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Thinking of a used Hegel H160 integrated – thoughts and/or alternatives?

I have been using a very nice re-capped vintage Accuphase E-303x in my small apartment in Lisbon for a few years now, but will soon be moving to a larger home. I am thinking of upgrading to a more powerful and modern integrated, and am tempted (sound unheard, so to speak) by a used Hegel h160.

For context, I had and loved a Jeff Rowland Concentra I for a number of years in the U.S., but due to the electricity drain and costs, am not inclined to go that route again. Note that while the Hegel does apparently have good connectivity for streaming sources, I remain rather old school in that I use CDs almost exclusively.

In terms of speakers, I have been very happy with the Harbeth P3ESR in my small space, but expect, at least initially, to revert to my Green Mountain Audio Callistos (RIP Roy) for the larger space. I use an Electrocompaniet EMC-1UP CD player.

So, any feedback on the Hegel and/or other suggestions around that used price range would be much appreciated!

Cheers,

Tony
whipsaw
10 responses Add your response
glennewdick's avatar
glennewdick
1,665 posts
 
Just a thought the new Jeff Roland integrated's are Class D and will not be nearly as power hungry as the older class AB models, may want to look into it if you like the Rowland house sound. 

Also your Accuphase is 150wpc that's good power availability so unless your speakers are seriously inefficient then that should power just about any speaker. Ok I may be biased here as I love the older Accuphase amps they had wonderful sound. 

that said Hegel gets great reviews from both the reviewers and owners and is often highly recommended here. also gives you some modern additions like internal DACs and streaming. and a remote. 
whipsaw OP
758 posts
 
Thanks. I do like the Accuphase quite a bit, but don't think that it is in the class of my earlier Rowland, and I would be surprised if it could hold its own with the Hegel.

The DAC and remote would also be welcomed.
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 
Luxman?
agrippa
160 posts
 
The Hegel is a very competent integrated amp indeed and I'm sure you'll be very pleased with it.  It's detailed, smooth, very neutral and is able to better control a speaker's bass drivers than pretty much any amp I know (excepting its larger siblings of course).  I've never even heard of your Callistos, but the H160 will let you know exactly what they can do.
respected_ent
189 posts
 
Hegel H160 is good, and a used one under $2k is a no brainer.  But Luxman is better.  It all depends on your budget, but you can't go wrong with either.
whipsaw OP
758 posts
 
Thanks guys. I can grab an H160 for under $1500, so probably worth a go.

I appreciate the input.
stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,384 posts
 
I am willing to bet if you put the Accuphase up against the Hegel, the Accuphase would win.
whipsaw OP
758 posts
 
Interesting. Why do you say that? Not that I am underrating the Accuphase, as it is excellent.
agrippa
160 posts
 
A current Accuphase model with comparable specs would better the H160, but at a very, very different price. The performance gap, however, would be quite small. The E-303X launched in 1983 and although some don’t like to believe it, things have in fact moved on since then.

Any of the current Luxman integrateds would also better the H160, but again at a much greater difference in price than in performance. At or around its price point I’m frankly severely disinclined to believe that the Hegel can be bettered (except, I’m sure, by the new H190 which I’ve not heard).

I say that as someone who owns (and loves) a Luxman L-550AXII and not a single Hegel product.
whipsaw OP
758 posts
 
Thanks, that makes sense. As much as I have enjoyed the E-303X, I would never have suggested that it was closely comparable to the Concentra that I owned, either.
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