2. amps-preamps
  3. 180346-11372

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
thomastrouble OP
239 posts
 

So, I’m about to pull the trigger on the Lyngdorf …..is this a “great” decision - it’s going to cost me much more than I wanted to spend but if I can’t do much better at that price or less I’ll be happy.

mofojo
2,185 posts
 

I think it’s a good pick especially considering your in an apartment and probably can’t really crank it I’m assuming. The Lyngdorf 3400 will give you endless tweaking for lower volume listening. IME without the room correction engaged it sounds very good and clean. Not digital like a lot of class d. With the room correction and subs dialed in and subs engaged in my room it was totally transformed into something really special. Never heard a Hegel but have heard pretty good things. 
 

I thought about getting the 3400 myself. According to my dealer the very reason they came out with the 3400 was to handle lower efficiency speakers better than the 2170.

thomastrouble OP
239 posts
 

Thanks for that mofo, I’m on the lookout for a used one right now. A local store told me they had one for…….$8000! Way too steep.

mofojo
2,185 posts
 

Thomas, sent you a PM. 

Also on 2nd thinking this since you are in an apartment the 2170 would probably be plenty unless you want headbanging levels. You do lose the EQ and streaming functions of the 3400 but you normally see these used more than the 3400 for way under your budget. 

thomastrouble OP
239 posts
 

Thanks for that guys !

just last week I sent a ton of older gear to The Music Room to sell for me on consignment (a lot of big stuff (Pass Labs 250.5 etc that I can never use again) and as part of the payment they are trying to find me a 3400. I know this might be overkill but I would rather have the peace of mind (and the added features) even though I’m paying a bit more than I need to, but who knows, I may move into a house someday and be able to crank things up if I want.

im far from an audiophile, just somebody who wants immediate gratification without all the learning and research involved and I’ll be content with an integrated these days.

The only integrated I had from maybe 15 years ago was a Naim Nait 5i and it was my first purchase into higher end audio and I was happy - am I going to see a big difference between that and the Lyngdorf ? Just curious before actually hearing the Lyngdorf. At the end of the day I don’t have choices and the luxury of building a whole system, so I’m just trying to do the best I can with what I already have in Brazil (Totems, nice CD player and a subwoofer) and a small and light integrated that I can fit inside my carryon.

I want to thank all you guys for all your help in making this (very rushed) decision!!!

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