Hegel comparison


I have the opportunity to buy either a Hegel 390 or 590.  Pricing to be negotiated, and there are no dealerships anywhere in my region that would allow me to hear either one before making a decision.

Does anybody have an opinion, based on live auditioning, re: the relative sonic profiles of these two products?

Thanks for any opinions based on first-hand experience.

 

cundare2

Showing 1 response by soix

I think this review could pretty clearly answer your question…

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1365-hegel-music-systems-h390-integrated-amplifier-dac

I think this extract from the conclusion pretty much says it all…

“With Hegel Music Systems’ H390 integrated-DAC having so much in common with their H590 at so much lower a price, I couldn’t help wondering, after having finished listening to the H390, if Hans Wetzel had jumped the gun by buying the H590. After all, regardless of the H590’s high quality -- it does seem like a killer product -- $11,000 is a lot of money, and Hans is no big spender. In fact, he’s such a cheapskate that at times it gets him in trouble, as he admitted in September 2018 in “The High Cost of Cheap.” Plus, the speakers he uses don’t need all that much power -- does he reallyneed more than the H390’s 250Wpc?

So after finishing my evaluation I phoned him, told him what I thought of the H390, then asked if he’d wished he’d waited for it. He told me that he’s happy with his purchase of the H590, but that, yes, had he known how good the H390 would turn out to be, he probably would have waited for it -- if only because it costs a lot less. Well, who wouldn’t want to get the most sound quality for the least cost?”