Hegel H95 Review (Streaming Amplifier)

[Billy Budapest]

You guys know that the Chinese company GP Acoustics is the parent corporation of KEF and Hegel, right? Or at least there are business connections between all three evidenced by shared employees. And that’s why they are exhibited together, and why GP Acoustics has engaged in a “full court press” to convince people there is some sort of magical “synergy” between the two brands.

 

[Everett T]

You guys know that the Chinese company GP Acoustics is the parent corporation of KEF and Hegel, right? And that’s why they are exhibited together, and why GP Acoustics has engaged in a “full court press” to convince people there is some sort of magical “synergy” between the two brands.

Crazy how well this has worked with manufacturers over the years. It went from an endorsement to a necessity purchase.

 

[Billy Budapest]

You can see at least one shared employee between KEF and Hegel here, and another employee with connections to Hegel and GP Acoustics:

Hegel Music Systems - People of Hegel

Manufacturer of hi-end audio electronics - amplifiers, preamplifiers, power amplifiers, D/A converters, CD-players and custom installation amplifiers.

www.hegel.com

 

[Billy Budapest]

Crazy how well this has worked with manufacturers over the years. It went from an endorsement to a necessity purchase.

B&W and Classe and Rotel. PSB and NAD. Etc.

I edited my post above because I do not know the exact nature of the connection between KEF and Hegel other than shared employees. On other forums, people have claimed that Hegel is owned by GP Acoustics, but I wanted to qualify that statement because I do not have first hand knowledge.

 

[ROOSKIE]

when we listen for specific things in specific songs, like 'sssssibilance it's there or it isn't, but even that can be due to room reflections from wide dispersion designs . Regardless of how speakers measure in a controlled environment.

Siblance is common in the recording itself.
Especially in pop music due to common close mic methods.
Listening for siblenace is not an easy way to determine anything. Could be a speaker with more siblance on a track is more accurate to the source due to the source having lots of recorded siblance.

Look anyone comparing amps by walking room to room needs to 1st read up on some basic pyscoacoustics and really think about human perception.

Think about how easily peoole are fooled by wine labels or being told one wine is expensive and one is cheap and then preferring the expensive wine while all along they are one in the same.

This happens everywhere all the time. People do have excellent skills of perception at a Raw level, but most often it is burried in an array of biases and inability to pay attention to new things or remember without altering the story.

 

[exm]

You guys know that the Chinese company GP Acoustics is the parent corporation of KEF and Hegel, right? Or at least there are business connections between all three evidenced by shared employees. And that’s why they are exhibited together, and why GP Acoustics has engaged in a “full court press” to convince people there is some sort of magical “synergy” between the two brands.

I'm trying to find this link between Kef and Hegel. I looked https://www.goldpeak.com and http://www.gp-industries.com/electronics.htm

Where can I find this?

 

[DSJR]

PLEASE don't judge gear by the often godawful noises at shows... Amps are usually thrashed to compete over the din of other rooms and what you're hearing is clipping in many cases (or boom from rooms using vinyl as main source).

 

[Billy Budapest]

I'm trying to find this link between Kef and Hegel. I looked https://www.goldpeak.com and http://www.gp-industries.com/electronics.htm

Where can I find this?

Look at the link I posted from Hegel’s website that shows shared employees between Hegel and KEF.

 

[Billy Budapest]

I'm trying to find this link between Kef and Hegel. I looked https://www.goldpeak.com and http://www.gp-industries.com/electronics.htm

Where can I find this?

See here, too:

Interview with Frank Eschholz, Product Manager Hegel/KEF at GP Acoustics

Hegel H590: Seite 6 - i-fidelity.net

www-i--fidelity-net.translate.goog

 

[SwampYankee]

Siblance is common in the recording itself.
Especially in pop music due to common close mic methods.
Listening for siblenace is not an easy way to determine anything. Could be a speaker with more siblance on a track is more accurate to the source due to the source having lots of recorded siblance.

Look anyone comparing amps by walking room to room needs to 1st read up on some basic pyscoacoustics and really think about human perception.

Think about how easily peoole are fooled by wine labels or being told one wine is expensive and one is cheap and then preferring the expensive wine while all along they are one in the same.

This happens everywhere all the time. People do have excellent skills of perception at a Raw level, but most often it is burried in an array of biases and inability to pay attention to new things or remember without altering the story.

Moreover, accepting that we are all biased in sighted listening scenarios is not the equivalent of saying we suffer from poor hearing or lack "discerning" judgement. I think lots of people into audio gear (not necessarily music) believe they can hear the differences among amps operating within the amps' design parameters. I also believe very few, if any, could reliably demonstrate that ability.

