Hegel H95 Review (Streaming Amplifier)

[killdozzer]

Finally settled on Hegel because of all the fantastic reviews and "affordable" price (for such quality)... Until I decided to dig in the specs and found your forum.

In the end, I went for a minidsp SHD and a Purifi amplifier.
By publishing these objective measurements, you allow us (consumers) to avoid spending thousands on crap. For most of us, buying an amplifier is a big investment and we don't want to mess up and regret it later.

Now, there's a thought!

 

[killdozzer]

Reviewers are often swayed by the industry and $ and marketing just like everyone is to at least some degree... and fact that amps dont vary the sound all that much leaves a lot of room for the imagination to run wild.
I am sure it sounds fine.

Plus some reviewers are straight up industry players who are paid well to help promote products. Even if only by being influential on YouTube, one can make a living.

You'd have to ABX against the Benchmark and see how often you get "X" correct. And which sound you prefer if different.

And a lot of them don't do their own tests but disseminate what comes from the factory. The fact that some findings are the same is because they are.

 

[killdozzer]

What @Hegel Music System will not say in public is that H95 was designed for this level of performance. It was designed for people who have this kind of money to spend on amp but are not into ultimate sound performance and usually listen to Spotify level sound quality (which is 95% of people basically). This is why there is no Roon as it is a niche software but only AirPlay and Spotify Connect.

Also, Hegel needs to leave space in sound quality terms to higher end devices in the range.

Overpriced? Depends on the amount of money you have. But most likely it is in general.

H95 is not high end solution for sound quality, it is just a premium conumer grade hi-fi product and needs to be considered as such.

Dont hate the player (Hegel), hate the game.

I still don't see it. It became rather easy to make a well performing unit, you almost have to try to make it as bad as this one.

As for overpriced... I was talking to a tourist last summer, he is loaded, we were talking about some pizza for 30 euros. One thing he said really stuck with me. He said both him and his friends and colleagues resent this implication that lots of money implies no brain. He said the pizza itself is overpriced. He could buy the very restaurant, it's not a problem, but he hates feeling as someone is treating him as a dumb person.

So, again, you can have pretty and functioning these days which means its overpriced because it under-performs. Not because someone doesn't have money.

 

[JayGilb]

And a lot of them don't do their own tests but disseminate what comes from the factory. The fact that some findings are the same is because they are.

Most don't do any testing at all. They spend the whole review talking about the beefy weight of the chassis and the tactile feel of the switches.
A load of adjectives are tossed out describing the sound and the comment section is chock full of "I wasn't sure whether or not to buy the amp, but your review convinced me".

 

[killdozzer]

Because the described distortions are by all accounts not audible, and hearing is extremely prone to bias. So when reviewers think that the Hegel amp is expensive and well-engineered and is supposed to "sound very good", they do - honestly and actually - think that it sounds very good.

I'm fairly sure a blind test would not reveal the amp to sound bad, but simply that it will sound like 98-99 percent of other amps - indistinguishable from each other under most listening conditions.

The problem for me is not the level of distortion, which is below the limit of audibility for all practical purposes, but the prices they charge for it and the audiophile mumbo jumbo the company engages in.

But... In that case why "cook books"? if numbers don't matter why hide them or distort them?

 

[VoRAT]

A load of adjectives are tossed out describing the sound and the comment section is chock full of "I wasn't sure whether or not to buy the amp, but your review convinced me".

More sensible people will listen first, rather than base a buying decision on someone else’s opinion.

 

[Doodski]

The thing about all this banter is that the innocent buyer wants to purchase something and many do not understand the technology. They should not because it's complicated and sophisticated. So they read and read and try to make sense of stuff and the subjective appeals to some because it fits their need. The pricks take advantage of this and suck them in with goobly gook and mumbO jumbO. The customers and their needs are caught in the crossfire. So giving the pass on Hegel because they are playing the game is not good. Hegel is responsible for their goobly gook and their product integrity.

 

[killdozzer]

Urgh!! Sometimes you get a warning you shouldn't comment before reading through the whole thing! How about the very opposite of that?

Contamination warning!

