Rob, I wouldn't necessarily blame the apparent placement of the sound stage on the phono stage alone. First, that is a subjective impression. Second, there are SO many factors that might influence the aural phenomenon, especially starting with your speakers, their placement in the room, and the room itself. Tube devices are typically very good at recreating a sense of depth, usually don't sound "flat".
I looked up the Rogue on the internet. It appears to be a quality product, as it should be for the high cost. I wonder that they say you can use a wide variety of tubes apparently with no need for other changes or adjustments (please correct me, if I am wrong in saying that). Normally, a 12AU7 lacks sufficient gain for use as a gain device in a phono circuit, and if you just pull it and substitute a 12AX7, the latter tube would not live happily under conditions that optimize the 12AU7, and vice-versa. This is so obvious that I must assume they have left something out in their verbiage.
