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Advice on upgrade

Btotheb

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Joined
Aug 24, 2024
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Dear forum.

Apologies for any bad writing, English is not my native language.

I have a setup containing of a Hegel H160 amp, KEF R3 speakers and KEF KC62 sub. Mostly (95%) listen to streamed music via airplay from Qobuz on my iPhone. I also have a Rega P1 and an old NAD RIAA, but with small children at home I rarely find the time to put on a record even though I like having the possibility to do so occasionally. I do like the sound when streaming, however the vinyl set up does not sound as good.

The reasons for wanting to upgrade is:

- Sometimes the AirPlay drops out/the phone can not find the amp.
- Improving the vinyl side.
- Better integration of the subwoofer/room correction as I think a lot could be improved here.

Now, what would be reasonable to add to the chain? I have considered a Wiim Ultra and a Technics SL-100C but would be happy for suggestions.
 
...
The reasons for wanting to upgrade is:

- Sometimes the AirPlay drops out/the phone can not find the amp.
- Improving the vinyl side.
- Better integration of the subwoofer/room correction as I think a lot could be improved here.

Now, what would be reasonable to add to the chain? I have considered a Wiim Ultra and a Technics SL-100C but would be happy for suggestions.
Please be aware that the Wiim Ultra does NOT support AirPlay.
 
Though it does support Qobuz natively, so even higher quality than AirPlay.

EDIT: No it doesn't. I misremembered. :(
 
I would start with room correction and sub integration. Nothing to lose by going down this path no matter what you do in the future (unless you change rooms/houses).

Room impact is always significant and proper sub integration can make a big difference.

It is always tempting to buy better/more/different gear but it rarely results in the step change improvements you can achieve with room correction and sub integration.
 
however the vinyl set up does not sound as good.
There are people who enjoy (or even prefer) the sound of vinyl but technically it's inferior in every way (noise, distortion, and frequency response).

...That's assuming you can get good digital without the dropouts. ;)

A different cartridge will give you different frequency response (better or worse) but you still have frequency response variations on the records themselves. When I used to listen to vinyl in the analog days, records varied a LOT with the "good ones" being rare. Maybe things are better with "modern" vinyl?

Of course you can also tweak frequency response with EQ or tone controls and that's probably a better and more practical solution.

Some cartridges will "track" better than others and you can get less distortion on "hard to track" records.

There's not a whole lot you can do about record noise, except the Waxwing preamp has some built-in digital click & pop reduction. Or if you digitize records, there is software for cleaning-up the clicks & pops, and sometimes you can lower the constant background noise. (I occasionally digitize a record when I can't find a digital copy.)

The biggest improvement I made to my setup (several years ago) was surround sound. I have a shelf-full of concert DVDs (and a couple of Blu-Rays) and most of them have Dolby Digital Surround. (I only have 5.1 and I don't really have the desire for more channels.)

With regular stereo music I use a "hall" or "theater" setting for delayed reverb in the rear channels and the "feel" of a bigger space. But that's hi-fi heresy because I'm not listening "accurately as intended". :D
 
Dear forum.

Apologies for any bad writing, English is not my native language.

I have a setup containing of a Hegel H160 amp, KEF R3 speakers and KEF KC62 sub. Mostly (95%) listen to streamed music via airplay from Qobuz on my iPhone. I also have a Rega P1 and an old NAD RIAA, but with small children at home I rarely find the time to put on a record even though I like having the possibility to do so occasionally. I do like the sound when streaming, however the vinyl set up does not sound as good.

The reasons for wanting to upgrade is:

- Sometimes the AirPlay drops out/the phone can not find the amp.
- Improving the vinyl side.
- Better integration of the subwoofer/room correction as I think a lot could be improved here.

Now, what would be reasonable to add to the chain? I have considered a Wiim Ultra and a Technics SL-100C but would be happy for suggestions.

The Hegel offers poor wifi compatibility. That's why the Airplay drops in and out.
Here are two ways I corrected the issue:
1. Connecting the Hegel to a Wiim mini via optical is a great way to remove wifi issues and it's totally compatible with Qobuz.
OR
2. You can connect a computer via USB on the Hegel. It turns the Hegel into a sound card on the computer. From there I used Audirvana streaming Qobuz on my MacBook Pro for solid playback sessions.

Either option offers a nice solution and totally fixes the streaming dropouts on the Hegel.

Cheers!
 
Thank you for all your replies.

AirPlay is not that important as long as i am able to stream from my phone. I don’t mind switching to Tidal, my wife prefers Spotify. Streaming from a computer via USB is not as easy and more things for the kids to knock over (0,5 and 2,5 years old).

I am not very technical and don’t want to spend hours and hours reading and learning how to do a correct room correction. Is the built in version in, say, the ultra any good?

Why the ultra feels tempting is streaming, RIAA and room correction built in. Also sub out, even though I don’t know if that will be any different from the Hegels variable line output.
 
