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Anything close to Hegel H360 but smaller/lighter?

So, I’m living in Brazil these days in an apartment with a room a little bigger than 12x12 (maybe 14x14) I’m guessing. I have a pair of Totem “The One” speakers laying in storage there and a Velodyne 12” subwoofer and I want to put these to use. I’m in the US now on a short stay and just bought the Martin Logan Forte simply  because it was cheap and I’m getting a buzz to listen to music again but I don’t want to break the bank. Plus, I’m in an apartment so sound levels need to be considered for the sake of neighbors. I knew this might happen…..I’m already thinking about upping the ante a bit and buying a somewhat decent integrated amp and came across good reviews for the Hegel H360 on here - would I get a noticeable sound quality difference if I sprung for this amp as opposed to the Forte. That is, $250 as opposed to a few grand?

Now I see that Hegel is 45lbs and I’m trying to bring this in my suitcase to Brazil and it will be doable if I sacrifice bringing other personal items back with me so, two questions here….

Will the Hegel provide me with a big noticeable difference in sound quality over the Forte ?

Is there another integrated out there that compares with the Hegel but is lighter/smaller?

 

cheers

thomastrouble
hgeifman
2,113 posts
 

How about the PS Audio Sprout 100 integrated amp? Width 6.2″, Height 1.9″, Depth 8.2″ (chassis only, not including knobs) or 9.2” (including connectors and knobs) with a shipping weight of 5 pounds. 100 wats per channel and very easy to pack in a suitcase.

PS Audio Sprout 100 amp link

Obviously, some compromise is required and the key word from above is the amp "has to fit into your suitcase".  

 

tom23
16 posts
 

The Hegel is really good from what I've heard, but beefy and powerful and probably overkill for what you want it for. I think it's a good idea to replace the forte as it uses playfi as it's app, I've used playfi and didn't think it was very good. There are lots of nice clever compact integrated streaming amplifiers out there now, you could look at the Naim Unity Atom, the Cambridge Audio Evo and the NAD M10 as a good place to start and at a budget halfway in-between the Hegel and the Martin Logan.

thomastrouble OP
239 posts
 

Thanks guys, I’ll look into those options…. Hgeifman, that Sprout size-wise really fits the bill but I’m guessing the Hegel would perform much better? Trying to squeeze as much performance into that limited space I have and given these book shelf speakers there may be something out there. So far I’ve seen nothing more glowing in reviews than the Hegel, I’m very very tempted to go with that but just making sure I’m not shooting myself in the foot.

hgeifman
2,113 posts
 

How big is your suitcase? Will the Hegel H360 amp fit? Maybe the more important question is what about customs. Will Brazil customs allow you to bring in the Hegel amp?

12many
228 posts
 

Another option - I was surprised by the size and weight, is the Benchmark Amp, DAC, and Node steamer.  Or other brands that fit your price.  IFI makes a small dac as well.  Price will be about the same or less.  Much lighter.  Some of these new amps are light and small.   Then you can upgrade later or swap stuff out.  Maybe I worry to much, but if one items breaks in a integrated unit, not sure if it can be fixed.  

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