gotten smoother for sure. Also, the bloom and body helps front to back layering of the soundstage. The tone of the system sounds slightly more balanced with the fuller sound, which is a subjective statement. To my ears, the fuller sound makes the overall presentation of the music a bit more intimate and a bit less analytical. So far, so good.
The remote is a rather cheap, light plastic piece, which I don't necessarily mind because more money went into the unit itself. It's a far cry from the hefty chunk of aluminum remote that accompanied my previous preamp, the Classe CP-800. That said, it works just fine.
The stock power cord seems rather thin, but it is supposedly shielded. Audiophiles hardly ever keep the stock cord so this is not much of a problem really.
The RP-7 looks a LOT better in person than it does on the Web. Rogue Audio's website reminds me of early 2000s sites, and their pics don't do their equipment justice.
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Primary System (Always in flux):
Analog Source: Rega RP10
Phono Preamp: Bryston BP2/PS3
Digital Software: Roon, Tidal Streaming
Digital Music Server: Melco N1A/2
Digital Sources: Totaldac d1-twelve SE MkII (factory upgraded from MKI) with "live power" 4 output power supply, Oppo UDP-205
Preamplifier: Rogue Audio RP-9 (factory upgraded from RP-7)
Amplifier: Vandersteen M5-HPA
Speakers: Vandersteen Quatro Wood CT w/IsoAcoustics Gaia 1 feet
Cabling: WW Platinum Starlight 7 digital wires, Totaldac Gigafilter USB filter, AQ Sky XLR, AQ Fire RCA
Speaker Cables: AudioQuest Oak spades ---> bi-wire spades
Power Cables: Esprit PC (for DAC), 2 WW Platinum Electra PC (Preamp/Phono Preamp), AQ NRG10 (Melco N1A/2), AQ Blizzard (Quatro Wood CT built-in subs)
Power Conditioning: 2 AQ Niagara 1000, 3 Oyaide R1 outlets
Sound Treatments: 23 ASC Tube Traps and 10 Panels
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