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OK-- I think I get it, now...

For a long time, I've hesitated to call myself an audiophile, preferring "music-lover", instead.

To be honest, I've had a somewhat dismissive attitude regarding those whom, to me, appeared overly obsessed with sound. 

With the recent acquisition of a Hegel H390, I'm forced to "change my tune", as it were. I guess I just crossed over into the high end.

I've been immersing myself in the Burton/Corea duet disc "Crystal Silence", a long time favorite of mine, and there is just so much "more" going on to notice and appreciate, now.

First of all, the music is unmistakably occurring in three dimensional space. And notes have roundness, color, density and texture. Instrumental timbre is richer and more distinctive. The players' use of varying dynamics, attack and tempo are much more evident than before. Vocals convey so much more emotion and now I can feel the emotion's impact somatically. That's new.  

It's certainly made me appreciate my speakers, more. Apparently, up until now, the Silverlines have been denied the sort of amplification that would permit them to perform at their best. I hope the speaker gods will forgive me! 

No doubt, in time, I will make other discoveries, but for now, this is crazy (in a good way).

I feel I've entered a whole new world. There's no way I can still claim to be "just a music lover". Master M has emphasized the unity of sound and music many times and finally, I think I get it. One cannot be separated out from the other-- they are inextricably one. 

 

stuartk
hshifi
572 posts
 

Hello,

Very smart purchase. I demoed an H190 and KEF reference 1 speakers. My wife said my room never sounded better. I said “Great”

Hegels amplification and 4000 damping factor can drive practically anything. I have a friend who can afford much more expensive systems but Love’s his H590 the best. That with a Lumin U1mini (Streaming transport) is as good as it gets in that price range. The Hegel V10 phono stage is another great addition if you are going vinyl and want a balanced phono stage. I guess the wall wart is not typical because there is a real transformer in there. So for $1500 for a real balanced phono stage that is amazing. Just some ideas to keep the simplicity of your setup but remain fully balanced. I get my audiophile and non audiophile components from this store in the Chicagoland area. The website is:

HolmAudio.com

the thing that really helped me get some of my gear is they take trade ins. Also, I do own the Hegel V10 phono stage. It is a really great sounding phono stage for the money. I mean really great! Congratulations on your new purchase!

stuartk OP
2,655 posts
 

@sgreg1:

 

What you describe, about familiar music sounding "new", is indeed what I'm experiencing with the Hegel. It's as if I got a new set of speakers as a free bonus with the Hegel. The benefits of well matched amplification and speakers are clearly on display every time I listen. 

 

stuartk OP
2,655 posts
 

Happy Holidays to all !

 

 

 

 

 

noromance's avatar
noromance
9,705 posts
 

The next time I visited the speakers were back against the wall. 

Once had a close girlfriend who sought my advice and trusted me implicitly on audio matters. She signed off on a excellent lower-budget system with source,, amp, speakers etc., and she went to buy it at the dealership I'd lined up for her. I asked her a few weeks later how it was going. She confessed that all she really needed was a single Sonus unit and that's what she bought instead.

 

 

stuartk OP
2,655 posts
 

@hshifi:

"Very smart purchase"

 

Well, it was for me anyway-- not necessarily for everyone. It's not the most detailed amp nor is it as warm as First Watt or some tube gear. My goals were improving bass control and resolution (without the unwanted side-effect of fatiguing highs) and the Hegel dishes up both, in spades. I honestly had no idea that an amp upgrade, by itself, could result in such dramatic results. It's always nice when a piece of gear exceeds one's expectations, right? 

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