Initial comments on Hegel H80 integrated amplifier

[boomzilla]

I finally got my Hegel H80 running this morning (delay caused by music server problems).

It is a very, very different sound from anything that my Emotiva gear produces. The difference is immediately noticeable. garbulky & Mrs. Gar dropped by after lunch today for a short listen. He also thought it sounded different, but we had very divergent ideas on why.

First - I used the Hegel's internal DAC. The digital feed was CD on the Oppo using the TOSLINK optical out to the Hegel's digital input. The speakers are 4-ohm Axiom M-80 towers with their newest tweeters. No subwoofer was used. My existing system is also in place (XSP-1, generation two and a pair of XPA-1Ls, generation one), but obviously not used when listening to the Hegel.

My impressions: The Hegel has more bass than the Emotiva rig. Not so much in terms of boom, but in terms of extension. The Hegel makes the Axioms sound like a subwoofer is present even when it isn't. Is this a good thing? I'm not yet sure.

I also find that the Hegel sounds more dynamic than the Emotiva rig. Ironically, garbulky thought that the Hegel was "smoother." Gar found the Hegel treble slightly recessed; I didn't. If I were a betting man, I'd put money on Gar's (much younger) ears.

The Hegel, with only 75 wpc, can't begin to compete at high volume with the Emotiva rig, but since I never listen loudly (except when novisnick comes by), it isn't an issue to me.

I'll need to listen for quite a bit more time before I make any firm conclusions about the thing, but its initial impression is a positive one. Will it eventually persuade me to switch? Much too early to even speculate... I may opt to keep both systems for different purposes. I get to review some speakers soon, and having two completely different systems to drive them may be of help.

[novisnick]

Hey boom, how much coin did you say was involved with Hegal gear your testing.
Should have some reference point.

Thanks,

novis

[boomzilla]

Used on eBay for <$1,300.

After listening a bit more, I think that the Hegel's midrange is more recessed than the (possibly more neutral) Emotiva's. The Emo gear gives me a perspective from "front row center" to "middle of the audience" depending on the recording. The Hegel sounds more like "⅓ to ⅔ back in the audience, for the same recordings. It is perfectly clear, just a different take. Which is more accurate? I'm not positive, but I'm beginning to suspect the Emotiva's is.

I can see how the Hegel would sound spiffy with lots of "slightly forward" speakers (and there are plenty on the market), but with the Axioms I have...

Still early in the audition, so once the thing warms up for awhile, or my ears adjust to it, my impressions may change. I've also not yet tried the thing with the subwoofers attached. That may change the sound significantly.

And finally, I haven't (at all) had time to find the best speaker positions for the Hegel. I'm suspecting that the speakers need to be slightly closer together and further out into the room to do their best with this amp. We'll see.

Boom

[boomzilla]

It has also occurred to me that the Hegel should really be assessed as two products - not one. The integrated DAC and the integrated stereo amplifier.

The internal DAC reminds me strongly of the Stealth DC-1. If you like the sound of that DAC, they you'll LIKE the sound of the Hegel's DAC.

My next move will be to run the Oppo's analog outputs (utilizing the Oppo's DAC) into the XLR inputs of the Hegel. That will remove the "sound" of the Hegel's DAC & provide an evaluation of the integrated amplifier circuitry by itself.

Cheers - Boom

[boomzilla]

Having now listened a bit to the Oppo DAC feeding the Hegel's analog inputs, I believe that most of the recessed sounding midrange is an artifact of the Hegel's DAC. The Hegel does a nice job with lots of apparent detail, but I still think that my XPA-1L amps are more neutral. What the Hegel does that the XPA-1Ls don't is emphasize lower treble detail. The treble isn't bright, per se, but it has more of an edge to it than do the Emotiva amps. Although initially appealing (Wow! Listen to all that detail!), it is ultimately less accurate.

