I am building a new system and I just bought a H-390. It should arrive by the end of the week. I want to get new to me speakers to go with it. So if you’ve have or have had a Hegel H-390 or a H-590, what speakers under $10.000 sounded the best. And I guess I should probably get some wires also. Nothing crazy, but not zip cord.
i would only say, to what troy posted below, that in my experience owning and comparing the 190, 390 and 590 units, that the 390 and 590 played music with a noticeably more refined, and laid back treble response, and with even more command/richness/tightness in the midbass and bass relative to the lesser 190 model (and rost, which i also still have)
this comparison and observation running through the balanced xlr analog inputs of the amps, with outboard dacs (sonnet morpheus and audio note dac 4.1 tube dac)
the 390 is the richest sounding of the three, the 590 had a touch more treble energy and the 190 the most
this perception may be due to how relatively forward/recessed the rest of the frequency range played in relation to the treble, but that was my impression
hegel says publically that they made adjustments/refinements to the preamp section of the higher 390/590 in relation to the lower units in the line (which by the way, are still absolutely excellent)
My understanding is that the new 390 is essentially the same as the top dog 590.
depends on how one defines ’essentially’ -- useful information on the differences (but bear in mind their findings are using the dac + amp sections of each unit)
@curiousjimMy comment on the 360 and Blades was related to the 360 not being the best in Hegels then lineup and the Blades being near the top of KEF’s lineup.
My understanding is that the new 390 is essentially the same as the top dog 590.
KEF + Hegel are a super combo. A lot of great listening sessions in your future.
I was starting to think that I might have made a mistake with this pairing, but not any more! The H390 is a bit warmer than the H360 and maybe the Blades weren't broken in. But either way, the system really has changed for the better in about six weeks.
The Hegel 360 drove KEF Blade 2 to some decent levels. Not the best amp I have heard with the Blades but excellent for the price. THe 390 would work better on KEFs if it is a bit warmer than the 360. I would choose something from the KEF Reference line to stay under $10K. This does not match what the OP was asking for in terms of warm+warm but that is how I would go.
Oops, just saw the post above. Congrats, Great move.
H390 is a very even handed sounding amp with plenty of drive and should pair well with almost anything. I used it with Joseph Audio Perspectives and it was excellent.
I very briefly thought about a pair of X-3’s. I had some open back speakers in the 80’s-90’s but without hearing the X3’s, I went for the KEF. Thst I was able to listen to with a Hegel Integrated Amplifier.
So I went with a pair of KEF Reference 5’s. So far I’m liking them. I will give them another 100 hours before I give the another good listening session.
Right out of the box they sound really good. I’m going to have to put up acoustics behind them, and futz with them for a while, but I’m sure the sound will only get better. Oh, and as far as cables, I got a pair of AQ Rocket 88’s. I can’t give a report on them yet because they, like the speakers are only three hours old.
So I finally did it. I bought a pair of KEF Reference 5’s! I spent a bit more than I was originally planning on spending, but the deed is done and they have just been delivered. So let the listening begin.
I just ordered a pair of KEF Reference 5’s. I finally got to hear the 3’s and they made me smile at louder levels, but most of my listening is at or below 65db, so I went with the extra set of woofers for a little more base at lower levels. I’ll let you all know when I get them and as they break in.
I’m sad to say no I haven’t bought speakers yet, but I am narrowing it down slowly to the KEF, Reference one’s or Reference three’s or the Dynaudio, Confidence 20’s or the Contour 60i’s, I think.
I mentioned Totem to my wife and while she liked the “Pretty Colors”, she thought they were way to big.
Older thread and you may have already bought your speakers by now but I just bought a used pair or totem speakers that I think sound fantastic and if I were in the market for new towers, I would definitely check them out. Very pleasing highs, not harsh at all like a lot of speakers to my ears, and slightly warm sounding.
@steve59 A Hegel rep gave me a a 90 minute demo with the Hegel 360 and the top end Hegel monos and preamp with KEF Blade. I think it was Blade 1 and not Blade 2. The 360 was rather good but the separates were using the extra power and sounding better. An incredible demo.
