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Hegel H95 Review (Streaming Amplifier)

PierreV

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A real point that speaks for Amir, though, is that he strives for some sort of consistency so comparisons and ranking (for those who feel the need for such) are somewhat easier to make, but we must never forget that his data doesn't always represent "the truth". I personally wished Amir produced less tests per month but more complete and thorough ones.
Totally agree. While it is clear that this integrated amplifier isn't worth the asking price, the fuzziness in some of the testing choices may lead some to think it was just an ad-hoc hatchet job.

To be totally clear, I do not think this is a hatchet job, wouldn't touch that integrated with a ten-foot pole at this price and don't think that Amir is intentionally dishonest in any way. But it sometimes feels that he enthusiastically jumps on the issues he finds without considering options/adjustments. In other cases, the SMSL behavior as temperature rises for example, we get a complete post-mortem and eventually a retest. In other cases, the blade falls, the device is packed and shipped back and that's it.

Again, I don't own any Hegel stuff, don't plan to ever own one, believe the testing, on the whole, is fair (that level issue is bothering me a bit) and have been biased by previous tests to believe that, by default, Hegel is just another so-so overpriced lifestyle brand but the company responded publicly and professionally. This could warrant a slightly adapted retesting of the controversial measurements.
 

Georgeadv

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I dont understand the technical terms used and how these impact sound.

So, if we used an external DAC with this is this amp any good?

If we used a different amp that measures well with the same power specs (60amps) would I be able to hear the difference? )”(or is this better performance just a spec number?)

Thanks!

EDIT: Amir should test other hegel amps especially the ones higher in the line to see if the trend is similar - it would be really helpful to a lot of purchasers considering the asking price and reputation of the brand!
 
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Robert C

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The other way of looking at it is from the consumer point of view, where the measured results should be good enough taking into account the restrictions of human hearing capability. I don't claim to know where the line for "good enough" is, but I suspect that the H95 is not quite the abhorrent disaster some forum members paint it to be.
The H95 is nowhere near good enough, by any metric. The Yamaha R-N803, for example, appears to offer better measured performance, more features, and is more than half the price of the H95...
 

Geert

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So, if we used an external DAC with this is this amp any good?
If you wouldn't plan to use the DAC than the amp would be OK if it costed about 500$. Unless you believe it sounds much better than the measurements indicate (see next question).

If we used a different amp that measures well with the same power specs (60amps) would I be able to hear the difference?
Depending on who you ask and how you assess your own skills the answer will range from impossible to the difference will be like night and day.

Amir should test other hegel amps especially the ones higher in the line to see if the trend is similar
You know how it works here; send him the amps and he will test them.
 

UzbcuRA

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Disgruntled H95 owner here. I must admit that I bought into the Hegel PR garbage of distortion free / pure / clean sound. SoundEngine2 feed-forward nonsense. I even convinced myself the DAC was good!

I auditioned 5 different amps at my house (including a 'perfect' class-D with enormous amount of global feedback) and after lots of effort decided that I liked the H95 the best. Disclaimer, I am a sucker for all-in-one solutions, I even use the headphone output on this thing.

Anyway, after reading this thread I can no longer listen the noisy hunk of junk in my rack.
I hate it everything about it now, funny how your brain works. It's on eBay already.

The question is what the hell I should get now. I spent so much time landing on the H95, can't go though the audition agony/expense again.

Giving up on music is probably the correct answer.

// Annoyed Hegel customer
 

Georgeadv

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If you wouldn't plan to use the DAC than the amp would be OK if it costed about 500$. Unless you believe it sounds much better than the measurements indicate (see next question).


Depending on who you ask and how you assess your own skills the answer will range from impossible to the difference will be like night and day.


You know how it works here; send him the amps and he will test them.
If you wouldn't plan to use the DAC than the amp would be OK if it costed about 500$. Unless you believe it sounds much better than the measurements indicate (see next question).


Depending on who you ask and how you assess your own skills the answer will range from impossible to the difference will be like night and day.


You know how it works here; send him the amps and he will test them.
I would send him my amp if i was near but unfortunately i live in the other half of the globe :p
 

DanielT

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Regarding user-friendliness. I am adding a picture of the remote control to Hegel. I do not know if the remote control is good or bad but it looks like this anyway.

shot_2021-11-28_14-43-04.png
 

ahofer

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The question is what the hell I should get now.
If you like all-in-one, the Cambridge EVO line looks good, with Hypex innards and streaming software that goes with just about anything.
 

phion

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For example what is the reason that the transistors are at the front of the board and the speaker outputs at the back?
Do you have to ask? Of course it sounds better in their experience.
I had to join to ask…

So you took the time to audition five amplifiers at home in your system x care to share what the others were? After (presumably) extensive listening, you preferred the sound of the H95, or at least felt it suited your room/system, enough for you to buy it. You’ve not had any complaints about the amplifier during your ownership, but now someone has measured it and posted their findings, which are currently in question by many, you suddenly dislike it’s sound? That makes no sense whatsoever.

If your mind can be changed by numbers, and the negative postings of others, then I can’t think that you had much interest in this hobby, or music, to begin with.
Or maybe OP realized they could get the same sound or better with $400 and now they want the rest of their money back. Not sure why this logic escapes so many audiophiles.
 

TOR

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I had to join to ask…

So you took the time to audition five amplifiers at home in your system x care to share what the others were? After (presumably) extensive listening, you preferred the sound of the H95, or at least felt it suited your room/system, enough for you to buy it. You’ve not had any complaints about the amplifier during your ownership, but now someone has measured it and posted their findings, which are currently in question by many, you suddenly dislike it’s sound? That makes no sense whatsoever.

