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Hegel H160 competitors

I did a home audition of the Hegel H160 driving my Proac D15 speakers and really loved it. It had an open, transparent sound that illuminated tons of inner detail in very natural way. Overall it just seemed neutral and mated well with my Proacs. I could happily stop searching, but I feel like I should do a bit more comparison shopping just to be sure.

Any suggestions on other integrated/DAC, or preamp/DAC + amp, that I should audition in the under $5000 range? I'd prefer a numeric volume display, but it's not a must-have.

Thanks!

chouca
5 responses Add your response
skoczylas's avatar
skoczylas
240 posts
 
Parasound halo is about 1000 less. The vinnie rossi lio is worth a close look. Also the yamaha as2000. i have a hegel h200 and think its fantastic. 
everest_audio
285 posts
 
The Hegel H160 is probably going to be very tough to beat at that price point. However, if you can squeeze a little more out of the budget, the H360 is a very nice step up. Disclosure: we are a Canadian Hegel dealer
theothergreg
222 posts
 
The Hegel H160 is very good. At a similar price, the new Audia Flight Three S is worth an audition. If you bump up your budget to H360 level, the Naim Supernait 2 is another good option.
chouca OP
10 posts
 
Thanks all, I appreciate the replies. I was unaware of the Vinnie Rossie and the Audia Flight; I'll see if I can audition them!

gbmcleod
456 posts
 
Just remember to turn OFF your numeric display after you reach the volume you want. It affects the sound, particularly the highest part of the upper midrange and lower highs 3-6k by killing overtones. (Microwaves, even just in standby, do the same thing, even if your system is on a dedicated circuit, as mine is).

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