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Hegel H360 or H590 or Constellation Inspiration Integrated 1.0 for Magico A3

I recently heard the Magico A3s and really liked them. The dealer said they are often combined with the Constellation Inspiration Integrated 1.0 at shows. After a lot of searching on Google, I can't find any pictures or reference to this combination. However, I did find a number of references to the A3s being combined with Hegel amps, including by Alon Wolf who said it would be a very good combination and led the author of the article to speculate that the A3s may have been "voiced" by Magici using the Hegel H360. I have not yet been able to listen to the A3s with either the Hegel H360 or H590 or the Constellation amp. I would be interested in everyone's thoughts as to the best integrated amplifier for the A3s for $13,500 (the price of the Constellation amp) or less.
iar
soix
9,372 posts
 
The PA3000HV available here now for $10,995 includes full factory warranty according to the ad. 
steve59's avatar
steve59
1,736 posts
 
The h360 has a decent dac also. I drive a pair of Salon2's with mine in a 17x28 basement room and only once had thermal protection kick in and mute output, I was listening to RHCP at +100 db and there was no clipping or audible distortion. Before buying the h360 I brought home the rost and h190 and the h190 was a little more revealing at the fq extremes so the h590 may be worth waiting for, $10k tho' whew.
iar OP
21 posts
 
@soix Yes, but T+A does not agree.

@steve59. @steve59. Thanks for your comment about the DAC. I would really like to hear the H590 to compare with the other integrated amps.
tangramca
59 posts
 
I can’t wrap my head around the price differential between a 360 and the 590. In fact, a used 360 may be one of the best deals in audio. I’ve had a 300 for 2 years and marvel at how effortlessly it performs its duties. Absolutely no drama. I also like that my amp isn’t a limiting factor when choosing speakers. True, the styling isn’t for everyone (myself included) but the performance offers tremendous value. But with the 590, that value proposition seems to be compromised.  
yyzsantabarbara
4,702 posts
 
@tangramca I am expecting the H590 to sound like or better than the H30 mono block amps. Hegel designer stated the design goal was to make the best amp they could and said "why not make it an integrated"
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