Integrated Amp to match with Magico A3

I have Q3s and have moved to an integrated recently. I auditioned the Hegel 360 amongst a few others. I ended up with the latest Octave se and I could not be happier. It seems to sound better each time I play it which with a 5 month old is not nearly often enough !

best of luck with the A3s I am sure r
they will sing for you!

Jerry I would expect that pairing to be good. All the Magico's we have heard always sounded  a bit on the dry side, so a slightly warm, yet articulate tube amp like the Octave sounds like a perfect match. 

Enjoy the Octave we have always liked their gear.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

I’ve never heard the Octave before. In fact I’ve never even seen one before it was mentioned it so I looked it up. That is one damn sexy looking amplifier! I would love something like that someday but it is way out of my budget at the moment. Frankly the Hegel was already pushing it. Fortunately I found a really great deal on one so I stretched only a bit for it. That’s one thing I’ll say for the Hegel; you can find a dealer fairly easily and if you are patient can likely snap an open-box (or even a new one) with warranty for a very attractive discount.

Here are some downsides you might want to be aware of with the Hegel H360 based on my short experience:

1. If you care about MQA it doesn’t have it (I do not care about this).

2. It doesn’t have built in apps (also not an issue for me because of my setup).

3. I guess the model is likely to be replaced in the next year or so after they roll out the 590 (I’m not worried about this now but we’ll see how I feel then).

4. I really like the look of the Hegel but it’s simple design probably isn’t for everyone. To put it another way, It’s pretty but it won’t get you insta-laid by anyone around you like the Octave will (this could be a good or bad thing depending on who is around you and how open-minded you are).

5. Lastly the remote is not at all to my liking and I will replace it with something back-lit with larger buttons or even a cheap tablet.

So far I’m really enjoying the combination of the H360 and the A3s. Then again, I’m so blown away by female vocals on the Magicos that I just sit there dumbfounded with my mouth agape and drool running down my chin every time I take a listen. So you should probably consider my opinion still in the "honeymoon phase" :-) Time will tell.

Congratulations Jake, you’ve chosen two components which offer great cost/performance and should be a safe investment. You should get many hours enjoyment from them. I didn’t own a system that good until I was pushing 40yo. Enjoy them in good health!

Btw, be patient with your A3’s. Magico speakers take about 300-400hrs to be mostly run in. Up to that point they will continue to open up and improve, though most of the improvement should occur in the first 250hrs (along with your new amp).

Technical Brain