Hah!
Here is a summation from the designer. . .
OK-- I think I get it, now...
For a long time, I've hesitated to call myself an audiophile, preferring "music-lover", instead.
To be honest, I've had a somewhat dismissive attitude regarding those whom, to me, appeared overly obsessed with sound.
With the recent acquisition of a Hegel H390, I'm forced to "change my tune", as it were. I guess I just crossed over into the high end.
I've been immersing myself in the Burton/Corea duet disc "Crystal Silence", a long time favorite of mine, and there is just so much "more" going on to notice and appreciate, now.
First of all, the music is unmistakably occurring in three dimensional space. And notes have roundness, color, density and texture. Instrumental timbre is richer and more distinctive. The players' use of varying dynamics, attack and tempo are much more evident than before. Vocals convey so much more emotion and now I can feel the emotion's impact somatically. That's new.
It's certainly made me appreciate my speakers, more. Apparently, up until now, the Silverlines have been denied the sort of amplification that would permit them to perform at their best. I hope the speaker gods will forgive me!
No doubt, in time, I will make other discoveries, but for now, this is crazy (in a good way).
I feel I've entered a whole new world. There's no way I can still claim to be "just a music lover". Master M has emphasized the unity of sound and music many times and finally, I think I get it. One cannot be separated out from the other-- they are inextricably one.
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"What I have learned about Hifi is that the amp can be very important. What is more important is the preamp. It is the heart and soul of your system" Having never owned separates, I can't comment but I'd guess Hegel would say it's all about their proprietary Sound Engine technology that compares the signal coming out of the amp to the signal coming into the amp and using phase-inversion, "cancels out" the difference (distortion). "I hope you keep enjoying it for a long time" Thanks! Unless I win the lottery -- in which case I might be tempted to buy the H590 -- I can easily visualize the H390 being my last integrated. |
I met my wife about 20 years ago, via an online dating source that catered to Classical Music listeners, now out of business. When the relationship blossomed and I began spending time at her place her "system" consisted of an ancient Pioneer receiver that was staticky in one channel, and two speakers that were Bose cubes on top of matching bookshelves , placed just below the ceiling facing backwards. Her priority was making the gear as unobtrusive as possible. I was in love but listening to music with her at her condo was painful. After a few months she stepped out for a couple of hours during which I placed a new receiver, DVD player, and two B&W book shelf speakers on small stands. The sound was about 8000% improved but she was not pleased. I realize now that was a step to far for her for multiple reasons., not all of them being musical. So different strokes for for different folks. |
Yes and not only amplification. What you're noticing is really good speakers don't sound good. Really good speakers don't sound like anything. All the best stuff does is let you hear what's there to be heard. So if you use crap source, amp, or wire the good speakers will let you hear just how crappy they are. The same is true for everything. Every wire, DAC, cartridge, fuse. The better they are the less effect they have on the sound. Pretty much the opposite of what everyone says, but there you have it. Enjoy! |
Hello, What I have learned about Hifi is that the amp can be very important. What is more important is the preamp. It is the heart and soul of your system. I have tried putting really killer amps on home theater prepro’s. It may go louder but it still sounds very similar to what I had before. Now put a killer preamp on an ok amp and you have something that can sound a lot better. Plus, the DAC in the Hegel is very nice. You set out to acquire a certain sound and I think you nailed it. I hope you keep enjoying it for a long time. |
"Very smart purchase"
Well, it was for me anyway-- not necessarily for everyone. It's not the most detailed amp nor is it as warm as First Watt or some tube gear. My goals were improving bass control and resolution (without the unwanted side-effect of fatiguing highs) and the Hegel dishes up both, in spades. I honestly had no idea that an amp upgrade, by itself, could result in such dramatic results. It's always nice when a piece of gear exceeds one's expectations, right? |
Once had a close girlfriend who sought my advice and trusted me implicitly on audio matters. She signed off on a excellent lower-budget system with source,, amp, speakers etc., and she went to buy it at the dealership I'd lined up for her. I asked her a few weeks later how it was going. She confessed that all she really needed was a single Sonus unit and that's what she bought instead.
