Hegel or a Modwright


Hi,

I am looking to change out my amplifier and I'm interested in a Hegel H390 or possibly some kind of hybrid - possibly a Modwright KWH 225i. Its a small listening space (with quite a bit of glass) with Zu Druid Vs, a Brooklyn Bridge and a Clearaudio table running through a Chord Huei preamp. I was running a SET as the amplifier but I moved that into another system. That amp had great presence and I liked the tube sound.

Currently I am borrowing a Hegel Rost and it's enjoyable but seems a little less 'emotional' than the SET and I am wondering if the Modwright KWH 225i would have more of that tube character.

What do people think of H390 and KWH 225i?

silverandblackisback

I would spend my hard earned money on the Modwright , made in USA , sounds great, built like a tank.    Honestly I would listen to both, then others if possible before dropping that kind of cash

My experience is that people who like SET amps are not satisfied with others, unless they completely get rid of the SET and forget the sound. My friend had ZUs and we were using a very expensive class AB tube amp, which sounded good until we hooked up a 2 watt Sun and the magic came through. Maybe pick up one of those Reisong tube amps on Amazon for $400 to fool around with. 

The Hegel is a great amp but if the tube sound is what you crave, the Hegel is not going to scratch that itch.

 

 

I have a Modwright KWA120SE that I use in the summer instead of my tube amp. My speakers are Zu Omen Defs. It is sort of tubey sounding. It's both sweet and clear and rounds off the leading edges just a little. I like how it separates instruments and vocals from one another and the feeling of effortless power.

I just put it back in the system at the first of the month and it took about 3 days to settle in(about 12hours?) after sitting idle for so long. Of course it's missing the nuances that only tubes can do IMHO.But it's not dry or harsh ever. Hope this helps as you ponder your next move.

Thanks for the inputs! I decided to take the plunge on a Decware and I'll keep the loaner Rost in the system for now and postpone a decision on something solid state.