Why not review some Hegel amps?

[Objectivist01]

I have a feeling that like many hyped products this can also have some issues. Until measurements are in, I won't interested in them

 

[Eetu]

Hello, Has any testing on Hegel H390 and H590 Integrated amplifiers been done and can the results be shared. Thanks.

Hegel H590 and H360 (not the H390) have been measured by Soundstage.

 

[Objectivist01]

Hegel H590 and H360 (not the H390) have been measured by Soundstage.

Do they have standard equipments for testing ?

 

[Matias]

Do they have standard equipments for testing ?

I tried my best to filter out publications that follow the same standards and compiled the list below. There we can compare apples to apples between mutliple sources.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZlTOYxmPs938gqHjtDABkWS-MApu7uJjzIGnJ2Elm6Y/edit?usp=sharing

 

[amper42]

I tried my best to filter out publications that follow the same standards and compiled the list below. There we can compare apples to apples between mutliple sources.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZlTOYxmPs938gqHjtDABkWS-MApu7uJjzIGnJ2Elm6Y/edit?usp=sharing

Has anyone actually measured the "VTV AMPLIFIER Purifi Eigentakt Stereo Amplifier based on EVAL-1" to verify it's measurements are the same as the original Purifi EVAL-1 that amir tested? Thanks!

 

[Matias]

Has anyone actually measured the "VTV AMPLIFIER Purifi Eigentakt Stereo Amplifier based on EVAL-1" to verify it's measurements are the same as the original Purifi EVAL-1 that amir tested? Thanks!

Not the actual VTV version, but VTV uses the same power supply, buffer board and modules as the demo unit, it only changes chassis, cables and connectors, so I would say it is almost identical.

 

[Darkscience]

The Benchmark amp is outstanding but in the design department they could really take some lessons from Hegel.

I love the look of the AHB2 and do not like the look of Hegel. Pictures do not do the AHB2 justice. The AHB2 looks like it came out of a Star Wars movie, really cool looking piece of gear. Hegel looks cheap to me.

 

[amper42]

My Hegel H90 is nothing great to look at. However, it makes my BMR's sing clean and clear.

I connected the 400W Purifi based March Audio P452 amp to the BMR's thinking it would take them to a new level. After A/B ing the setup I preferred the 60W Hegel H90 amp to the 400W Purifi. Not sure why that is, but I'm amazed how great the little Hegel 60W amp can make the BMRs sound.

 

[welsh]

They actually do not exist, they are just excitations of the field ...

Or a point upon a string.

 

[steve59]

I listened to several including a parasound a21 krell kav 300il an anthem 225i a rgr model 5 a h360 a rost and h190. I bought the 360 for the big power but the rost and 190 really brought up the treble of the revel salons. The bass control of the h360 is real and audible.

 

[mcdonalk]

Any review of an amp (or any audio product, for that matter) should address, not only its audio quality, but its functionality. How well does it work? I bought an H390 but regretfully had to return it within the audition period, because of audible transient sounds ("pops") when starting playing of DSD64 and DSD128 files. I just could not ignore this anomaly for a product that was so expensive. Interestingly, DSD256 playback worked fine.

Should you be interested in the details, I posted them here some weeks ago:

https://www.audioshark.org/hegel-179/h390-dsd-dop-pop-19704.html

 

[steve59]

Any audible pops would be unsettling for sure, I have an old B&K 4420 amp that when switched off unloads( surely describing wrong) the power into the speakers resulting in the woofers thumping...

 

[Matias]

I have listed 10 Hegel amplifiers below.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZlTOYxmPs938gqHjtDABkWS-MApu7uJjzIGnJ2Elm6Y/edit?usp=sharing

 

[DACs_Lover]

There is a review of the H360 in the Polish site (here). Eyeballing the THD+N over power it seems to have a SINAD of under 80dB with a 4 Ohm load.

HI there. Could you explain please how to get a SINAD value from THD+N
Thank you.

 

[Rizzle]

@DACs_Lover the easiest way is to use a tool online, you basically translate THD+N % to dB. The formula they use use only says THD but just fill in THD+N % then you'll get SINAD. You only need it to go from a percentage to decibel value.

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-thd.htm

Or use the formula: 20*log(THD+N %)

/Edit: Using an example of the Sonance DSP 2-150 just measured by Amir, you get:
Channel 1's THD+N = 0,017479%
20*log(0,017479%)

Which correlates with:

 

[MaxBuck]

People need to know better that the SoundStage! Network has been measuring amps for a long time, including Hegel.

https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17&Itemid=19

I don't seem to be able to access those measurements. Pay wall?

 

[Chromatischism]

I don't seem to be able to access those measurements. Pay wall?

Works fine here. VPN?

 

[MaxBuck]

Works fine here. VPN?

No. All I can access is the list of amps that they've measured. I don't see any hyperlinks on that page.. Oops. Looks like I might have stumbled upon one amp with a broken hyperlink and mistakenly assumed there were no links.

Mea culpa. Thanks!

 

[MCH]

My Hegel H90 is nothing great to look at. However, it makes my BMR's sing clean and clear.

I connected the 400W Purifi based March Audio P452 amp to the BMR's thinking it would take them to a new level. After A/B ing the setup I preferred the 60W Hegel H90 amp to the 400W Purifi. Not sure why that is, but I'm amazed how great the little Hegel 60W amp can make the BMRs sound.

Hey Amper,
I am also quite happy with my H90, i find it very convenient to have streamer/DAC/amp in one minimalistic relatively small box and i am in general very happy with the sound. However...
How do you find the headphone amp? i find mine unusable, it is super noisy (independent of volume) and specially with my K371 it is useless for me. On top of that, when i connect my topping L30 to the pre-out, presicely to avoid the noisy headphone out, the signal from the pre out is so weak (at max volume of course) that the L30 struggles to give a decent volume (still ok with the K371 but with the HD600 i must set the L30 to high gain and the volume at 3 oclock to get a decent volume).
I am curious to know, specially regarding the noisy headphone out, if my unit is broken or if it is what it is, your comments will be greatly welcome! thanks!!

 

[amper42]

Hey Amper,
I am also quite happy with my H90, i find it very convenient to have streamer/DAC/amp in one minimalistic relatively small box and i am in general very happy with the sound. However...
How do you find the headphone amp? i find mine unusable, it is super noisy (independent of volume) and specially with my K371 it is useless for me. On top of that, when i connect my topping L30 to the pre-out, presicely to avoid the noisy headphone out, the signal from the pre out is so weak (at max volume of course) that the L30 struggles to give a decent volume (still ok with the K371 but with the HD600 i must set the L30 to high gain and the volume at 3 oclock to get a decent volume).
I am curious to know, specially regarding the noisy headphone out, if my unit is broken or if it is what it is, your comments will be greatly welcome! thanks!!

Sorry, I have not tried the Hegel H90 with headphones and I have to agree the pre-outs on the Hegel seem weak. I also notice the wifi connection on the Hegel H90 is relatively poor so I use the USB input to connect the computer and that works absolutely great.

I tried connecting the Hegel H90 to the Revel F328Be instead of my BMRs. It was a disaster. In this case, the Purifi amp provided an abundance of power while the Hegel H90 would distort at relatively low volume levels. It wasn't pretty. The longer I own the H90 the more I understand it's short comings (wifi/pre-outs). It may not work well with larger speakers. But if you find a good speaker match while using the USB input it can sing.