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Hello, Very smart purchase. I demoed an H190 and KEF reference 1 speakers. My wife said my room never sounded better. I said “Great” Hegels amplification and 4000 damping factor can drive practically anything. I have a friend who can afford much more expensive systems but Love’s his H590 the best. That with a Lumin U1mini (Streaming transport) is as good as it gets in that price range. The Hegel V10 phono stage is another great addition if you are going vinyl and want a balanced phono stage. I guess the wall wart is not typical because there is a real transformer in there. So for $1500 for a real balanced phono stage that is amazing. Just some ideas to keep the simplicity of your setup but remain fully balanced. I get my audiophile and non audiophile components from this store in the Chicagoland area. The website is: HolmAudio.com the thing that really helped me get some of my gear is they take trade ins. Also, I do own the Hegel V10 phono stage. It is a really great sounding phono stage for the money. I mean really great! Congratulations on your new purchase! |
I was visiting my parents one weekend back in the 80s. They had a little Technics receiver and a couple of box speakers. I moved the speakers away from the wall and positioned them just so. They were amazed at the change in the sound and marveled at the improvement. The next time I visited the speakers were back against the wall. We are a special bunch that once bitten are forever changed and never fully cured. Wait, isn’t that the Spider-man premise? |
Exactly! 😎
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Woah. Not sure what I was thinking. Hmm, I'll get to work on that. Thanks for the tip. :) All joking aside, most of my 50+ year in audio audiophile buddies and I slowed down on the gear rotation search, eventually landing on gear we truly enjoy, and forgetting about being an audiophile, back to listening to music. You'll know when you get there. When you don't want to touch anything because it sounds so good.
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"There’s a certain level of realism we each need to convince our brain and ears that there’s music in the room". Yes-- and this is a lot clearer to me, now that I'm actually experiencing that sense of realism. "I'm definitely on the opposite spectrum. Being an audiophile brings along a series of expectations others want to put on me and I could not care to be bothered". Not sure exactly what you mean, here, Erik, by "opposite spectrum". I believe the healthiest approach is for each person to define for themselves what "audiophile" or "music lover" means or doesn't mean. For a long time, I viewed these as polar opposites. I'm a creative person and stubbornly independent in terms of trusting my own esthetic perceptions. In terms of gear, I've never had large amounts of cash to spend, so I've typically had to go with gear from smaller, lesser-known manufacturers. The Hegel is an exception-- I simply could not find another piece that fit my criteria, so when I found the open box unit with a return policy, I jumped on it. "In the pursuit of more excellent sound, it’s easy to want to upgrade which can be as much a side ways move without good research". Yes. In this regard, I have two limiting factors working in my favor: 1) I find upgrades exhausting and 2) I can't afford to upgrade often ;o)
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The next logical question in the journey is how do I know when a new piece of equipment has moved the needle on my sound? For me it is an easy answer. It was when I heard music that I have listened to my who life that I thought I knew and it now is sounding completely new to me. You start re discovering old music because you are now hearing things you never did before. Perfect example for me is Dire Straits. I always thought they were just s so so catchy band could take or leave. Well re discovering them on my new gear is like finding a new secret band I never new of. This continues as I am enjoying music and artists I never would have in the past. It is not my taste changing either as I still enjoy all the music I like before just find my enjoyment is expanding greatly. Enjoy the music first and keep looking out the window along the journey, you never know what you will see round the next corner! |
This is an excellent idea full of wisdom. The new found pleasure can become an addiction. In the pursuit of more excellent sound, it’s easy to want to upgrade which can be as much a side ways move without good research. Iow enjoy your system and plan wisely for the next piece. This is often the greatest challenge.. Enjoy
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I'm definitely on the opposite spectrum. Being an audiophile brings along a series of expectations others want to put on me and I could not care to be bothered. Either about what tweaks I care about or how much money I spend. I just don't care about the labels. There are some technological things and musical things I am interested and like to chat about with others and some things I don't. Hopefully I make more friends than enemies along the way. |
