Your room is quite big and, with high ceiling, your would have some issues with mid to bass frequencies in any case.
The only solution I found (my room is similar to yours), after reading, studying and testing on myself, are line array (much better) or D' Appolito (still better that semi-point source but not at the same level as line arrays) speakers.
I chose the line arrays because those kind of speakers minimize room reflections and provide much better sound clarity and bass details in room of any size/ shape.
The sound you will get is quite room-independent and you don't need room treatment up to 100Hz. Below those frequencies, is difficult to take care of the possible issues without a DSP/ multiple subwoofers layout.
I listened and loved the Grandinote Mach speakers several times at audio shows and dealers showroom but those are perhaps out of your budget. Perhaps you can find some better deals on pre-owned or ex-demo units? The Mach 8XL and the 9s are my favorite overall!
Even the Wisdom Audio Sage L75 seems good, but I have not direct experience with them.
Absolute sound to individuals can be individualized simply by adding a Schitt equalizer. I bought the Loki Max, paired with the Hegel H190, gripping my Klipsch 15” Woofers on my Heritage Cronwall’s… just have to now sell my subwoofer… no need to worry about room size or acoustic nature now. My advice would be less ego and more common sense with the equalizer… put an end to addiction and hasty buying for whatever rationalization awaits your next must have. Game over.
Absolute sound to individuals can be individualized simply by adding a Schitt equalizer. I bought the Loki Max, paired with the Hegel H190, gripping my Klipsch 15” Woofers on my Heritage Cronwall’s… just have to now sell my subwoofer… no need to worry about room size or acoustic nature now. My advice would be less ego and more common sense with the equalizer… put an end to addiction and hasty buying for whatever rationalization awaits your next must have. Game over.
Dynaudio Special 40 sound great with that amp. They have good synergy together. A lively room is recommended as the H190 is a dull flat amp in my opinion
A bit of topic so kindly excuse the intrusion but am st curious if anyone has tried or is using a Hegel integrated amplifier with the ATC SCM 19v2 (passive) speakers?
atc passive speakers are very accurate and demanding of the source and amplification.... i would think the h190 would be really excellent in this application, as it is very low in distortion and also very powerful... so long as the room is not abnormally large for domestic listening
A bit of topic so kindly excuse the intrusion but am st curious if anyone has tried or is using a Hegel integrated amplifier with the ATC SCM 19v2 (passive) speakers?
@grislybutter This is a post from a couple of years ago. I ended up buying Dynaudio Contour 30. I have really enjoyed the combination with Hegel. Cheers.
great question generating a lot of insight. I would also pick speakers last, but there are so many ways to do it,
I love the Dynaudio suggestions (what I have), it actually steers me to buy a Hegel amp (I am on the market for an amp) The Evoke can sound better than the Special 40.
I also found totems to be warm with a lot o depth and image and I would love to hear Spendors and Harbeths - as they get so much praise.
I would stay away from the LSA, much lower quality than the above brands
@aobscura The key for me is home trial. Crutchfield has Dynaudio, Revel speakers among others. 60 days home trial, and $20 to ship speakers back. (Not a typo.) I just tried out the Martin Logan 60's from Crutchfield without a hitch. Full refund minus $20 for $3500 speakers weighing 80lbs each. They respond quickly, politely. I'm not a fanboy by nature, but when you get treated right, over and over, you learn to become one.
I use a pair of Sonas Faber Concerto and REL with mine, it works fine for my needs. If I upgraded speakers I would be looking for either a better SF of go to electrostatic speakers. However, going down that rabbit hole can get expensive. Mine is fed with Blue Node 2i , Apple TV digital inputs. For single artist recordings I love it, for group performances or classical recordings it’s more just a grin, you’ll need to spend some money to reproduce that.
Picked up a pair of used Joseph Audio Pulsars last fall after many many years of changing nothing but evolving sources. Reignited the bug for more. Found an Atma-Sphere pre that is now a keeper. In process of auditioning amps, am listening to a Hegel H20 as I type this and enjoying it very much. Very engaging, dynamic with great soundstaging, speakers truly disappearing. No doubt the Atma-Sphere deserves some of the credit, but the Hegel and Pulsars seem to play rather well together. Think I gave $3.6Kish for them. Prior owner upgraded to the latest version. They don't seem to pop up often, but if you do catch wind of some being available they are certainly worth consideration. Believe they are $7k new?
How about the Splendor LS3/5a or Harbeths line? With the extra money you can add a used sub or two. Hegel line is a little sterile sounding but with great detail and good sound stage. These speaker lines will add some warmth. You get the best of both worlds.
I think the LSA 20 Statements would provide significant improvements in every aspect over your B&Ws yet retain a fairly similar overall sonic signature with more refinement. Bass goes down to 25Hz, which in itself should be a revelation. They’re being discounted here for $4500/pr by the manufacturer and include a nice pair of speaker cables in the deal, and they offer a 30-day trial period that is particular nice now. Best of luck in your search.
