I don't know why, but the Lyngdorf was one of my least favorite amplifiers I tried with Coincident PRE speakers. Inconsistent with other reports, every time I turned off a digital processing feature, the sound got better, but still I didn't prefer it to the other amps I tried (Coincident 300b monos, atmasphere m60s, pass labs xa25, & first watt f4s).
Hegel H390, Lyngdorf TDAI 3400, or Naim Nova for my B&W 802D2 speakers?
I am looking to replace my NAD M10 that I currently use with my B&W 802D2 speakers. My room is about 400 square feet with 18 foot ceilings and I play all kinds of music from classical, jazz, pop to rock. I play my music usually from 65 db to 80 db to occasional peaks of about 92 db. I generally like a rich, full, clear, lush sound, with nice strong solid bass.
At this point I am looking for an all in one streamer/amplifier and am considering the Hegel H390, Lyngdorf TDAI 3400, and the Naim Nova. In Canada these are all within about $1,000 of each other. Does anyone own any of these 3 amplifiers or has anyone listened to any of these and compared them?
The Hegel H390 and Naim Nova generally get very good reviews. The Lyngdorf 3400 doesn’t seem to have a lot of reviews out there even after being on the market for 2 years. I have read that some people love the Lyngdorf 3400 sound with it’s room correction while others have said the Lyngdorf just sounds OK and is not up to the sound quality of the Hegel and Naim. One concern I have with the Naim is it is only 80 watts while the Hegel is 250 watts, and the Lyngdorf is 200 watts so I am not sure if the Naim Nova will have enough power and head room to drive my 802D2 speakers.
By the way I know the NAD M33 is supposed to be released in July or August but I currently have the NAD M10 which is similar but obviously not as powerful and missing the purifi but I have not been really impressed overall with the sound quality of the NAD M10 with my B&W 802D2 speakers.
Any thoughts, comparisons, and opinions are appreciated on how these would sound with my 802 D2 speakers!
At this point I am looking for an all in one streamer/amplifier and am considering the Hegel H390, Lyngdorf TDAI 3400, and the Naim Nova. In Canada these are all within about $1,000 of each other. Does anyone own any of these 3 amplifiers or has anyone listened to any of these and compared them?
The Hegel H390 and Naim Nova generally get very good reviews. The Lyngdorf 3400 doesn’t seem to have a lot of reviews out there even after being on the market for 2 years. I have read that some people love the Lyngdorf 3400 sound with it’s room correction while others have said the Lyngdorf just sounds OK and is not up to the sound quality of the Hegel and Naim. One concern I have with the Naim is it is only 80 watts while the Hegel is 250 watts, and the Lyngdorf is 200 watts so I am not sure if the Naim Nova will have enough power and head room to drive my 802D2 speakers.
By the way I know the NAD M33 is supposed to be released in July or August but I currently have the NAD M10 which is similar but obviously not as powerful and missing the purifi but I have not been really impressed overall with the sound quality of the NAD M10 with my B&W 802D2 speakers.
Any thoughts, comparisons, and opinions are appreciated on how these would sound with my 802 D2 speakers!
14 responses Add your response
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A new Lyngdorf 3400 review that perhaps begs to differ: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1417-lyngdorf-audio-tdai-3400-integrated-... |
One of the reasons I am hesitant about the Lyngdorf 3400 is there seems to be some really good reviews but also a significant number of people that have heard it and not enjoyed it. A friend of mine bought the Lyngdorf 2170 a few years ago and promptly re-sold it after a few weeks. I never thought about the Naim Supernait 3 because I was mainly focused on a 1 box solution. I am currently in the bluesound eco-system with with bluesound powernode 2i in my dining room. How do you think a Naim Supernait 3 paired with a bluesound node 2i streamer would sound compared to the 1 box Naim Nova? |
I own the Hegel H360 and it sounds fantastic. Like the H390, also 250wX2 @8ohms. And reviews say that the H390 is an upgrade vs the H360. You will not be disappointed with the H390. To me, the sound is not "thin" at all! Speakers like the B&W will appreciate the extra watts and the massive damping factor. Maybe a Hegel dealer will lend you a demo to try. |
Yes the Hegel H390 is definitely in my top 2 or 3 possible choices. I am also considering the Naim Nova but also am now thinking of maybe getting the Naim Supernait 3 as an integrated amplifier and then using my NAD M10 for it's DAC and for streaming or alternatively just using a Bluesound Node 2i. I can then possibly look at maybe next year upgrading the streamer and DAC if I am not happy with the NAD or the the Bluesound. The Naim Supernait 3 seems to get almost 100% universal praise for it's sound quality. The Hegel H390 also gets very high praise and has the advantage that it all comes in one box with no streamer or DAC required. I haven't ruled out the Lyngdorf 3400 but based on some of the opinions of others that have owned or heard it I am thinking it may be a risky move. Compounding the risk of the Lyngdorf is they seem to depreciate at a pretty fast rate. |
Buy a high current amp that is linear. I bought a CODA No. 8 amp with 150/300/600 watts into 8/4/2 ohms, and since the moment I hooked it up to my 702 S2s and pushed the proverbial play button, my jaw has yet to leave the floor. I'd had no idea what I'd been missing - the performance horizon of the 702s, which I'd thought I'd reached, now appears only limited by my source and room, leaving me thinking now the audiophile adage that one should be spending the bulk of one's budget on speakers is wrong. And since your 802s are a BIĢ step up from my 702s, I am going to double down on my previous advice - spend as much as you can bear on killer amplification. |
Hello, perhaps a little late for you and the other responds. I am the owner of a Lyngdorf 3400 and KEF Blade 2. The sound is great, with high definitions of all instruments and voicing. I have heard the Hegel in combination with the KEF blade 2. My supplier was also impressed of the sound! With this combination. The Lyngdorf sounds better for me. I have heart the Hegel in combination with your B&W’s the sound of this combination is not as clear as the Lyngdorf. I hope it helps you to find your perfect combination. |
I have the Lyngdorf 3400 with Focal Sopra 1 and it sounds very good. However I demoed the amp with Bowers 804 and the Lyngdorf didn’t seem to be up to the test of getting full performance from the 804. Having listened to the 804 with a small McIntosh integrated I was expecting the full bass and dynamic sound and driver control I heard with the Mc. It was not there with Lyngdorf. The Lyngdorf 3400 is great but not with B&W or other hard to drive speakers in my opinion. Look at McIntosh for B&W. |
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I had the 2170 and found the same thing. It was amazing with some Tektons. The best amp out of many by far. It ran out of juice quickly on some Dynaudio Contours. I thought the much more powerful 3400 would have no problems driving some more difficult loads but apparently not. Good to know as I am considering one. I will say my Micromega M100 while having a similar power rating sounds much more powerful on any speaker I’ve tried it on. Moved on from the Tektons so can’t comment on that. Room correction is not near as good as the Lyngdorf however which to me is it’s main selling point. |