The only argument for Hegel (IMHO a poor one) is you should still buy it if it sounds good to you. I just don't get it. Why not go for the one that sounds as good to you, but doesn't have all the faults? Plenty of "sounding good and performing good" amps out there. Question remains, why still go for this one in spite of everything?

 

[Doodski]

Urgh!! Sometimes you get a warning you shouldn't comment before reading through the whole thing! How about the very opposite of that?

Contamination warning!

The only argument for Hegel (IMHO a poor one) is you should still buy it if it sounds good to you. I just don't get it. Why not go for the one that sounds as good to you, but doesn't have all the faults? Plenty of "sounding good and performing good" amps out there. Question remains, why still go for this one in spite of everything?

Brand loyalty, stubbornness, intentionally being ignorant to spite peeps.

 

[UzbcuRA]

I still don't see it. It became rather easy to make a well performing unit, you almost have to try to make it as bad as this one.

In this case I believe its laziness. Hegel has been making the same amp for decades. They are used to being good enough and spent all effort on honing their PR message riding high on the brand value they built up in the retail sector / press.

Turns out the emperor had no clothes, all it took was for somebody to point it out.

 

[SwampYankee]

Brand loyalty, stubbornness, intentionally being ignorant to spite peeps.

I am hesitant to weigh in on all of this. This review is the latest chapter in a never-ending scuffle over the "right" criteria consumers should consider when buying audio equipment. No review or set of measurements will settle things, however meticulously prepared. I am happy to see Amir and ASR subject highly-praised components to rigorous testing and comparison. There is a lot of value in these efforts. To the extent that consumers emphasize fidelity in their buying decisions, ASR's data should help them make their own choices and come to grips with an objective set of measurements.

At the end of the day, some people will purchase equipment for reasons at-best tangential to measured performance. I don't have a problem with that. I am not in the market for a $2,000 integrated amp. I believe that for many people who ARE in that market, the high price of admission is a critical feature. It keeps the riff-raff out and helps identify members of the club. The same holds true for other major purchases, regardless of the relative "performance" offered. Luxury goods may be marketed on their innovations, but exclusivity is more important to their performance as status symbols.

I try to buy things that bring me joy. For audio equipment, that has included plenty of pieces that are well-below SOTA standards. Among my happiest experiences listening to music is blasting the Stooges on "stacked" Big Advents. I would never suggest that represents the closest approximation to the studio recordings. It makes me happy because it sounds "right" and brings cherished memories alive. My beat-up Marantz receiver has scratchy pots, a misaligned FM section, and likely plenty of spent capacitors. It still makes me smile when I listen to it. I get that none of this is what ASR is about and I won't argue with others who feel they have a more rational perspective. I don't need to convince you to enjoy what I enjoy.

I also think its a mistake to think that the ASR members are immune to similar social influences. There's always a tribal element to these discussions. That's okay; I just think its worth paying attention to the reasons we enjoy audio (music?) and nerding-out with likeminded people or fighting with others. It's healthy to call out the snake-oil salesmen...just pay attention to what you're trying to accomplish in doing it.

 

[KSTR]

I have. Volume control was kept the same as analog test and I adjusted the digital value to get the same 5 watts. It is the only way to get apples vs apples comparison of digital versus analog. The analog value was also quite small so digital had to be as well (given the 29 dB gain set on the amplifier).

Once again: we are using standardized THX gain level for an amplifier which is 29 dB. That is the only gain setting I test an amplifier at. Whether input is digital or analog, it is tested at the same gain level.

Which is exactly the problem. Same gain level is a criterion simply not applicable in this case. We don't even know the internal DAC send level at its analog port, do we? So how can we know the required gain?

Rather, you have opted to fudge with the digital input level to get to the same output with that fixed gain only useful for the analog input.

Amir, c'mon, it's time to admit you made a methodological error. Nothing wrong with that, because "He who does nothing makes no mistakes".

But you may want to rethink your methods (hint: look at how SoundStage did it), actually I (and many others) urge you to do so as otherwise your credibility is falling apart more and more....
... I have little hope this will ever happen because Narcissists don’t learn from their mistakes because they don’t think they make any

 

[Doodski]

I believe that for many people who ARE in that market, the high price of admission is a critical feature. It keeps the riff-raff out and helps identify members of the club.

