Another Hegel H390 vs H590 Thread
Hey all, I know there have been a number of h390 v h590 posts so sorry for another, but I have what I think is a unique dilemma.
I think the general consensus is that while the 590 is marginally better, it isn’t worth $11,000, or nearly double the price of the 390 and that the 390 is the sweet spot.
I was just about to make the purchase of a 390 for $6K when my dealer offered me a brand new 590 for $8500. Very tempting! What do you guys think? Worth the extra $2500?
(In case it helps the rest of my system is:
Speakers: Duevel Venus (omnis - very inefficient)
TT: EAT C-sharp w/ EAT Jo. 5 cartridge and EAT E-glo petit phono pre
Music server: Innuos Zen Mk III
Int. Amp I’m moving on from: Prima Luna Dialogue HP)
that is good to know... i sold my 590 over a year ago... did hegel handle this via firmware update so all 590's can gain the added mqa functionality, or are only newer shipped 590's able to do this? |
@jjss49 my understanding is that it is a hardware implementation in the 590 from late 2020. They came out with a new version that had power standby as well as MQA on all inputs: Direct quote from a Hegel employee on the hegel Facebook page: “MQA is a hardware feature, so this has nothing to do with firmware upgrades. H590 with standby has the same DAC implementation as H390 with MQA on all inputs.” |
I have a very moderately size room that I currently use an Hegel H390 to drive a pair of, not so efficient, Revel Salon 2 speakers. The H390 does a great job of driving my speakers and also sounds outstanding paired with my Ayre Acoustics QX-5 Twenty DAC. However, because of the relative inefficiency of my speakers, I just recently order an H590 to replace the H390. I decided to upgrade so I could get that extra power that the H590 will provide, as well as, a pretty significant upgrade in sound quality. So, as much as I love the sound of the H390, I want to maximize (as far as Hegel integrated amps are concerned) the Hegel sound and power in my system. I can’t wait for the H590 to arrive!!! |
I just upgraded from the H390 to the H590. The H390 is an amazing integrated, in it's own right, but when I purchased very large, inefficient speakers, I needed even more power then what the H390 had to offer, so I decided to upgraded to the H590. The H590 was a pretty significant upgrade to the H390. The H590 put the vice-grip to my speakers to a greater degree than did the H390. There was just more of everything with the H590. The H590 provides improved and increased: power, dynamics, detail, transparency, control, soundstage and palpability. I don't use the H590's internal DAC. The H590 combined with my reference level outboard DAC is a spectacular combination. If I got a larger room again, I'd go back to separates again. Until then, I believe that the H590 is one of the very few, marquis integrated amps out there that will make you not miss having big-time separates. |
