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Hegel H95 Review (Streaming Amplifier)

arcy

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Interesting enough I also had its previous version the Hegel Rost. I returned it after 1 day (or rather 1 hour) of evaluation, even thought I had to pay shipping. It didn't have enough oomph to drive my 2-way bookshelf speaker, I could hear some small hiss in the background and the DAC didn't even manage to lock onto the Coax signal coming from a professional Marantz CD recorder (from 1990s) which all my DACs could. After that I just disregard this company altogether...
you call 1 hour an evaluation? you must be kidding
 

BoredErica

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Yeap, we all have, have had, or will have a passion for something that doesn't justify the price involved. But I see a lot of stones being thrown around here :)
There will be a lot less stones being thrown if people based their purchasing decisions on reality instead of buying stuff based on BS audiophile reasons while getting defensive because their product didn't measure well.

For example I spend more than I need to on clothes and handbags, but I don't say my handbags transcend space and time, and the leather is so pure the imperfections are not measurable even with an electron microscope. I'm realistic about what I'm buying and why I buy it.
 

arcy

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There will be a lot less stones being thrown if people based their purchasing decisions on reality instead of buying stuff based on BS audiophile reasons while getting defensive because their product didn't measure well.

For example I spend more than I need to on clothes and handbags, but I don't say my handbags transcend space and time, and the leather is so pure the imperfections are not measurable even with an electron microscope. I'm realistic about what I'm buying and why I buy it.
and what amp did you get using your sophisticated purchasing decision?
 

BoredErica

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and what amp did you get using your sophisticated purchasing decision?
Nothing you need to concern yourself about. :)
Literally 100% of your post history so far has been in this thread alone defending the Hegel. You aren't capable of being rational.
 
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arcy

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Nothing you need to concern yourself about. :)
genuinely curious. maybe will replace my poor H95 with the same as yours. I bet it must be from the top of amirm list and at least 96 SINAD. Joking aside, let me know. looking for alternative options from informed people.

don't edit your posts after reply and instead of merit reply I got an insult. good luck with your purchasing decisions eot
 
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ousi

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and what did you get instead?
It's been a couple years ago, when my secondary system was constantly changing. IIRC, I briefly tried the Marantz SA-KI Ruby (not PM-10 but close sibling) which is too "warm sounding", then a small McIntosh MHA150 which lacks dynamics, a Cyrus One Cast which sounded very dynamic but lack detail with some seriously weird background noise; and finally landed on a pair of DIY NC500MP (when some eBayer was selling it) + Benchmark DAC2 DX. After that I got a small PrimaLuna integrated tube amp for fun and during winter. The NC500MP + Benchmark sounds much better than the Rost I had, while costing even less than the Rost. The speakers in question were a pair of KEF LS50 (1st generation).
 

ousi

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To be fair a few moments will indicate if a amp does not have enough, "OOmpF." I can tell in a moment just by turning the volume up and seeing the response from the speakers. So it is most likely possible that @ousi is correct.
The smoke test was simple. I always listen to the same piece of music and when the bass line came or when the "climax" came, it's very easy to tell. Probably not a true full evaluation but it was even worse than an 8W/ch tube amp (a simple Triode Lab EL84 SET amp) I had to pass it.
 

Doodski

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The smoke test was simple. I always listen to the same piece of music and when the bass line came or when the "climax" came, it's very easy to tell. Probably not a true full evaluation but it was even worse than an 8W/ch tube amp (a simple Triode Lab EL84 SET amp) I had to pass it.
I see. A subjective smoke test for me would be turning it up... wayyyy up. Then listening for clipping or harshness. Then at a lower to medium volume turning the bass up if there is bass control to see if the capability is there and checking for clipping.

If objective I would run the unit into 4Ω and 8Ω loads and run it at a medium volume for a hour or so to get it toasty hot and check the bias and offset and then maybe check the bandwidth -3dB cutoff frequency out of curiosity. Then take it to clipping and let it soak for a little while to torture it. Nothing fancy like @amirm does but it would be a torture test for thermals. Some peeps I've worked with think that's crazy but it's the only way to really know. Especially with amps that run into 4Ω loads they must be torture tested after a repair to check for thermal runaway and current draw increases at the milliamp level to see if thermal runaway is commencing.
 