I can see why audio show presenters like to use the Hegel amps to demo their speakers. Like the TV store where all the screens are calibrated for excess brightness and far too much contrast (for a picture that "pops" as compared to the competition), the Hegel amp presents a sound that similarly "pops." But only for a short time... Just as your TV picture improves significantly when you calibrate the black levels and reduce the contrast from factory settings, the Hegel would improve similarly if you could flatten the frequency response and reduce its "contrast." But unlike a television, you can't alter the Hegel's sound once you get it home.

Don't get me wrong - I can see how many folks would prefer the Hegel's sound, especially if their speakers were somewhat forward sounding. The "Hegel sound" isn't at all unpleasant, but it isn't fully neutral, either. It speaks volumes that so many reviewers find the Hegel amplifiers to be "high-end." Yes, the Hegel runs rings around every other integrated amplifier and receiver that I've ever heard, but when compared to even modest separate components, much less exceptional ones, the Hegel just doesn't measure up. Of course, in the "high end world," the $3,500 list price of the Hegel is peanuts, so perhaps the reviewers are actually saying "it's good for the price?"

The more accurate the rest of your system, the less I think that the Hegel will satisfy. That said, I think that the H80's integrated amplifier is a far better product than the H80's internal DAC. Even so, I expected better for the money, and especially after reading all the "rave" reviews.

So am I keeping the Hegel? Yes, I am. Why? Because it makes a good alternative for some speakers, because it is light and compact, and because sometimes i want a different "flavor" for my listening. The Hegel provides those things, and is pretty fully depreciated already. But I can predict now that the majority of my listening will continue to be done with the XSP-1 / XPA-1L combo. I've not yet found anything to compete for less than 10x the price.

As always, my comments pertain to my system, in my room, and to my ears.

Cheers - Boomzilla

[garbulky]

Glad to hear that you tried it with the Opppo. Did you happen to see how the XSP-1 did with the Hegel as well? That would be interesting. I've always wondered if the pre-amp improving things was amplifier dependent or whether it is universal across multiple amps.

[boomzilla]

I have it wired up to try that, but to do so means that there will be two preamps, in series, in the system. The XSP-1 is obviously the first, but the Hegel has its own preamp (being an integrated amplifier). By using the XSP-1, I effectively turn the Hegel into a "power amplifier only," but with its preamp still active.

I listened last night to the Emotiva gear alone, but with the sub crossover set lower. Good things happened.

Boom

[garbulky]

Yes the Hegel pre amp will not be disabled. However it will not be attenuating the volume so you still may have some gains to be had using the XSP-1 you never know! I am excited about the trombone and clarinet!

[boomzilla]

Well, I gave the Hegel another chance last night. Using the internal DAC and the integrated amp (as intended) and fed by TOSLINK. And?

My ears take about an hour to adapt to the Hegel sound (or the thing takes an hour to warm up properly, I can't say which). But the things that I initially found so objectionable in the Hegel do abate (but slightly) after that first hour.

If I listen, I can still hear the "farther away" perspective on voices. The excessive dynamics also tend to smooth out after awhile. I still think my XSP-1 / XPA-1L combo is more accurate, but if I didn't have them, I'd maybe think that the Hegel wasn't too shabby. The sound was good enough that Mrs. Boom came to the living room to listen, and stayed for almost an hour (a LONG listening session for her). Of course, it helped that I scratched her back while she listened, but normally, if she doesn't like the material, or the sound, she doesn't hang around too long. So I'd consider her reaction to the Hegel to be a positive one.

Another thing I had to do for the Hegel to make it sound decent was to waltz the speakers around (aka the " garbulky shuffle." The speakers ended up slightly farther from the back wall and slightly closer together than I normally place them with my Emotiva components, but the imaging was fine, once I found the right spots.

Next, I need to install my "speaker-to-line-level - passive bass management" device and see if I can get the subs in tune with the Hegel system.



So my initial negative reaction to the Hegel is (slowly) starting to mellow. It'll take some more listening to conclude anything for sure, but at this point, I'm thinking that the amp will be best fed by the (warmer-sounding) DACs of the Oppo BDP-105.

Boom