Hometheaterhifi.com Review

The Rogers® High Fidelity KWM-88 Integrated Amplifier is a pure Class-A unit hand built from rugged components and designed for ultimate performance.

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ROGERS HIGH FIDELITY KWM-88 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

Powered by KT-88 or KT-150 vacuum tubes, the Rogers KWM-88 integrated tube amplifier delivers monster performance and a dazzling listening experience. Consistent with Rogers High Fidelity’s gold-standard requirements, this Class-A Amplifier boasts superior precision, aerospace engineering, and hand-made craftsmanship that deliver a new level of realism in audio reproduction.

  • The KWM-88 integrated amplifier is designed to use a set of four of KT-88 or KT-150 Power tubes with no bias adjustment or changes. Just-insert the tube of your selection. The auto-bias circuit allows effortless operation for the user as no adjustments are needed to get both long tube life and superior audio performance. It also features user-selectable audio modes of triode and ultra-liner operation.

    A smartphone iOS application enhances the user experience, displaying the amplifier’s output level using real time telemetry information that is smartly displayed on the application and the front panel display.

    The KWM-88 uses a toroidal type power-supply transformer, and the chassis is made with heavy gauge aircraft grade aluminum. The amplifier incorporates a large, easy-to-read LCD display in addition to both left and right power output meters. A dedicated tube monitoring circuit is displayed on the unit LCD display and on the control application.

    All Rogers High Fidelity Products are built using all military grade components and Teflon coated point to point wiring. All products come with a limited lifetime warranty.

  • Made In The USA – All Rogers High Fidelity products are built by hand at our factory in Massachusetts, by technicians with years of experience working to the highest Military and Aerospace specifications. Those rigorous standards ensure that our products will provide decades of pleasure, trouble-free.

    Every unit is individually tested on Audio Precision test gear—the industry standard, and the best there is. Every single amplifier leaves our factory with a detailed test report, providing documentation of perfect performance, and detailing the fanatical lengths we go to in building our amplifiers.

    We want every owner to be satisfied with their unit, from the moment it’s unboxed and plugged in—and for years to come.

    Transferrable Lifetime Limited Warranty – We’re so sure of the quality and durability of our amplifiers, that every unit is guaranteed for life. Not only that, but if you decide to upgrade to another Rogers model, the warranty of your old unit is transferable to the new owner. Our warranty is the platinum standard of the industry, and assures you that your purchase will provide lasting value – forever.

    Completely Hand Wired – Our amplifiers are assembled and wired by hand at our factory in Massachusetts. Analog sections of our products utilize individual, discrete components—no chips!—and all wiring is point-to-point. These techniques are labor-intensive and far more costly than what you’ll find in throw-away electronics, but ensure a lifetime of reliable performance and serviceability.

    Wiring and soldering of all Rogers products meet Military Standard 2000 requirements—sometimes called “Mil-Spec”. All our assembly technicians are trained and tested on these high standards.

    The iOS control system contains three processors, and is assembled here in the US on three multi-layer circuit boards.

    Aerospace Specifications – Every single resistor, capacitor, transformer, and inductor that goes into a Rogers High Fidelity amplifier meets or exceeds military quality standards for parts selection. This ensures that every unit will maintain the same performance documented on our test-bench, for decades to come. Our components are the same as those used by NASA in the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station, and by the US Navy in the AEGIS cruisers.

    Power Supply – The KWM-88 uses a linear power supply—not the inexpensive, noisy switching supply used in lesser amplifiers. The massive toroidal power transformer used in the supply weighs 30 pounds by itself, and produces no mechanical noise, and vanishingly-low magnetic flux noise. This means that the unit won’t interact with other audio components, and will stay stable and quiet for years to come. The power supply is rated at 1800 watts, for an application producing a maximum of 200 watts. Put simply, this overkill design guarantees unlimited headroom, and superb transient response.

    Aviation Grade Chassis – All our amplifier chassis are made from the same aluminum alloy certified for the construction of commercial and military aircraft. This ensures that each unit will be strong and vibration-resistant for its entire lifetime.

    Starting with that superb basis, each chassis receives a multiphase powdercoating, topped with a final clear-coat finish. The result is bothbeautiful, and bulletproof.

    Front panels are machined from solid billets of aviation-grade aluminum, and each unit is assembled with Military Standard stainless steel hardware, with each fastener meticulously staked using an aerospace coating. We go to all this trouble to ensure ultimate reliability over a lifetime of use: the coating eliminates hardware failures caused by vibration, movement, or rough handling during shipping. These are the same procedures developed over many years of manufacturing and assembling satellites: there’s no way to re-tighten hardware in space!

    The quality of materials and extreme measures we use guarantee a long product lifetime, regardless of the environment. If our techniques survived space, your listening room simply won’t be a problem!

    Internal Wiring – Wiring is the signal path of any amplifier, and it does make a difference in both durability and performance. We use 18 gauge Military Standard 16878 teflon coated, silver plated copper wire. This is expensive (besides being a mouthful!), but is used in mission-critical applications like the Navy’s AEGIS cruisers. Teflon coating provides heat-protection for decades, where common PVC-coated wire will crack and degrade over time. The 18 gauge wire provides greater signal capability than a trace on a printed circuit board, and ensures that the amplifier will be stable under any condition, and will never limit the dynamic range or transient abilities of your amp. We take such steps to guarantee you the best possible musical performance—for a lifetime.