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DanielT

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The smoke test was simple. I always listen to the same piece of music and when the bass line came or when the "climax" came, it's very easy to tell. Probably not a true full evaluation but it was even worse than an 8W/ch tube amp (a simple Triode Lab EL84 SET amp) I had to pass it.
But can not tube amp have a certain increase in the bass frequencies? (not sure all tube amps have a straight frequency curve/respons that is). If so, maybe it's because of that what you thought sounded better?:)
 

UzbcuRA

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Any details of the magic-gold-dust-soundengine-technology are very sparse, all I could find what this presentation by 'Bent' who apparently is the founder / main tech dude over at Hegel. Funny that he is completely missing from the Hegel site (https://www.hegel.com/en/about/people-of-hegel -- all people on there are sales dudes, but won't go too deep into the conspiracy rabbit hole over that fact).


Anyway, he speaks about the 'analog computer' and a 'threshold detector'. AFAIK he basically says the error correction feed-forward signal is not present at all times. This threshold detector decides when the distortion is audible and corrects only when it deems it so. This is certainly different (or more 'dynamic' as he puts it) compared to conventional global feedback designs (where the feedback is always present).

Can it be that simple sine-sweeps used in the standard measurements (for whatever reason) doesn't trigger this threshold detector? Thus what we are seeing on measurements are the 'untouched' signal path trough Hegel's class A/B topology without any error correction applied at all? He even says that 'most of the time' no correction is applied.

Could this explain the mediocre-at-best results? I.e. what we are seeing is a standard A/B design but without Hegel's claim-to-fame-magic-dust applied?
 
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Doodski

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Can it be that simple sine-sweeps used in the standard measurements (for whatever reason) doesn't trigger this threshold detector? Thus what we are seeing on measurements are the 'untouched' signal path trough Hegel's class A/B topology without any error correction applied at all?
How does this explain the multi-tone test? The amp and circuitry doesn't care what you put though it. It just amplifies the signal.
index.php
 

Doodski

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Anyway, he speaks about the 'analog computer' and a 'threshold detector'. AFAIK he basically says the error correction feed-forward signal is not present at all times. This threshold detector decides when the distortion is audible and corrects only when it deems it so. This is certainly different (or more 'dynamic' as he puts it) compared to conventional global feedback designs (where the feedback is always present).
I think it's flowery sounding tech talk for analogue amplifier circuitry that does do some math at the design level. Calling it a computer seems like fluff talk.
 

Geert

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all I could find what this presentation by 'Bent' who apparently is the founder / main tech dude over at Hegel. Funny that he is completely missing from the Hegel.com
He has his own page: https://www.hegel.com/en/about

Anyway, he speaks about the 'analog computer' and a 'threshold detector'. AFAIK he basically says the error correction feed-forward signal is not present at all times. <cut> Can it be that simple sine-sweeps used in the standard measurements (for whatever reason) doesn't trigger this threshold detector? <cut> Could this explain the mediocre-at-best results?
The circuit should at least act on class AB crossover distortion I guess. That also goes for sine waves.
 

phion

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He has his own page: https://www.hegel.com/en/about


The circuit should at least act on class AB crossover distortion I guess. That also goes for sine waves.
SoundEngine patent granted in 2001 to Bent Holter ( and expired last year)
 

UzbcuRA

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How does this explain the multi-tone test? The amp and circuitry doesn't care what you put though it. It just amplifies the signal.
Not sure it explains anything :) Hegel hasn't proved the soundengine does anything at all (under any circumstances). It certainly doesn't measure better than your textbook class A/B topology.

Their claims that the SoundEngine leads to immeasurable distortion on their product pages is false advertising and most likely illegal in many countries (including Norway).
 

Doodski

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Their claims that the SoundEngine leads to immeasurable distortion on their product pages is false advertising and most likely illegal in many countries (including Norway).
It certainly is manipulating reality. Time will tell... I doubt Hegel is going to give up the song and dance about the SoundEngine2 but maybe they'll clean up the rhetoric.
 

DSJR

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