I would like to hear my CODA #8 on the Blades. It sounds great on my Thiel CS3.7's and the Blades are easier to drive. Once of the reasons I got the CDOA #8 was on the chance I move to a house with a better room for the Blades.
h390 h590 have a super smooth super suave sound compared to h160 h190 h360 gen... bent holter and crew voiced the preamp section differently in these current top models, it is almost a tubey treble quality, no loss of inner detail or blackness but an even more sophisticated sweet sound
Each generation offers another level of resolution, I remember the h190 being a bit more resolving than the 360, but I needed the power and the 390 wasn’t out yet. Can one of you guys tell me if the step up to the h590 is worth it?
The Hegel range of amp is very capable indeed, certainly an underdog as compared to many amp out there. It sounds clean and distortion-free even at a high volume. Running an H590 with Magico S3MKii with good results.
Thank you for all the information. Very few of the brands everyone has mentioned I’ll be able to listen to around here, but I have listened to a couple of Dynaudio and one Chario. I’m still hoping to hear the Goldenear’s you mentioned as well as Focal. The only Focal dealer in the area isn’t a dealer anymore and never took it off their website, so I still haven’t heard them yet.
Hi JD. Congratulations on your new Hegel H390. Excellent choice. I had a H360 for a few years in my 2ch system in a room 14'x25'. I enjoyed the H360 for a few years and auditioned the H390 soon after it was released. While I was very pleased and impressed by the H360, the H390 clearly improved on the all of the good qualities and then added a little sweet icing on the cake. The H390 had the same transparency and neutrality that I love about this amp, as well as, the tremendous control of almost any speaker you connect to it. I has the ability to make even lesser speakers shine. That said, I have matched the H390 with a little know speaker from Finland. The manufacturer is Amphion. They make a full line of speakers from mini to full towers are quite popular with recording studio engineers. I model I use as my reference speakers are the Amphion Argon 7L floor standers. They are a superlative match with the amp and are truly something special. I auditioned speakers and amplifiers for two years befo re purchasing the amp and speakers. In fact I tested speaker and amps in the 5k to 100k range and found the price performance of the H390 alone was equal to or greater than amps costing 3x as much. As for the speakers, the Argon 7L or newer 7LS blew away speakers costing 20-50k that I auditioned at length. BTW, these speakers are well below your price range. If you can swing it, the Krypton 3 is their top of the line speaker and would be even better with this amp. I have no financial interest in Hegel or Amphion. I can highly recommend a dealer that I purchased my equipment from. Adirondack Audio in NY. Happy to help if you have any questions. Best of luck. Audiofool1
For the past five years or so, I have had a Hegel H-300 and Sonus Faber Olympica 3 speakers. I really love the way they sound together--including at high volumes. (I listen exclusively to flac files, usually ripped from cds, but higher-res when that’s available. My speaker cable is Nordost Blue Heaven.)
I’ve had the H390 for 12mths. Can not fault it for the price. Have run: LS50’s, Maggie LRS. Klipsch Cornwall IV’s, RP600’s, Martin Logan SL’s, GoldenEar One.R’s, Goldenear Aon3’s.
The LS50’s were remarkable. The metas must be fantastic however your room is a little on the large size for such small drivers. You wont be cranking it up, they start distorting 90-95dB on the H390.
Maggie LRS resolution and soundstage was exhilerating but again too small for your room. 3.7i or higher is better for you.
The Klipsch Cornwalls; we took out 10K of Cary Audio DAC & Tube amp and slotted the H390 in. Expectation was to hear significant drop in overall quality. We were wrong. It was still very good, not bright as expected. Nice and neutral if not slightly warm. Could listen to it all day.
RP600’s, lol. Just for fun. The little $370 speakers did sound like $1000 speakers. But cost $6000 to do so haha.
M/L SL’s decent but didn’t have enough time to set them up properly.
One.R’s; holy crap could these get loud and not drop a milisecond of speed. Sounded incredible but some may find it bright if sitting closer than 10ft. Resolution is off the charts. Really great speakers. In your room with treatment they would excel if you like to turn it up some.
Aon3’s… see RP600’s
I like to crank it on Fridays (scotch!) and critical listen on weekdays. In your room I’d lean toward The One.R’s or Maggie 3.7i w/ a couple Rel’s.
I've driven the usher be20dmd, persona 7f, kanta 3, VA strauss, salon 1 and salon 2 and currently the Kef Blades and the only speakers the H360 couldn't manage were the salon 2. Unless I can score a H590 I'm set.
