Crap. I saw this review for the Hegel H160 from Enjoy the Music and meant to post but just didn’t get around to it. It happened to compare the H160 to the A21 so thought it would be particularly interesting for this thread. I just flat out disagree with the dealer about the preamp section of the Marantz being "invisible." At the price point they can’t possibly use better quality parts or fully shield the stereo signal from the rest of the electronic hoopla that a prepro creates. It’s shortcomings are invisible only until you compare it to a good stereo pre and then, as it did for me, the differences tend to be anything but invisible. As I mentioned before and as many of us here have learned through personal experience, it is very unwise to discount the importance a preamp plays in good 2-channel playback. Here’s part of the review:
"Pass, Naim, Roksan or Hegel all deserve excellent reputations for adding, not detracting, from the music. Every time I hear a massive or even low power Pass amplifier, I am impressed with how much more detail, texture, soundstage and tone it provides. Raw, flat and boring accuracy can wear you out. The key is adding the proper neutral balance to the notes to give them more definition, shape, texture and tone. Good amplifiers do this. The Hegel does it. The Hegel is a really good amplifier. Rated at 0.2% Total Harmonic Distortion, the Parasound Halo A21 amplifier has 400 watts RMS into a 4 Ohm load! Up against the Halo on the Focal loudspeakers, the Hegel confirmed it was a different unit with a more European sound.
Spyro Gyra is a 1970s American jazz fusion band. The band’s name is a misspelling of Spirogyra, a genus of green algae, which the sax-playing leader wrote about in college. Their music combines jazz with elements of R&B, funk and pop music. The band sold over 10 million copies of more than 30 albums. On the Spanish samba "Impressions Of Madrid," the Hegel is smooth, with relaxed confidence, reminding me of Yves Bernard André’s French YBA amplifiers. There is a polite patience to the casual edge of notes. Less Spanish snappiness, but major differences between the two amplifiers are quite hard to discern. There was no readily attributable color or feel to the amplifier.
Yet the Halo is a very different sounding amplifier compared to the Hegel. It is harder, sharper, brighter, thinner, and lighter, with more of the solid-state feel. The Halo has very good dimensionality, but it is missing the warm fullness of the Hegel along the entire frequency response spectrum. The Hegel has clear, high treble on horns and rattle. On Tom Scott’s "Them Changes," for example, horns on the Hegel sound organic – subtle, like tubes – yet also imminently and immediately listenable."
I thought the sonic characteristics of the Hegel were more inline with what you were looking for, which is why I was so strongly recommending it -- along with getting a better preamp in the bargain. And FWIW, even my wife -- who is a total Luddite with these things -- had no problem using the HT pass through in our system. I sincerely hope the A21 works out, but if it’s not to your liking do you have a return option? Sorry I was so late with this.
"Pass, Naim, Roksan or Hegel all deserve excellent reputations for adding, not detracting, from the music. Every time I hear a massive or even low power Pass amplifier, I am impressed with how much more detail, texture, soundstage and tone it provides. Raw, flat and boring accuracy can wear you out. The key is adding the proper neutral balance to the notes to give them more definition, shape, texture and tone. Good amplifiers do this. The Hegel does it. The Hegel is a really good amplifier. Rated at 0.2% Total Harmonic Distortion, the Parasound Halo A21 amplifier has 400 watts RMS into a 4 Ohm load! Up against the Halo on the Focal loudspeakers, the Hegel confirmed it was a different unit with a more European sound.
Spyro Gyra is a 1970s American jazz fusion band. The band’s name is a misspelling of Spirogyra, a genus of green algae, which the sax-playing leader wrote about in college. Their music combines jazz with elements of R&B, funk and pop music. The band sold over 10 million copies of more than 30 albums. On the Spanish samba "Impressions Of Madrid," the Hegel is smooth, with relaxed confidence, reminding me of Yves Bernard André’s French YBA amplifiers. There is a polite patience to the casual edge of notes. Less Spanish snappiness, but major differences between the two amplifiers are quite hard to discern. There was no readily attributable color or feel to the amplifier.
Yet the Halo is a very different sounding amplifier compared to the Hegel. It is harder, sharper, brighter, thinner, and lighter, with more of the solid-state feel. The Halo has very good dimensionality, but it is missing the warm fullness of the Hegel along the entire frequency response spectrum. The Hegel has clear, high treble on horns and rattle. On Tom Scott’s "Them Changes," for example, horns on the Hegel sound organic – subtle, like tubes – yet also imminently and immediately listenable."
I thought the sonic characteristics of the Hegel were more inline with what you were looking for, which is why I was so strongly recommending it -- along with getting a better preamp in the bargain. And FWIW, even my wife -- who is a total Luddite with these things -- had no problem using the HT pass through in our system. I sincerely hope the A21 works out, but if it’s not to your liking do you have a return option? Sorry I was so late with this.