Integrated with built-in accessible DAC bad move?


A friend of mine asked me advice on buying a HEGEL 300 integrated with Dac, wondering what I might think of this purchase.

Basically, I feel those amps with Dacs will be quickly obsolete as digital technology is moving too fast.

Why buy an expensive amp with a "computer" inside when there are dozens of dacs out there - and improving fast. How about resale value?

Case in point, Naim dropped the Dac in its Supernait II....
sonicbeauty

Showing 1 response by stewart0722

Everything I've heard from Hegel at the shows I've attended
has been very musical.....I think their DAC is probably
very high spec......
The thought that seperates are needed from the standpoint
of power supply isolation etc, would also negate the argument
for an integrated and there are plenty of integrateds out there
that compete head to head with high end seperates and I think
Hegel would be included in that......I would look at whether 250W is
really needed for your application, the lower power Hegels I think are a bit more musical, but if you need the muscle, then you need it......
and they offer it.....

I would buy one without a second thought, in the PCM over USB
realm, everything current today will still be current in a decade
and it will sound great on that unit....