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Upgrade to Hegel H160 ?

25K views 84 replies 11 participants last post by  SPACEMANRICK 
#1 ·
I have a basement dedicated home theater room about 12ftx25ft. The room is somewhat acoustic treated with corner bass traps and large wall panels. The room is equipped with KEF Q900 as fronts and other speaks as surrounds. All those speakers are powered by Marantz SR7008. This set up is good for movie but I recently started to listen stereo mostly symphony more often than watching movies.

Here is my question: do I get noticeable sound improvement if I add a Hegel H160? I could chain H160's theater direct port to Mrantz SR7008 preout for movie watching and use H160's USB port to a PC for stereo listening without using Marantz at all.

The second question I have is that the potential of getting Hegel H160 today for future speaker upgrade. I am planning to purchase a set of ProAc D48R in a few years - would the H160 be the right candidate for speakers at that level? I just don't have budget today to get the speakers first and don't want to wait for a few years ...

Thank you in advance for all suggestions :)
 
#2 ·
I sold most of my stuff off several years as I had to come back to Ohio to take care of two parents with Alzheimer's. After they passed, cleaned out their house, sold it and settled the estate I stuck my toe back in the audiophile waters last year. I didn't have much of a budget because I hadn't worked much for several years so I had to go at it cheap.

I snagged a great deal on the little Martin Logan EM ESLs and I know from almost 60 years of experience, they (ESLs) can be difficult to drive. So I thought that temporarily a cheap integrated will do. I bought a closeout Hegel H100 and still have it. I was surprised how good it is. I then bought, what I tell folks, is my last turntable, the VPI Classic Signature with a Koetsu Rosewood Signature cart and using a Fosgate Signature Phono pre and I have analog front end capability out the .... The Hegel does amazingly well at presenting all that detail, focus, clarity, three dimensionality and imaging. I have 20,000 LPs +/- and several thousand CDs so I have plenty to play.

When I'm really pushing things, using something silly such as Infected Shrooms, Moby or Deadmau5 the H100 gets a little warm so I know I'm running out of power. I'm real tempted to stay with Hegel. I've been real pleased.

I hear that the H160 is better. I will likely go the H-360 for a more permanent amp.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Yep, I need another amp. First time ever, I sent the amp (Hegel H-100) into thermal shutdown a few minutes ago. Also vibrated a lamp off of the top of one of the record cabinets and broke it. I was listening in the dark and didn't see it inching toward the edge and also didn't hear it fall and break. Damnit.

The ML EM ESLs will take a big bunch of abuse .... thank you Deadmau5. That's enough playing around for a while.
 
#4 ·
I think the Hegel H360 is one VERY cool integrated! At $5700 list it's not for the faint of heart (nor light of budget) but really exudes quality.

Pics a must when you get it! :)
 
#5 ·
All or most of the audio stuff gets done in the late fall, winter or early spring when you're kinda stuck inside anyways. What I don't like about the H360 is the relative lack of features such as bass management, analog inputs, etc., and only available in black. I'm still not completely 'there' with that amp. I don't know that I can think of similarly priced similarly powered really refined sounding alternative though.
 
#6 ·
Two things about your post:

1. I did not realize the H360 doesn't have bass management, and didn't even see a "sub-out" on the back. What an oversight on their part!

2. I may have a really bad memory, but I could swear the H360 that a dealer showed me about 10 months ago was silver. Perhaps it was black and I'm confused after looking at so many other integrated amps. Or, perhaps it was a pre-production model. No matter, it does seem black is the only option.

Have you considered a Rotel RA-1592? Perhaps Parasound Halo Integrated (which probably has the closest thing to bass management in an integrated.) Or budget-buster Mark Levinson No.585?
 
#7 · (Edited)
Parasound is not much more power than what I have now, and a couple of reviews say its not as refined sounding as the H360. And I think the H360 is available in silver in Europe.

I use the preouts to drive the subs on H100 so I have stereo subs.

The Rotel looks interesting, but doesn't have a power rating a 4ohms. I like to see double the power (or close to it) going from 8 to 4ohms to tell me that it has a power supply capability to drive ESLs.
 
#14 ·
I really like the stuff coming out of McIntosh lately (obviously). My C1100 preamp is incredibly quiet and transparent. I've only heard the MA7900 and that did a fine job driving a variety of speakers. If the preamp section of the MA8000 is anywhere close to the C52, it will be excellent.
 