If your mind can be changed by numbers, and the negative postings of others, then I can’t think that you had much interest in this hobby, or music, to begin with.

That's the very reason for blind testing. As someone audition a piece of equipment, your brain is already loaded with the jargons from the sales literature, coupled with outward appearance, touch, plus all the usual variables like level etc. The decision in the end is not the result of how it sound.
 

VoRAT

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Do you have to ask? Of course it sounds better in their experience.

Or maybe OP realized they could get the same sound or better with $400 and now they want the rest of their money back. Not sure why this logic escapes so many audiophiles.
Same sound or better? Or do you mean measurements? The poster stated he chose the amp out of five based on sound. That says quite a lot, as does his sudden disdain for the product because he’s presented with some numbers that don’t correlate to his listening experience.
 

VoRAT

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That's the very reason for blind testing. As someone audition a piece of equipment, your brain is already loaded with the jargons from the sales literature, coupled with outward appearance, touch, plus all the usual variables like level etc. The decision in the end is not the result of how it sound.
Of course, everyone is a blind idiot aren’t they. No one has the ability to choose a product based on sound to their ears do they.

If someone is torn between two products, it might come down to features or looks. That’s fine. But they got to that point based on their own listening. Don‘t brainwash people into thinking they cannot choose a product based on their sound preference without any other bias. If somebody wants to choose purely based on measurements, fine, but that doesn’t guarantee they’ll be happy listening to the resulting system.
 

capitanharlock

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Disgruntled H95 owner here. I must admit that I bought into the Hegel PR garbage of distortion free / pure / clean sound. SoundEngine2 feed-forward nonsense. I even convinced myself the DAC was good!

I auditioned 5 different amps at my house (including a 'perfect' class-D with enormous amount of global feedback) and after lots of effort decided that I liked the H95 the best. Disclaimer, I am a sucker for all-in-one solutions, I even use the headphone output on this thing.

Anyway, after reading this thread I can no longer listen the noisy hunk of junk in my rack.
I hate it everything about it now, funny how your brain works. It's on eBay already.

The question is what the hell I should get now. I spent so much time landing on the H95, can't go though the audition agony/expense again.

Giving up on music is probably the correct answer.

// Annoyed Hegel customer
Very funny, really.
Actually I don’t know how this Hegel sounds, and, in the end, I don’t care.
There is one thing I am sure about, though: in a product that costs 2 grands, such horrible dac and headphones amp performances are inexcusable.
The usual “it sounds wonderful ‘cause I say so” is the excuse of someone who has a direct economic interest in the product, or no other evidence to show.
Aren’t you sick of hearing those babbles?
I definitely am.
 

phion

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Same sound or better? Or do you mean measurements? The poster stated he chose the amp out of five based on sound. That says quite a lot, as does his sudden disdain for the product because he’s presented with some numbers that don’t correlate to his listening experience.
So you have no trouble understanding that the sudden disdain might be the mind playing games, but you are convinced the initial preference was due to the genuine superiority of the product? Do you stand to gain in one direction but not the other?
 

TOR

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Of course, everyone is a blind idiot aren’t they. No one has the ability to choose a product based on sound to their ears do they.

If someone is torn between two products, it might come down to features or looks. That’s fine. But they got to that point based on their own listening. Don‘t brainwash people into thinking they cannot choose a product based on their sound preference without any other bias. If somebody wants to choose purely based on measurements, fine, but that doesn’t guarantee they’ll be happy listening to the resulting system.

You totally missed my point. Audition by blind testing. ie listen with your ears not your eyes or mind......
 

VoRAT

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So you have no trouble understanding that the sudden disdain might be the mind playing games, but you are convinced the initial preference was due to the genuine superiority of the product? Do you stand to gain in one direction but not the other?
Isn’t that a question to ask him? He chose it. And he stated why. It’ll be interesting to hear more as to why he suddenly dislikes it.

He’s a new member, so if he’s still around and posting in a few months, we’ll see if he’s genuine or a plant to further the narrative.
 
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orangejello

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Disgruntled H95 owner here. I must admit that I bought into the Hegel PR garbage of distortion free / pure / clean sound. SoundEngine2 feed-forward nonsense. I even convinced myself the DAC was good!

I auditioned 5 different amps at my house (including a 'perfect' class-D with enormous amount of global feedback) and after lots of effort decided that I liked the H95 the best. Disclaimer, I am a sucker for all-in-one solutions, I even use the headphone output on this thing.

Anyway, after reading this thread I can no longer listen the noisy hunk of junk in my rack.
I hate it everything about it now, funny how your brain works. It's on eBay already.

The question is what the hell I should get now. I spent so much time landing on the H95, can't go though the audition agony/expense again.

Giving up on music is probably the correct answer.

// Annoyed Hegel customer
Sorry that you spent a lot of time and effort deciding to buy the H95 and now feel cheated by their marketing. You aren’t the first and won’t be the last.

The problem is that once one gets a bad impression of something it is hard to forget it. That is why marketeers do so much damage control when faced with bad publicity. That being said, I would suggest letting all of this discussion drift far into the rear view mirror. Then see if you can go back to enjoying your music. The Hegel isn’t state of the art with regards to measurement. But it isn’t horrible either.
 

AdamG

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Isn’t that a question to ask him? He chose it. And he stated why. It’ll be interesting to hear more as to why he suddenly dislikes it.

He’s a new member, so if he’s still around and posting in a few months, we’ll see if he’s genuine or a plant to further the narrative.
Funny I was thinking the exact same thing about you? How interesting
 
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