Thanks everyone. Your advice is really helpful and it will give me a good place to start my exploration. I live in a relatively small city and I do not have many options to audition equipment locally. So I want to put together a list of options and dealers so I can travel to a city where I can listen (it will be my first post virus trip).
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rixthetrick I'm mostly streaming Qobuz , but I listening to CDs sometimes. I do not have vinyl.
Most of the time I stream using the Hegel H190 internal streamer and DAC, but sometimes I also use a Cambridge CNX V2 network streamer feeding the Hegel. When I stream lower quality services like Spotify or radio stations, I like the screen and convenience of the Cambridge, but overall I prefer the sound of the Hegel.
@keithc In your experience, do the Vandersteen 2Ce Signature III produce a good low end/bass? A friend had an old pair of Vandersteens and he added a woofer to complete his system.
From what I understand KEF and Harbeth have recently been using Hegel amps to demo at shows so definitely worth looking at those brands.
I heard a Hegel amp running with a pair of Totem tribe towers at a show which was really impressive - the Totems are generally hard to drive but that Hegel amp had perfect grip and control over the speaker. Very impressive.
Look at Dynaudio---quite a few posts on here and elsewhere regarding their synergy with Hegel. I have the Special 40s and they are great speakers ($3000/pr).
Jjss49-your reply is a joke. If you can read the op’s posts, he is asking the right questions. He wants a warmer sound and he has a Hegel 190 amp. Pretty simple request. Op, if you want a warmer sound, your going to need to move away from B&W speakers especially with your Hegel. I’ve owned a couple of Hegel integrated amps and they are pretty neutral sounding and B&W speakers pair better with warmer sounding amps like Classe or McIntosh. Look at Revel, totem, usher, Kef reference series, and Wilson.
OP, I had the H160 many moons ago driving Dynaudio Emit 30s, good pairing, went for B&W 702 S2s and that was a better pairing. IMHO if you like metal dome tweeters stick with B&W 702s or try KEF R11s, if you desire a tweeter change get the Dynaudio Evoke 30s or stretch for the 50s, big improvements on the Emit series. Another reason to stick with Dynaudio, B&W and KEF is they are easier to sell because of brand recognition.
I have never had the opportunity to listen to your amp but based on reviews it seems that your Hegel leans to the analytical side rather than warmth. If you are interested in making a moderate change towards a warmer sound, I would recommend looking at a different amp altogether. Something from Pass Labs perhaps. You would lose some damping in the bass, but their amps still provide ample bass. If you are looking for a subtle speaker change in the direction of more warmth, I would recommend looking at the new Vandersteen 2Ce Signature III ($3,279). I wish you the best of luck in your journey. https://www.vandersteen.com/products/model-2ce-signature-iii
I also started with the amplification first. This was not by choice. I chose speakers that I wanted to try on spec, and then it took seven months for them to get built. In the meantime, I decided that I would shop for amps and then once I got the amps I realized that I could shop for a variety of speakers that would go with the amps. In many ways, the search for a good speaker turns out to be exactly the same, especially when you have such a capable amplifier as the Hegel. So the idea that something is backwards here is irrelevant. Good luck!
I have only heard a Hegel H360 once and really liked everything about it, and was pining for the H590 before I settled for a used USA made power amplifier. I don’t understand why (in this market) any highly resolving quality product that meets general requirements like impedance, sensitivity, etc. can’t be introduced into an equally excellent system of devices?
The very idea that to build a superior system, one must get rid of everything and start over with speakers first, just seems asinine and closed minded.
Do you mind sharing how you are presently using your H190? perhaps DLNA? What is your source?
It’s a strange question because you pick speakers first and then pick the amp. What’s up? Anyway Evoke 20 and Hegel 190 do well together. I find that to my ears Special 40 sounded very much like Evoke 20, but the latter is a steal.
It is always hard to describe sound, but I prefer a warmer quality and good bass. Wide soundstage and separation are also important to me. I usually play at mid volume, so high sensitivity is not important.
What aspects of stereo performance and sound reproduction are most important to you? You’ll get much better and more meaningful speaker recommendations by sharing this critical info.
The H190 is great and any decent speaker that doesn’t need 400 wpc should sound better by association. Hegel doesn’t spend all your money on shiny faceplates they deliver the sound as good as any,
Nearly every speaker will work with the Hegel as they will drive nearly anything that doesn’t dip below 2 ohms. With such a large array of choices you really should focus on your listening priorities and not what "goes well with Hegel". The world is your oyster.
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jjss49 I am doing is the other way around this time. Gear first (which I recently got) and speakers last. This new system will be better than anything I built before.
jjss49 You are a great mind. Of course your greatness does not allow you to think that people can acquire gear under many different circumstances, and for a great variety of reasons. If you do not have something useful to contribute, do not waste my time, and most importantly, yours.
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