#26 · (Edited)
I'm sure it's great but it is $13k. At this or similar price point in the integrated world, also check out Devialet. They have just released brand new models.
The Devialet 220 pro or the 440 pro are awesome. And of course their flagship model 1000 pro is even better but it's $35k. They all come in built-in streamer/DAC and are very good.
 
#28 · (Edited)
http://www.audioholics.com/amplifier-reviews/anthem-str-integrated-amplifier

Power wise this looks good, and the two sub outs, but wonder what those watts sound like? I think Anthem is a HT brand so that makes me very leery concerning sound quality.

Wonder why the pic of the silver and black one has -35 and -40 on the display?

Still though, this is feature rich enough that I'd be interested in trying this.
 
#44 ·
Scotth3886: I have recently jumped on the Hegel bandwagon after hearing them with some Maggies, 1.7i.. The 3.7i where way too big for my room, so I know where your coming from with bloated center image, I however didn't get that with the 1.7i so room acoustics play a huge role on picking out the right speaker for it. If you where to do things right, and I wish I could, you should build the right room that any speaker would sound good in, the problem is most of us don't have the time or money. ;) Hence I went the other route, I had a boat loads of ML speakers in my system and they all sounded too bright in my room, so I went the Dynaudio route years ago and then Maggies as well. I currently have the Hegel H100 and it runs the 1.7i no problems at all, and my main speakers Dynaudio C2's. I have a Musical Fidelity KW-500 which is built like a tank and puts out 770wpc of clean power into 4 ohms so no issues with running any current speaker I have. But after hearing the Hegel H360 I think my MF Int. Amp might have met it's match.. Listening to it again tomorrow, just wish I could audition it at home..
 
#45 · (Edited)
I don't care for the ML non ESLs at all. ML ESLs can sound bright given the way that the vast majority of folks have them positioned. Sad, though because most owners have never heard their speakers, and that also goes for the retailers. Ask the Magnolia crew at the new store on Polaris in Columbus what I did to their ML EM ESLs in their sound room one evening. They truly heard their ML EM ESLs for the first time. Still though, they lost a bit or maybe a bunch of it using a big Marantz AVR, but still it was an entire new paradigm versus what they thought these speakers were.

I bought the H100 just to get me by until I could afford something better. However, I've been continually amazed at how far I could see into the music. Sometimes that means 'seeing' something you want to hear and never heard before and other times it's annoying such as on one of my Four Seasons / Mariner / St. Martin / blueback with the HVAC cycling on and off and others with the amount of truck and bus traffic outside that you clearly hear inside. Back in the day, these were all manual transmissions so there's zero question what you're hearing. Or maybe a 1957 vintage LSC with the click of the keys on some woodwinds. Take that very same recording upstairs to play on my budget system and it's completely gone, but so are the HVAC and trucks and buses.

The problem that concerns me is when I'm going at it quite a bit is how hot the amp gets. So no question, more power is in order, bur I don't want to lose any of the quality that I hear. A H360 probably makes the most sense, but also thinking of the Rotel 1592.
 
#50 · (Edited)
I use to have some Elac in my office, I currently have a pair of KEF Q300 and some Dynauido Emit 20 right now.. Good reference budget speaker as well! The H100 is very good for what it does, all depend on how loud and clear you want it, I just spent a few hours referencing the music I was listening to yesterday and sure the H360 gives you more clarity and loudness and a great dac to boot... If my MF asking price is met, I will most likely jump ship to the Hegel H360 and hone in on, one good system for my listening room. If it doesn't I will be content switching back and forth between the KW-500 and the H100, and wait for another day to purchase a H360..

Well after going back and forth between H100 and my MF unit today, the Hegel just has more detail and the MF has more sheer power... So if I can get the power of the MF and the detail in the Hegel, it's looks like I will be switching, I just don't listen to music super loud anymore, the Hegel might make it up in the 60-70 range and that's about it, so if my dealer can get me a great deal I will go with him, if not I will look at the used market.
 
#63 · (Edited)
Well if you know of anyone looking for a mint H100 let me know! Mine is in Silver and in mint condition with low hours on it.. Frankly it's almost as good as the H360, it's just the 360 has a lot more of raw power on hand..
 
