Another Hegel H390 vs H590 Thread

Thanks all, great input. I appreciate it. I’ve actually managed to arrange an im home demo tomorrow between the 590 and the 390 so we’ll see. 
 

@jjss49 thanks for your excellent take!  Btw, the MQA decode through only USB has apparently been solved for about a year. The newer 590s with a standby function also will decode MQA through all inputs, just like a 390. (Not that I really care, as a Qobuz user…) 

Btw, the MQA decode through only USB has apparently been solved for about a year. The newer 590s with a standby function also will decode MQA through all inputs, just like a 390.

@mikezuk 

that is good to know... i sold my 590 over a year ago... did hegel handle this via firmware update so all 590's can gain the added mqa functionality, or are only newer shipped 590's able to do this?

@jjss49 my understanding is that it is a hardware implementation in the 590 from late 2020.  They came out with a new version  that had power standby as well as MQA on all inputs:  

Direct quote from a Hegel employee on the hegel Facebook page: 

 “MQA is a hardware feature, so this has nothing to do with firmware upgrades. H590 with standby has the same DAC implementation as H390 with MQA on all inputs.”

I chose the h590 because of the control they have over the blades. 

I have a very moderately size room that I currently use an Hegel H390 to drive a pair of, not so efficient, Revel Salon 2 speakers. The H390 does a great job of driving my speakers and also sounds outstanding paired with my Ayre Acoustics QX-5 Twenty DAC. However, because of the relative inefficiency of my speakers, I just recently order an H590 to replace the H390. I decided to upgrade so I could get that extra power that the H590 will provide, as well as, a pretty significant upgrade in sound quality. So, as much as I love the sound of the H390, I want to maximize (as far as Hegel integrated amps are concerned) the Hegel sound and power in my system. I can’t wait for the H590 to arrive!!!