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Rogers High Fidelity EHF-200 Mk2

Rogers High Fidelity EHF-200 Mk2

Remember Home Improvement, that 90s TV show with Tim Allen? Every time Tim Taylor—the tool-obsessed family man that Allen played—got a new tool or did something right, he would make guttural, “manly” grunting noises of approval. I’m not sure how to spell those noises, but any quick YouTube search will bring up an episode, and you can hear them for yourself. Another of his favorite catchphrases was “more power!” I bring this up because I’m much the same way when it comes to hi-fi gear: Put me in a room with some great-sounding equipment, and you’ll likely hear low-octave grunts of approval.

When I first heard Rogers High Fidelity’s (not to be confused with the British loudspeaker manufacturer Rogers) EHF-200 Mk2 integrated tube amp at CES 2014, I was spellbound—I knew I just had to hear more of it—and when a review sample arrived at my house, it was like Christmas. I hooked everything up, flipped the power switch, and watched the beautiful tubes come to life—and yes, grunted with such force that my significant other thought I’d gone crazy.

Roger Gibboni, the founder and leading force behind Rogers High Fidelity, has built a magnificent integrated amp, and given the better than 20 years he spent designing for NASA and the Department of Defense, he has unique insight into what it takes to build ultra-precise electronics.

More Power!
The EHF-200 Mk2 ships standard with KT150 tubes (which do not have issues with microphonics), and outputs a staggering 112W in ultralinear and 80W in triode mode. Both modes run in Class A, and the integrated is a dual-mono design. I’m pretty sure this makes the EHF-200 Mk2 one of the most powerful Class A integrated tube amps on the market. There are other integrateds that scrape the 100W marker, but they use eight KT120s, whereas the EHF-200 Mk2 uses only four KT150s to achieve its massive 112W rating.

With all that power, the EHF-200 Mk2 has enough juice to drive even those low-sensitivity planar-magnetic speakers everyone loves. And while it’s perfectly capable of handling speakers with impedances of 2–32 ohms (please e-mail me if you have a 32-ohm speaker!), the EHF-200 Mk2 is designed specifically for 4-ohm loads that take advantage of the amp’s optimized damping factor.

I tested the integrated with the new $6k Endeavor E3s (review forthcoming), which are 4-ohm, 88dB, three-way floorstanders from California, kicking things off with a 24-bit/96kHz version of Leonard Bernstein conducting Le sacre du printemps with the New York Philharmonic—and whoa! The fourth movement, “Spring Rounds,” is always my favorite, because that’s when the orchestra really gets going: Gigantic drum thwacks shudder the walls, and the hi-fi system is really put to the test. This is also the point at which Parisian music lovers began to riot at the ballet’s 1913 premiere. I didn’t riot in my listening room, but the dynamics were simply incredible, and all the while the meter on the front of the EHF-200 Mk2 barely budged. So I did what Tim Taylor would do—I gave it more power!

The second time around, the meter stayed in the 20–40W range, and this is where the integrated really shined. Those earth-shattering drum thwacks stayed taut, punching me in the chest with lifelike force; the sudden punctuation of French horns almost made me jump out of my seat, while the dissonant strings kept me riveted. (Though I gave it even more power on the third listen— and here the drums started to lose their tautness—this produced levels far louder than anyone would ever want to listen at.) To put this plainly, the EHF-200 Mk2 dispelled the old notion that tube amps are lacking in the bass department; this is a tube integrated that has no problem hanging with the solid-state boys in the bottom octaves.

I wanted to push the bass even further with ISAM, an experimental ambient album from Brazilian musician Amon Tobin. On the opening track, “Journeyman,” the bass ripped from deep in the soundstage, hovered in mid air, and retreated left and right, all the while staying tight and crisp without regressing into a blob of annoying boominess. This is the kind of tautness and drive for which large solid-state amps are lauded, and yet the EHF-200 Mk2 handled this intense music with grace. The bass once again stayed well controlled until the volume was pushed to a level too loud for comfort.

 

On a Higher Note
Tight bass and lots of power are pointless if an amp doesn’t sound good throughout the entire audio spectrum. To demonstrate the sweet highs and breathtaking mids of this integrated, I put on a recording of alt-classical composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi, whose latest In a Time Lapse could very well change your musical life. Recorded in a remote monastery near Verona, Italy, this haunting introspective can send goosebumps down your arms. It can also do wonders for your spirit. Play the third track “Life” on a decent system, and you’ll feel the weight of the world lift from your shoulders; play it through the EHF-200 Mk2, and be prepared to transcend the physical constraints of your listening room—the soundscape is no longer something you listen to, but rather something that washes over you and envelopes your entire being. It was impossible for me to stay in reviewer mode as the increasingly ethereal strings and light taps of the xylophone joined the piano. However, it’s the track “Experience” that shows how well this integrated resolves a complex soundstage of separately positioned violins, cello, harpsichord, and distant snare drum alongside Einaudi’s piano. Listen to the far off reverberation of the brushes on the snare, the light plucks of the harp behind the piano, the pathos of the violins (played separately and in unison), and you’ll find these disparate instruments within the monastery form a sonic landscape of considerable emotional power.