    Auto Bias – What’s “bias”? It doesn’t mean our amps are narrow-minded…just the opposite! Bias is the voltage setting that controls how much current a vacuum tube draws. As tubes age, or as they’re replaced, the bias level will need to change. In most amps, bias setting is done with a meter and a tiny tiny screwdriver that you hope you don’t stick into some place that’ll kill you!

    With Rogers amps, the process of setting or resetting bias is automatic andpainless, guaranteeing optimal performance and maximum tube life. If you change the output (power) tubes, or even just one of the set, the amp adjusts without any fuss or action from you. In addition, a patent-pending processor monitors bias, and displays status on both the front panel display, as well as on the App. This circuit continuously checks bias voltage and compares it to a standard that’s set at the factory. If a tube drifts outside the acceptable range, due to age or abuse, the processor will shut down the channel—protecting both the tube, and the amp. Just another Rogers feature designed to ensure long and hassle-free years of use!

    Class A Design – The KWM-88 runs in full Class-A, which means the output tubes always pass current. This ensures that the power tubes are always operating in their optimal range, and yields the ultimate accuracy in music reproduction.

    Pentode Input Stage Utilizing 6SJ7 – Unlike many tubes designed for industrial applications and chosen for low cost, not high performance—the 6SJ7 was designed solely for high fidelity music reproduction. Using our in-house test equipment, we hand-select 6SJ7s for the best combination of gain, low noise, and low distortion, and then carefully match pairs for the two stereo channels.

    Besides sounding terrific, the 6SJ7 has an internal shielding network, which helps maintain low noise levels over the life of the tube. We use the 6SJ7 to provide all of the overall gain of the amp in one stage, which greatly reduces phase distortion and yields a stable soundstage with tremendous dimensionality and dynamics.

    Burn-In Process – Given our rigorous standards for all the component parts of our amplifiers, you’d think that we’d never have to worry about failures. It’s true, failures are very, very rare—but we make sure that if the rare failure occurs, it happens before the amp leaves the factory—and then we correct the issue.

    Every single amp we build is “burned-in” at the factory for 100 hours before we even test it. That means it’s run at operating levels—not put in an oven! If resistors or capacitors fail, they generally do so in the first few dozen hours of use, and our 100 hour burn-in makes sure that all components have stabilized, and are ready for test. Following test, it’s ready for you.

    Manufacturing Process – We utilize industry-leading Statistical Process Control manufacturing processes that result in greater than 99.8% yield during first pass. That’s better than the safety records of hospitals or the airline industry, and finished products are 100% reliable, fully-tested, and guaranteed for a lifetime.

    Binding Posts – Rogers amps use the best available parts, including the KWM-88’s binding posts, made by Furutech from oxygen-free (OFC) copper billets, milled, then gold-plated to resist oxidation and provide the best conductivity and contact. Inputs are all gold-plated RCA connectors.

    Operating Modes – The KWM-88 can be used in either triode or ultralinear mode, switchable on the fly from the front panel controls or from the App. This allows you to choose the mode that works best with your speakers, and which sounds best to you. Each mode has its advantages, and you can compare the soundstage and linearity of both modes, on the fly. Our amps are designed to be as versatile as they are durable.

    Power Measurement System –All our amplifiers feature a tuned, power measurement system which enables flawless system adjustment and integration. Power output is displayed on the front panel’s linear meters, as well as on the logarithmic meters contained within the control App.

    Remote Control – What makes the KWM-88 unique is its ability to be controlled with an app on your iphone or ipad allowing simultaneous control of your analog tube amp and your music source or server (JRiver, Roon, and so on)!

    Shipping –We protect our products even after they leave the factory. All our products are shipped in a custom-made double-box container system with die-cut high density and low density foam inserts. Our packaging is designed to withstand a 3 foot drop on any of its 6 sides, with no damage to the amplifier within. We have NEVER had an amplifier returned for shipping damage. NEVER.

    Tube Interchangeability –The KWM-88 can use either KT88 or KT 150 output tubes interchangeably, to accommodate individual taste or system requirements. Unless otherwise requested, we ship KWM-88s with KT88 output tubes.

  • Tube Complement: 2-6SJ7, 2-6SN7, 4-KT-88

    Frequency Response – +/- 0.1 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz

    Power Output: Ultra Linear 100 Watts rms @ 1% THD, 150 Watts rms @ 3% THD, Triode Mode 80 Watts rms

    Gain: 35dB

    Input: 4 Unbalanced, 100k Ohm • Output: 2 ohm to 32 ohm

    Available with an optional Transparent Power Cable

    Weight: 60 lbs.

    Dimensions: 17″ width, 14″ depth, 11.5″ height

    Ultra Linear/Triode mode selectable using iOS or front controls

    Transferable Lifetime Limited Warranty

More information at rogershighfidelity.com/kwm-88-integrated-amplifier/

Please contact us for more information & prices on our high-end audio products.