Riff-Raff? Who is being kept out and why?

Among my happiest experiences listening to music is blasting the Stooges on "stacked" Big Advents. I would never suggest that represents the closest approximation to the studio recordings. It makes me happy because it sounds "right" and brings cherished memories alive. My beat-up Marantz receiver has scratchy pots, a misaligned FM section, and likely plenty of spent capacitors. It still makes me smile when I listen to it. I get that none of this is what ASR is about and I won't argue with others who feel they have a more rational perspective. I don't need to convince you to enjoy what I enjoy.

First and foremost ASR is supposed to be about enjoying the music and having some fun doing it and enjoying being here. Your gear pleases you and that's the main thing that is important.

I also think its a mistake to think that the ASR members are immune to similar social influences. There's always a tribal element to these discussions. That's okay; I just think its worth paying attention to the reasons we enjoy audio (music?) and nerding-out with likeminded people or fighting with others. It's healthy to call out the snake-oil salesmen...just pay attention to what you're trying to accomplish in doing it.

Yes, sometimes peeps get a little over enthusiastic.

 

[SwampYankee]

Riff-Raff? Who is being kept out and why?

That's the nature of exclusivity - you have to box somebody out to get the social benefit. A $10 quartz watch keeps better time than a $100k mechanical watch. No one is buying the expensive one due to its accuracy.

 

[SwampYankee]

Urgh!! Sometimes you get a warning you shouldn't comment before reading through the whole thing! How about the very opposite of that?

Contamination warning!

The only argument for Hegel (IMHO a poor one) is you should still buy it if it sounds good to you. I just don't get it. Why not go for the one that sounds as good to you, but doesn't have all the faults? Plenty of "sounding good and performing good" amps out there. Question remains, why still go for this one in spite of everything?

You buy it because people you trust said it is great. Or you buy it because people like the person you want to be seen as buy it.

 

[caught gesture]

My overall take on this as it has played out. Hegel is another lifestyle audio company. Yes, you can get better equipment at much less cost, but you won’t have the same glow when ordering a Chinese branded object from the internet as you will get from your Chinese made Hegel product praised by Darko purchased from a boutique showroom. What you’ll get from Hegel won’t be bad. Your expectation bias will be sky-high as you read all their sales blurb about vanishingly low this, superior that. You’ll want to believe this and that as you hand over your credit card. You’ll get home and bask in the glow of superior audio reproduction with OrganicSound TM and SoundEngine TM as your cognitive biases do their work. People who care about audio fidelity will shop elsewhere. People who care about aesthetics and warm feelings will continue to buy. Hegel is not Benchmark.

 

[pma]

Hegel is another lifestyle audio company.

Speaking in this manner, Hegel is still nothing. You will have to look after something like this, more expensive in orders

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[Jim Shaw]

Expensive don't have to be bad.

Your point, not mine. Mine, implicit: expensive doesn't have to be good.
>There's a world of difference, eh?

 

[caught gesture]

Speaking in this manner, Hegel is still nothing. You will have to look after something like this, more expensive in orders

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www.stereophile.com

Gryphon Essence Mono power amplifier

"Oh goody!" thought self, to self: "Another Gryphon component to review." As eloquent and revelatory as that statement may be, there's an even more illuminating backstory.

www.stereophile.com

Classé Delta Mono monoblock power amplifier

Canadian audio manufacturer Classé Audio was founded in 1980 by engineer Dave Reich and entrepreneur/audiophile Mike Viglas. The name "Classé" was a pun on the fact that Reich was a firm believer in an amplifier's output stage operating in class-A, where the output devices never turn off (see...

www.stereophile.com

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What's the point of reviewing a pair of monoblock amplifiers that costs more than most people spend on two or even several cars and far more than most audiophiles spend on an entire music system? That's a good question. Another is: Why should I write this review when, just seven years ago, I...

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You are right, there are plenty of emperors above them.

 

[Geert]

Yes, you can get better equipment at much less cost, but you won’t have the same glow when ordering a Chinese branded object

If Japanese is close enough: Technics SU-G700 will make your Hegel look cheap But don't ask for the level of the pre out