Thank you for all your replies.

AirPlay is not that important as long as i am able to stream from my phone. I don’t mind switching to Tidal, my wife prefers Spotify. Streaming from a computer via USB is not as easy and more things for the kids to knock over (0,5 and 2,5 years old).

I am not very technical and don’t want to spend hours and hours reading and learning how to do a correct room correction. Is the built in version in, say, the ultra any good?

Why the ultra feels tempting is streaming, RIAA and room correction built in. Also sub out, even though I don’t know if that will be any different from the Hegels variable line output.

The Hegel variable line out absolutely sucks. If you are using a sub a standard lineup is superior.
 
The Hegel variable line out absolutely sucks. If you are using a sub a standard lineup is superior.

I apologise, i do not understand completely what you mean. Could you elaborate?
 
I apologise, i do not understand completely what you mean. Could you elaborate?
When using a sub you want a line out that is not attenuated just like the Pre-outs on a Denon or Marantz receiver. This allows the sub to have the same signal strength as the Pre-outs for the mains and satellite speakers.

The Hegel variable line out attenuates the signal to match the music. In reality, you get a compromised low level signal that's not really good for anything in my tests. It's like they engineered the variable line out so users could attach a 2nd pair of speakers with another amp? In reality, even if you do that the signal is much lower than the level put out on the Hegel main speakers. Imagine hooking up a sub to that low level signal. Expect lower playback and more distortion. Not an ideal setup for anything.
 
When using a sub you want a line out that is not attenuated just like the Pre-outs on a Denon or Marantz receiver. This allows the sub to have the same signal strength as the Pre-outs for the mains and satellite speakers.

The Hegel variable line out attenuates the signal to match the music. In reality, you get a compromised low level signal that's not really good for anything in my tests. It's like they engineered the variable line out so users could attach a 2nd pair of speakers with another amp? In reality, even if you do that the signal is much lower than the level put out on the Hegel main speakers. Imagine hooking up a sub to that low level signal. Expect lower playback and more distortion. Not an ideal setup for anything.

Thank you very much for that reply. Now I understand and got a bit wiser. However it is the only way to connect a sub to the system as it is now. I guess the ultra scored one more point considering the sub out.
 
Been thinking for a bit and realized that if i buy a Wiim Ultra the Hegel would only be used as a power amp.

If i sell the Hegel second hand i could easily buy the Ultra and a power amp (such as 2 x Fosi V3 Mono).

Does that sound like a good trade based on my wish list? Any other options worth exploring?
 
WiiM ultra plus power amp(s) sounds neat and sensible.
The only turntable change I might consider would be an upgraded cartridge/stylus, but nothing more than the Audio Technica AT-VM95ML or Ortofon blue. What do you have at the moment?
 
WiiM ultra plus power amp(s) sounds neat and sensible.
The only turntable change I might consider would be an upgraded cartridge/stylus, but nothing more than the Audio Technica AT-VM95ML or Ortofon blue. What do you have at the moment?

An 15 years old Ortofon OM5e, probably severely injured by time and by the 2,5 year olds curious little hands.

I have considered just changing cartridge and that would probably be smart. Then upgrade the player in 5 years when the boys are a bit less wild.
 
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An 15 years old Ortofon OM5e, probably severely injured by time and by the 2,5 year olds curious little hands.

I have considered just changing cartridge and that would probably be smart. Then upgrade the player in 5 years when the boys are a bit less wild.
Try an OM20, and just stop there, it's equivalent to an Ortofon Blue and you can swap stylii without changing the cartridge body - it's what I did :)
Really don't think you need to make any other changes in your vinyl chain - relax and enjoy.
 
What power amps would be worth looking into? 2xFosi V3 mono? For example the IOM Ncore (hypex)? Any other gems out there?

I have never been in the market for a power amp before. I guess both options would have the watts and more to drive my R3’s.
 
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What power amps would be worth looking into? 2xFosi V3 mono? For example the IOM Ncore (hypex).

I have never been in the market for a power amp before. I guess both options would have watts and more to drive my R3’s.

I have an Audiophonics MPA-S250NC RCA hooked up to my Wiim Ultra, it might represent a logical next step in quality over the Fosi V3 Monos. Not that I could hear the difference, at some fairly modest point in amps you start buying numbers and a spec rather than audible performance.

Again, the Fosi V3 Monos are surely very good. Just giving you options.
 
I have an Audiophonics MPA-S250NC RCA hooked up to my Wiim Ultra, it might represent a logical next step in quality over the Fosi V3 Monos. Not that I could hear the difference, at some fairly modest point in amps you start buying numbers and a spec rather than audible performance.

Again, the Fosi V3 Monos are surely very good. Just giving you options.

Thanks for your reply. Are you satisfied with the combo? Just so I understand, isn’t the one I wrote (IOM Ncore) the same amp as yours just in a different case?
 
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