I have owned an H390 for a while now. It sounded great with my ProAc 2.5 Response speakers. Legends in their own time. I Upgraded to Audio Physic Tempos and couldn’t be happier (well that’s not true, I’m sure I could be happier but you know what I mean.)
I was pleased to note that Audio Physic makes one of the speakers in rotation at the HEGEL offices.
The Hegel is a solid meaty sounding unit. Among many stand out speakers, consider a look a the new Audio Physic Tempo 35. It is quality through and through, well balanced, and transparent in a rewardingly musical way.
I recently demoed a pair of Fink Team KIMs. I highly recommend you see if you can demo them as well. They use an AMT tweeter that creates an incredibly atmospheric soundstage. The KIMs completely disappeared into the background. They have low impedance but the Hegal should have no trouble driving them. I wish I knew about them when I was shopping for speakers in this price range a year ago.
I owned the h390 and had it paired with the Triton Reference speakers. Was very pleased with the sound. I found the Triton to be an excellent value. The company motto is "We make High End Affordable". I think they retail in the $7000 range in the U.S. Encourage you to check them out before you make the final decision. Also, don't rule out buying used. There's a lot of terrific bargains out there. Got to love "like new" at half the price?
i demo’d speakers going up to $6k and preferred the Salks. I’ve upgraded to Cube Nenuphar Mini’s and at 1/3 the price (when new) the Salks more than held their own. I’ve had some people listen to both who actually prefer the Salks and I can see why because they dig deeper and the RAAL tweeter is amazing. Fantastic match with you beautiful Hegel.
I can tell you, without a doubt, BUY something better than even 12 gauge zip cord.... amazing difference. you don't have to spend a lot either. Something like MORROW sp4 or sp5 for under $500 will make a very noticeable difference.
This is why I was asking about speakers. I don’t want to add a warm amp to a warm speaker. So the amp should be here today and then I’m hopefully going to listen to Dynaudio, Focal and? JD
i would agree the h390-590 are voiced slightly on the warm side of neutral (but without tube-like midrange ’bloom’, just smoothness and luscious tonality), and the treble is definitely on the restrained side but still with excellent detail and vivid spatial representation, heard through a deep dark background (similar sound profile as pass and ayre, but hegel does bass better than ayre imo) ... thus folks with highly resolving systems seeking a more natural (rather than a ’super hi fi’) presentation love the hegels
My friend has the H390 paired with the new Dynaudio Heritage and its absolutely sublime. A few other people have this exact combination and their feedback tends to agree.
I am not sure if its the amp or speakers, but it’s slightly, and I mean slightly, to the warm side of neutral. The presentation is a bit laid back (but not dull) and completely natural and coherent. You can listen to a lot of music on this combination without fatigue.
Before getting the Heritage we auditioned the almost twice as expensive Confidence 20 with Moon amplification. A totally different sound, more hi-fi, and IMO not very good at all. Maybe it was the Moon gear and not the Confidence 20, but I did not like it and thought it way overpriced.
But some Dynaudio fans have been saying they like the new Heritage better than the Confidence, so it could be Dynaudio have voiced this speaker for certain tastes.
Okay you erred by buying the INT ahead of the speakers but you made a great choice so you're not boxed in.
The most musical sounding Speaker we heard at a recent event was the Sonus Faber Electra Amator 3. Fits your price range. In a smaller room a 3 way might not work. That speaker is one of the sweetest sounding I've ever heard. Quit reading now and buy it!
In your 15 x 15 room consider headphones or at maybe some LS 3/5s in near field configuration. Or just save your money.
Hello, The Hegel products have a really good damping factor. If a typical amp would have say 1000 damping factor I believe this amp has 4000. It’s amazing how even their smaller amps like the H95 can drive Maggie’s. This H390 is second from the top so it can do it with ease.
Amazing amp!! congrats. Will deliver years of musical bliss. Looked at Hegel years ago, I was turned off by the “stuffing” of so much in the stereo amps, caps, wiring, VA torroid , etc.
Hegel is great stuff.
plenty of power for hundreds of great speakers. Would take the suggestions on Dynaudio, they are amazing. Only reason I didn’t go Dynaudio is it was only a few hundred more than what I bought. Enjoy, you made a great mp choice for sure!!
Report back after your ears are accustomed to her.
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