Well done, and welcome aboard! I never intended to care so much about SQ, but every upgrade opened my ears, and now it matters to me. There’s a certain level of realism we each need to convince our brain and ears that there’s music in the room. In the end, you really only need to satisfy yourself, so go with it! The good news is that after years of chasing the sound I wanted on what I could afford, I'm now enjoying both the system and the music more than ever. :-)
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I appreciate your thoughtful observations. This is by far the most I've ever spent on a component--- even though its open box status lowered my cost. There is a lot of discussion here about fairly pricey gear. This can lead to a feeling of alienation for those of us who might come to believe we are merely beggars camped outside the castle walls who'll likely never have the means to acquire the "keys to the kingdom". It's easy to forget that the real "key" is, as you assert, focusing on enjoyment of the music, not on shiny metal boxes or depth of sound-stage. At the same time, it's not productive to dismiss those who have the resources to chase the nth degree of resolution as merely gear-whores who are deaf to the music. Looking back, I see now that I fell into this as a sort of coping mechanism. It's becoming increasingly evident to me that this hobby (such a benign word for something that can so easily get so out of hand) requires a fairly delicate mental balancing act, if one is to remain sane. And of course, the degree of sonic revelation I'm now experiencing is very much relative to my own experience. I have little doubt that many here, were they to hear my system, would be a good deal less impressed, simply because they've heard better, which leads nicely to your final point about your ears being the only ones you need to impress. I've found your comments helpful-- thanks!
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I think even if you yourself had not acknowledged crossing over to the dark side, the community would have tagged you. Your description of the new amp hits all points of jargon that leave many wondering what their definition is(timber, color, dynamic etc etc). Yes there are many that think the “audiophile” title has multiple levels bases on dollars spent. Just as a $30,000 car can perform the same basic functions as a $400,000 one they are much different in other ways. I still feel it is all about the enjoyment of the music and discovery of new music first and foremost and there are many paths to this journey. I love music and am in a financial position to have nice gear but I will never critique someone with a lesser system as long as they enjoy the music. If this is my ticket to be labeled an audiophile so be it. The only ears I have to impress are my own. |
Patience is not one of my strong points but I'm pretty good when it comes to obssession ;o) or, "persistence: (a less pathological term). I've had quite a few guitars in and out of my hands over the course of 45 years or so and I guess that same drive to find satisfying tonality got transferred over to audio. Still need to get the interconnects right but yes, this is indeed, lots of fun Always good to hear from you, J. A.! No. I haven't, because I know it's bound to be more forward than my Aqua. The Hegel can sound a bit lean in the mids with some CDs, using my current A. Zen silver ICs. I'm expecting delivery tomorrow of some A. Zen Absolute Coppers that should provide fuller mids and will try the on-board DAC with those in the system. I'll be very surprised if I prefer the on-board DAC, based upon reviewers comments but we'll see... Do you mean listen to the on-board DAC without eq...or ???
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@tooblue : "Just remember that it was the music that led you to better gear, not the other way around and you will be fine and rewarded" Words well worth keeping in mind! "To me, what my system does best is communicate the music. I seldom listen to my system… I am engrossed in the music, the emotional content". Now that's what I like to hear from guys who've been at this a long time! "... hopefully after you are past the point of listening to components and sound, you'll get back to being a music lover. A great place to start and end". Well, I 've never stopped being a music lover-- it's just that now I understand that "audiophile" and "music lover" can be like the ying/yang symbol-- each one present within the other as portions of a greater whole. Thanks for the positive vibes!
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@stuartk hopefully after you are past the point of listening to components and sound, you'll get back to being a music lover. A great place to start and end. |
Congratulations! The blending of music and high fidelity has kept me intrigued and fascinated with the pursuit of the high end all of my adult life. Now that I am retired and my system brings me incredible joy as something of an achievement made over my entire life. To me, what my system does best is communicate the music. I seldom listen to my system… I am engrossed in the music, the emotional content. |
@ozzy: Congratulations! Just remember there are some here that will tell you (brow beat) that all amplifiers sound the same. Crazy, ain’t it… Yeah; just like "all DACs sound the same" !
@russ69: "Just be sure to enjoy the ride." You mean, now that I'm experiencing a "new high" , there may be be "new lows" , as well? Darn. . . didn't think about that ! ;o) |