#71 ·
Scott: I was and still am a big MF fan, but after comparing many Int. Amps and Amps over the years I jumped on the Hegel bandwagon pretty quickly as I think they sound better, at least to my ears. I was an owner of a A5/A5.5 A3.5 M3si/M6si and the KW-500 and Tri-Vista sound the best in over the other ones listed. Here are some pictures of the systems I have owned over the years, as far as the cream of the crop the KW-500 was it, even over newer MF gear of today... and after comparing the Hegel H100 to the KW, the Hegel sounded more musical, hence that is why I gravitated towards the H360.. I would considering going from the H100 that you have, slightly a backwards move as far how much more musical the Hegel units are.. I even jumped into the separates with MF, but didn't get much in gain, so went back into the Int. realm.. I would rank them in that order below from the A series being very good and M series as well to great with the KW and then excellent via Hegel.
 

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#72 · (Edited)
Scott: I was and still am a big MF fan, but after comparing many Int. Amps and Amps over the years I jumped on the Hegel bandwagon pretty quickly as I think they sound better, at least to my ears. I was an owner of a A5/A5.5 A3.5 M3si/M6si and the KW-500 and Tri-Vista sound the best in over the other ones listed. Here are some pictures of the systems I have owned over the years, as far as the cream of the crop the KW-500 was it, even over newer MF gear of today... and after comparing the Hegel H100 to the KW, the Hegel sounded more musical, hence that is why I gravitated towards the H360.. I would considering going from the H100 that you have, slightly a backwards move as far how much more musical the Hegel units are.. I even jumped into the separates with MF, but didn't get much in gain, so went back into the Int. realm.. I would rank them in that order below from the A series being very good and M series as well to great with the KW and then excellent via Hegel.

"and after comparing the Hegel H100 to the KW, the Hegel sounded more musical, hence that is why I gravitated towards the H360"


That's what I needed to read.

Yesterday I found another three copies of the Sheffield, Harry James CDs and then ABed to what must be my six or seventh set of the same on LP that got here on Thursday. And while I was surprised to hear that these CDs are indistinguishable from the LPs, I kept thinking, my gawd, the detail, imagining, sound staging, texture, focus etc, out of this little amp. All it needs is 2x the power. I think you're right that the H360 is the way to go.
 
#73 ·
Scott: Even the H200 and H300 will get you need via the power, without having to pay for the Dac. The Dac alone in the H360 is worth 2K, and hooking a CD/SACD plays through it was superb... Try some Agnes Obel via your H100 and try track "2"... Familiar. Very well recorded, the women play just about any type of instrument with perfection and a good voice to boot!

 
#74 · (Edited)
Scott: Even the H200 and H300 will get you need via the power, without having to pay for the Dac. The Dac alone in the H360 is worth 2K, and hooking a CD/SACD plays through it was superb... Try some Agnes Obel via your H100 and try track "2"... Familiar. Very well recorded, the women play just about any type of instrument with perfection and a good voice to boot!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32kYH6XZrIo

That's gorgeous. Downloaded the last two albums.
 
#75 ·
Scott:

I just received this from a few questions I sent to Hegel and this is what I received. One of the questions was: what was the difference between the H100 and H360 etc..

Thanks for your email.

Everything is different. The construction, output transistors, volume, preamp, sound engine, DAC everything.

Med vennlig hilsen/Best regards
Hegel Music System AS

Fredrik Johnsen
 
#76 ·
Anyone looking for a (relatively new) H360 let me know, only a few hours on it, I have decided to go with the H200 for now, I currently don't need the Dac in the H360 as I am using a Sony HAP music server. This Dac in this unit is very, very good. I posted Ad on AVS and if you have any questions just PM me....
 
#83 ·
Interesting as I had a pair of ESL and never had a problem, but then again I was using Musical Fidelity at the time and that unit was 500wpc into 8ohms, with a separate power supply.
 
#84 ·
Hi All,

I realise this thread is ancient, but anyone know if there's an official Hegel Owner's Forum? Been unable to find one.

I'm considering adding an H160 to my Denon / Kef setup and have a question regarding standby power. Maybe someone here can help.

I want to use the H160 as an additional 2 ch amp connected to the pre-outs of my X3200. As I understand it, the H160 has no standby mode, it is either on or off using the switch below the front. Would it be ok to leave it running permanently?

Apparently the newer H190 does have a standby mode but I can get a good deal on a used H160 so investigating that first.

Thanks.
 
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