 

[killdozzer]

Don’t have to change anything
KEF + Hegel = warm and smooth sound with a lot of detali and I like it
But soon I’ll try the NAD M10 v2. I want to test Dirac Live.

One correction, if you allow;
KEF + Hegel = warm and smooth sound with a lot of detali + humming noise from toroidal transformer AND you like it.

(Oh, and one more thing; "warm and smooth sound" even where it's not suppose to be).

 

[killdozzer]

PLEASE don't judge gear by the often godawful noises at shows... Amps are usually thrashed to compete over the din of other rooms and what you're hearing is clipping in many cases (or boom from rooms using vinyl as main source).

Also people should stop pulling the straw man argument of parent companies unless they can find proof of "directions in manufacturing" that dictate one brand to follow sound sig. or poor quality of another. Parent companies don't enforce manifestos. They are in place for the profit and financing and investments and so forth.

 

[peng]

If an amplifier is warm, the frequency response rolls of early and isn't linear. If time was taken to double blind tests, you'd be shocked at what your ears told you. Auditory memory is extremely short and without the benefit of sight, a lot of what you perceive will be discounted.

Funny I just setup something to AB a HK amp, once popular brand for those seeking the claimed warm sound (seemed more so than Hegel, or Marantz's) and my buckeye Hypex amp.

I know it is not just frequency response, but also the lower order even harmonics that the believers/hearsayers thought were responsible for the warm sound.
Can someone help me find evidence from the following FR plots, level matched and with 1/48 smoothing? I am leaving the test setup connected for a few more days and try to hear differences so suggestions on further tests are welcome. This is not the right thread though I guess..

Distortion specs:
Amp A: 80 WPC 20-20kHz @<0.07% THD into 8 ohms
Amp B:

 

[Everett T]

Funny I just setup something to AB a HK amp, once popular brand for those seeking the claimed warm sound (seemed more so than Hegel, or Marantz's) and my buckeye Hypex amp.

I know it is not just frequency response, but also the lower order even harmonics that the believers/hearsayers thought were responsible for the warm sound.
Can someone help me find evidence from the following FR plots, level matched and with 1/48 smoothing? I am leaving the test setup connected for a few more days and try to hear differences so suggestions on further tests are welcome. This is not the right thread though I guess..

Distortion specs:
Amp A: 80 WPC 20-20kHz @<0.07% THD into 8 ohms
Amp B:
View attachment 219926
View attachment 219923

I certainly can't and the speech band looks almost identical. Did you run the distortion numbers yet?

 

[peng]

I certainly can't and the speech band looks almost identical. Did you run the distortion numbers yet?

I dont have the gear to do it, that's wh I quote the specs. The REW plots show similar distortion profiles but they are obviously dominated by the speakers.

Amp A's 0.07% is the total distortions so I can't imagine it will have enough 2nd and 3rd harmonics to sound warm anyway, agree? Amp B is the buckeye amp and Amir measured more than one so we know their harmonic distortions well enough.

 

[Everett T]

I dont have the gear to do it, that's wh I quote the specs. The REW plots show similar distortion profiles but they are obviously dominated by the speakers.

Amp A's 0.07% is the total distortions so I can't imagine it will have enough 2nd and 3rd harmonics to sound warm anyway, agree? Amp B is the buckeye amp and Amir measured more than one so we know their harmonic distortions well enough.

Highly unlikely. I could see some of the Pass amps (and a couple of others) having it intentionally but that's another conversation

 

[peng]

Highly unlikely. I could see some of the Pass amps (and a couple of others) having it intentionally but that's another conversation

True enough but I would think that those amp's T(total)H(harmonic)D must be > 0.1% that is -60 dB, to have enough of the intended 2nd and 4th harmonics above the threshold of audibilty.

 

[blodsbror]

For those in the know: Do the same outputs on the H120/390 behave in the same way as the H95 ?

 

[Chrispy]

For those in the know: Do the same outputs on the H120/390 behave in the same way as the H95 ?

How do you mean that? Outputs are outputs, they output a given signal which wouldn't be just because they are outputs but rather what's behind the output. Generally line out or record out or speaker level outputs are what they are....

 

[blodsbror]

How do you mean that? Outputs are outputs, they output a given signal which wouldn't be just because they are outputs but rather what's behind the output. Generally line out or record out or speaker level outputs are what they are....

Let me rephrase. Do the same outputs on the H120 exhibit the same design issues (or intentional design choices) as the H95, that has been discussed in this thread?