Is the Hegel H-20 better than the Parasound A-21?

The answer to your question is simple, the Hegel is a better sounding amplifier than the A 21, the A 21 is a fantastic amplifier for the price, the issue is resolution, the Hegel is a more dimensional amplifier with greater clarity and speed as it should be for almost three times the price.

You are mistaking design talent with implementation, sure John Curl is a circuit design genius, but so is Brent Holder and Damien Martin, and Nelson Pass, many other talented equipment designers, all of these amplifiers are good and they all sound different.

I was a Hegel dealer and I am a Parasound dealer, I will tell you there is a new amplifier on the market that I like better than the Hegel and it outperforms the Parasound and that amplifier is the new Aragoon 8008, which costs $4,400.00 which is considerable less than the $5,800.00 Hegel.

The Hegel is still slightly more dynamic, but the Aragon has a stunning midrange quality which is warmer and more musical than the Hegel, which is more analytical, the Aragon has a similar tight punchy bass and is quite open in the top, this is the most amazing amplifier I have heard under $5k and it is a monster in terms of power delivery and build quality.

We used it at the New York Audio Show to glowing accolades our system was one of the best at the show, and it was made up of all reasonably priced components.

So to answer your question, don't just look at the design, the specs or the technology go out and listen.

I sold Aragon in the ninties the new amps are way better then any of their original amplifiers.

The Hegel products are way over rated, their new Dacs are good but their $2,500.00 HD 25 is not even close in terms of sound quality or features than the Auralic Vega which is only $1K more.

The new Chord Qute HD at $1,800.00 is also way better than the Hegel dacs, way too much marketing on their website rather than real innovation.

So with Hegel it depends on the product, not every thing they make is great.

Dear Audiozen,

First of all are you judging a company by their history or sound quality? The new Aragon amplifiers are very well built and very well designed and constructed, I don't think you saw a current picture of the amplifier.

The look of the Aragon is quite stunning and in a rack looks far more beautiful than a Parasound or Hegel.

I never said Hegel products don't sound good they do, but they are not the end all and be all that they are being purported to be, they do have a great website full of technical ramblings that speak more of marketing than of actual circuit design.

You are right the website of Indy is terrible but they are a new company and they are working on it.

I have been comparing digital front ends and the Hegel stuff gets creamed by the other brands that I sell, namely the new Chord Qute HD and the Auralic Vega.

I am not saying that the Hegel stuff isn't very good sounding and well made, I am saying I have found the new Aragon to be a really fantastic amplifier and a best buy for costing $1,400.00 less and having a more beautiful midrange to boot, caveat emptor.

The new amps are not even in the same ballpark as the old, I used to sell the originals and they were good not great.

I sell some incredible amplifiers from Chord, BAT, Bryston, and Hegel, and the new Aragon 8008 sounds like a way more expensive amplifier than it has the right to be, and it is a best buy in its price range.

You are not understanding what the manual is saying, they are saying that the amount of electricity consumed with lower sensitivity speakers will increase, and this amplifier is a beast based on original Krell Class Designs, think KSA 250, the amp was designed by Dan D'agostino originally and has no problem with less efficient speakers.