Hegel Mohican & Bryston BCD3


I have compared Bryston & Hegel top cd players.
While they are both excellent,the winner*to me* was Hegel.
What was most different is I was able to listen deep inside the music with no fatigue.
The Mohican seems to have the essence or soul of music like Vinyl.
BCD3 was very enjoyable and satisfying but still felt listening to CD.
I only possessed this player for a week and it may have "crossed over" at some point to the natural flowing music of the Mohican.
Bryston background hue was neutral as was the presentation/
Mohican backrgound seems a bit warmer and not as neutral as bryston.
But after a brief period Mohican natural sounding instruments & bass are a revelation.
Nothing stands out or tries to be Impressive-
Musical timing & authentic instruments without digital artifacts.
The only other CD player I would compare it to (that I know) is
Linn Ikemi,which is much older now.but gave a similar experience.
Bryston BCD3 & Hegal Mohican are tour de force cd players.

 



128x128monkandmozart

richmon

 

Nice score! on the Mohican. This player is on my list as well. I am trying to figure out if it is an impedance match for my AYRE AX-5 integrated amp.

Absolutely! future-proof is not a bad idea at all. A nice system all around.

Keep me posted as you massage the Mohican into your room/system.

 

Happy Listening!

@jafant -- I purchased a factory reconditioned but new Mohician (had been returned for some reason) for $3,700 my thinking was my 20+ YO Musical Fidelity A5 player wouldn't outlive me so wanted to get something that would outlast me while you can still find CD players. Honda no longer puts or makes available CD players for their cars so that started thinking about the future proofing.

Running a VPI Prime with AudioTechnica ART9 cartridge feeding a Supratek Chenin pre, Hegel H20 amp and Magico A3 speakers. 

Phono cable is Morrow PH7, Speaker Cables Morrow SP5, pre to-amp interconnect is VH audio forget the model. Power cords VH Audio another one I've forgotten the model bought so long ago.

Most connections treated with PPT contact enhancer, and all components have Alpha E mat on them. Circuit breaker box also has a mat and dedicated outlet for the stereo. 

Supposed to have my PreAmp back next week so hopefully I can report back my Mohician listening impressions in the near future.

 

giantsalami
You have owned some very nice Spinners!  T+A does receive very favorable Audio reviews. Nice score!

Happy Listening!
richmon
Very nice Musical taste. Did you purchase the Mohican new or used?What other gear including Cabling rounds out your current system?

Happy Listening!
I just sold my BCD-3 and purchased a used T+A player, which is a tube spinner. My previous players were a Cambridge Audio, then moved tp a Marantz SA 11-1, then an Esoteric X03-SE. I was looking at the Ayon CD-10, or the Project box  when this T+A unit caught my eye. This is simply the best CD sound I have ever had. It is probably the best purchase I have made and could not be happier with it! I am not sure if it is the tubes, but perhaps the Ayon should be given consideration. My main listening is Prog, power,symphonic rock/metal, blues, acoustic..
@jafant .. really like everything but Opera, hard core country and rap.

Heavy into Progressive Rock, 70's classic rock, Jazz and Jazz fusion, and some folk like Fairport Convention, Pentangle etc. Only listen to classical on my Bose Wave radio, rarely on the big rig.
richmon
I am looking forward in reading about your Mohican impressions.What are your Musical tastes?
Happy Listening!
recently bought a Mohican, and looking forward to comparing it to my VPI prime with Audio Technica Art9 cartridge.

Initial impressions are really good but awaiting a pre-amp repair to fully compare the two.
I haven't heard one but there's a review out on the Pro-Ject CD transport that everyone's raving about. In it, the reviewer mentioned that the only other players that were very hard to differentiate from the Pro-Ject were the Mohican and a Mcintosh CDT with matching DAC. It was so close that it was almost a toss up and maybe a matter of preference.

All the best,
Nonoise
Anyone here still enjoying a Hegel Cd player?Model CDP4A / MkII or Mohican ?
Happy Listening!
Looking for a new CD player to replace vintage Cal Audio Lab CD player.  Looking for a less harsh perhaps a bit warmer sound.  Thinking of the Bryston.  Curious as to how you would describe its "tone"?
Thanks
Much Thanks! monkandmozart

I will post here if/when I get a demo on the Hegel and Bryston. I have no local representation of either brand.  Advise dealers/retailers, especially, in the U.S. Southeastern region.

Happy Listening!
Hegel stocks replacement parts for life of product-
So I have same comfort as Bryston customer support.
I purchased from different audio retailers

Personally I would say
Buy the cd player that gives most enjoyment
Mohican has an uncanny knack of reviving the performance
I'm able to listen with"fresh" ears and new perspective
BCD3 may be similar,but I don't recall being that immersed in the music
(For the limited time it was here)..
Both are excellent players~
2nd Note;
give a shout out for your local dealer/retailer where you sampled the Bryston and Hegel spinners.
Happy Listening!
monkandmozart
Much Thanks! for the update and comparison. These (2) spinners are on my radar as well. I would say buy the player that has the best customer service and transport/disc drive availability (for future replacement).

Whom sources the transport/laser assembly for Hegel?
Happy Listening!


I mean "crossed over" from cd player sound to vinyl 

I purchased Bryston BCD3 a few months ago to build all Bryston system.
Next was to be matching integrated,but $6000 seemed excessive so I sold cd player.
I have Beyerdynamic A2 headphone amp and recently purchased Hegel Mohican cd player.
I had Bryston CD player for about 10 days and it was really good-
Hegel allows me to open my ears more to the music 
I would say about 15% better then Bryston/
Bryston still seemed more neutral overall and Hegel more rounded.
Can't go wrong with either player..

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/mohican-vs-bcd-3

Thanks for addressing a question I had a few months ago. Curious as to how you managed to hear then together, or one right after the other. Also, not sure quite what you mean by "crossed over"

P.S. "amp" is short for ampersand, = &, and shows up in listings of thread titles, but not the threads themselves.

I only possessed this player for a week and it may have "crossed over" at some point to the natural flowing music of the Mohican