As for resolution, listen to “Imidiwan Ma Tenam,” an amazing fusion of Blues and North African Tuareg music from independence-fighters-turned-musicians Tinariwen, and on most systems you will hear a “noise” that sounds like there might be something wrong with your speakers. With the EHF-200 Mk2, that sound morphs from a strange rattle into the sound of a calabash—a gourd instrument with a net of beads that is similar to the shekere or metal cabasa. This is where I took advantage of the integrated’s convenient triode/ultralinear switch, which allows on-the-fly comparison between the two modes. In ultralinear, the soundstage is more forward, more in your lap and more encompassing, while in triode mode the soundstage pulls back to a deeper, silkier presentation. Triode mode really shines— unsurprisingly—on solo vocal and solo instrumental, taking my breath on Philip Glass’ Solo Piano. The EHF-200 Mk2 conveyed the haunting sonority of “Metamorphosis One–Five” with such alacrity, such involvement, that I was whisked away down a stream of sonic bliss and forgot entirely that I was reviewing a piece of stereo gear.

The Last Integrated You Will Ever Own?
It’s difficult to find fault with such an amazing piece of audio equipment—and for me the EHF-200 Mk2’s “faults” are more like the “situational preferences” of some individuals; nevertheless the should be noted. At almost 12″ tall, the EHF-200 Mk2 won’t fit in many racks, because you’d need at least another two inches of clearance to allow for proper ventilation. Remember, this is a full Class A integrated, and it runs very, very hot. Even if you have a rack that can accommodate its tall output transformer and power supplies, the immense amount of heat will render the shelf above unusable—unless you want to fry an egg on it. Best to use an amp stand and leave this baby out in the open.

Like most equipment, the EHF-200 Mk2 likes to be nice and hot before it performs its best. No need to leave it on all day, but there is an appreciable improvement in sound quality after an hour of warm-up versus the one-minute recommendation of the manufacturer. Compound this warm-up time with the “always-on” nature of Class-A design, and the typical listener will need to replace the KT150s every couple years. (Current prices for four matched tubes is roughly $400.) Luckily, everything is auto-biased, so installing new tubes is a breeze, and if you prefer KT120s the integrated outputs the same power (despite the higher plate dissipation of the KT150s).

Fans of balanced inputs are out of luck here: The EHF-200 Mk2 employs four unbalanced inputs, three on the rear panel and one on the front. It comes with a beautiful, heavy-duty remote, but the remote only controls volume—that’s it. This wasn’t an issue for me because I listen to one source at a time, but for those who like to switch sources or mute via a remote, such severely limited controls might be annoying. However, you’re in luck if that’s a deal breaker: This integrated features preamp input if you want to use it as an amp only (and with all that power, it easily fills this role), and also has a preamp output if you’d like to add a powered subwoofer.

But here’s something that may counterbalance any of these “drawbacks”: Rogers High Fidelity provides a lifetime warranty on all of its products. It’s even transferrable if the sale to a third party is conducted through one of Rogers’ authorized dealers, meaning the value of this integrated will stay high if for some crazy reason you ever wish to part with it. Such a warranty says a lot about the quality of this 100% hand-made, American-built integrated from Warwick, New York. If you ever have the chance to meet Roger, you’ll immediately know that this lifetime warranty isn’t just a marketing ploy, but rather the result of his incredible attention to detail and passion to build the absolute best audio gear possible. He’s one of the most affable people I’ve met, and this is something that you want when purchasing a piece of audio equipment at this level. Not only does he have a graduate degree in electrical engineering, he also has one in business, so you’ll get no run-around from him, only the very best customer service.

Final Thoughts
I’m sure I will hear from readers about the merits of various other integrateds, but the EHF-200 Mk2 is certainly one of the best and most powerful integrated tube amps on the market. Sure, there are integrateds that perform better in one aspect or the other (boutique SET amps come to mind), but as a consumer I want to be able to drive any speaker out there with the best possible sound, not just a limited few. I want an integrated with the power to rock out, the finesse to reproduce Philip Glass or Yo-Yo Ma, the oomph and control to handle demanding ambient electronic, the resolve to recreate the New York Philharmonic as clearly as possible, and the subtlety to turn a rattle into a calabash. The EHF-200 Mk2 does all of these things, and will do it for the rest of your listening life.

Until another integrated comes along that can do all of these things while staying musically true, the Rogers High Fidelity EHF-200 Mk2 will remain the integrated amp to which I compare all others—it is a standard-setting achievement.

SPECS & PRICING

Tube complement: Two EF86; two 12AX7; four KT150
Power output: 112Wpc RMS ultralinear; 80Wpc triode
Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz with less than 0.1% THD
Gain: 40dB
Input: Four unbalanced; one preamp input
Output: One 4-ohm subwoofer out
Power cable: Rogers Quiet Cable included
Dimensions: 17″ x 11.5″ x 14″
Weight: 60 lbs.
Price: $15,000

ROGERS HIGH FIDELITY
52 Kain Road
Warwick, NY 10990
(845) 987-7744
rogershighfidelity.com

Tags: ROGERS

Spencer Holbert

By Spencer Holbert

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