$5000 to spend on speakers with Hegel amp

shafesk

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Dear all,

Been a while since I've posted, I hope everyone is doing well. I recently got a Hegel H300 which is a great amplifier, I have almost nothing to complain except that my Cayin amp sounds a tad sweeter and maybe even more realistic but I agree the Hegel has more of everything than the Cayin in every other department. I may be biased here because I prefer how tubes sound. I am playing the Hegel with my Mordaunt Short Mezzo 6's and while they are great speakers which have given me years of faithful service, I do think that playing an amp of this caliber with speakers in this price range is a bit unfair to the amplifier. I am therefore wondering what speaker I can get to pair with this amp. My preference for sound is not absolute accuracy but I have to be able to believe I am almost hearing a live performance. I am a sucker for a good midrange, bass I can live with or withour and treble should be smooth. Something like a Harbeth HL5 is on my mind but how will it pair with the Hegel?

Thanks,

Shafin
 

Andrewjvt

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shafesk said:
Dear all,

Been a while since I've posted, I hope everyone is doing well. I recently got a Hegel H300 which is a great amplifier, I have almost nothing to complain except that my Cayin amp sounds a tad sweeter and maybe even more realistic but I agree the Hegel has more of everything than the Cayin in every other department. I may be biased here because I prefer how tubes sound. I am playing the Hegel with my Mordaunt Short Mezzo 6's and while they are great speakers which have given me years of faithful service, I do think that playing an amp of this caliber with speakers in this price range is a bit unfair to the amplifier. I am therefore wondering what speaker I can get to pair with this amp. My preference for sound is not absolute accuracy but I have to be able to believe I am almost hearing a live performance. I am a sucker for a good midrange, bass I can live with or withour and treble should be smooth.  Something like a Harbeth HL5 is on my mind but how will it pair with the Hegel?

Thanks,

Shafin

Ive never heard harberh but i know how hegel sounds.
Imo from what ive read about harbeth that should be a good match and effortless delivery. But youll have to audition for yourself.
 
seemorebtts said:
I maybe a little out of my league here but I think you just described the sonus faber venere s.

If available within the OP's budget, and they may just be in basic finish, these would definitely be worth an audition. I notice nothing was said about room size so not sure if he's looking only at standmounts.
 

Electro

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shafesk said:
Dear all,

Been a while since I've posted, I hope everyone is doing well. I recently got a Hegel H300 which is a great amplifier, I have almost nothing to complain except that my Cayin amp sounds a tad sweeter and maybe even more realistic but I agree the Hegel has more of everything than the Cayin in every other department. I may be biased here because I prefer how tubes sound. I am playing the Hegel with my Mordaunt Short Mezzo 6's and while they are great speakers which have given me years of faithful service, I do think that playing an amp of this caliber with speakers in this price range is a bit unfair to the amplifier. I am therefore wondering what speaker I can get to pair with this amp. My preference for sound is not absolute accuracy but I have to be able to believe I am almost hearing a live performance. I am a sucker for a good midrange, bass I can live with or withour and treble should be smooth. Something like a Harbeth HL5 is on my mind but how will it pair with the Hegel?

Thanks,

Shafin

You should be able to find a pair of the recently discontinued PMC Twenty 26's in your price range which will do exactly what you asked for and quite a bit more especially with an amp like your Hegel, prepare to be stunned. *smile*

http://www.fanthorpes.co.uk/pmc-speakers/pmc-twenty-26-speakers-2216651-411411-834790.php

http://www.whathifi.com/pmc/twenty-26/review
 
Hi Shafin

Please also look at ATC's curved SCM40's as the H300 pairs very well with these and fwiw i believe is a pairing that Hegel have also successfully used
regular_smile.gif


All the best

Rick @ Musicraft
 

shafesk

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Thank you for all the suggestions, you guys have given me a lot to research :) .My room is a largish living room/bedroom, I can get away with a large bookshelf or medium sized floorstanders in here
 

avole

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not mentioned a lot here, but they're a more rounded speaker than the ATCs and PMCs. Otherwise the classic SF speakers.
 

Macspur

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shafesk said:
Dear all,

Been a while since I've posted, I hope everyone is doing well. I recently got a Hegel H300 which is a great amplifier, I have almost nothing to complain except that my Cayin amp sounds a tad sweeter and maybe even more realistic but I agree the Hegel has more of everything than the Cayin in every other department. I may be biased here because I prefer how tubes sound. I am playing the Hegel with my Mordaunt Short Mezzo 6's and while they are great speakers which have given me years of faithful service, I do think that playing an amp of this caliber with speakers in this price range is a bit unfair to the amplifier. I am therefore wondering what speaker I can get to pair with this amp. My preference for sound is not absolute accuracy but I have to be able to believe I am almost hearing a live performance. I am a sucker for a good midrange, bass I can live with or withour and treble should be smooth. Something like a Harbeth HL5 is on my mind but how will it pair with the Hegel?

Thanks,

Shafin

As I was reading your post, Harbeth was the first speaker to spring to mind... if you could afford the SHL5+ all the better. They are renowned for their mid range and the treble is sweet, great with any genre.

Mac

www.realmusicnet.wordpress.com
 

drummerman

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That thing will drive pretty much anything.

You mention sweetness which it seems to lack compared to your valve amplifier. The Hegel has very high (quoted) damping factor of 2000 ie. infinite which is pretty much nonsense afaik as anything above 80 to a 100 is pretty much grabbing the drivers by the neck anyhow but if you go with an overdamped speaker things may become somewhat unpleasant.

Something which adds a little bit of its own warmth and musicality as the Hegel doesn't seem do that would probably be a good choice.

There were already some suggestions which make sense imho.

I'll add Spendors BC1, in black, on custom stands.
 
Harbeth were using a borrowed Hegel to demo their speakers at last year's Bristol show, and the combination sounded great.

IIRC Hegel themselves were playing KEF Ref 1s, which sounded more impressive, but to my ears less natural.

PS. Nice to see you again, Shafesk!
 
Al ears said:
MUSICRAFT said:
Hi drummerman

Now be nice please *biggrin*

Anyway, the H300 has a damping factor of 1000. Hegel Music Systems new ROST has a damping factor of 2000 and the H360 at 4000

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Nice to know Rick.... but how does this help OP withhold question?

Hi Al ears

Just clarifying the numbers for drummerman
regular_smile.gif


All the best

Rick @ Musicraft
 

drummerman

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MUSICRAFT said:
Al ears said:
MUSICRAFT said:
Hi drummerman

Now be nice please *biggrin*

Anyway, the H300 has a damping factor of 1000. Hegel Music Systems new ROST has a damping factor of 2000 and the H360 at 4000 

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Nice to know Rick.... but how does this help OP withhold question?

Hi Al ears

Just clarifying the numbers for drummerman 

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Anything above about 80 is theoretical and of no consequence in real use. Hegel marketing :)
 

Andrewjvt

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drummerman said:
MUSICRAFT said:
Al ears said:
MUSICRAFT said:
Hi drummerman

Now be nice please *biggrin*

Anyway, the H300 has a damping factor of 1000. Hegel Music Systems new ROST has a damping factor of 2000 and the H360 at 4000 

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Nice to know Rick.... but how does this help OP withhold question?

Hi Al ears

Just clarifying the numbers for drummerman 

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Anything above about 80 is theoretical and of no consequence in real use. Hegel marketing :)

Hi drummerman

I respect you know what your talking about and yes the high damping factor of 4000 (h360) is boasting for market purpose to a certain extent...

But i feel i need to share this with you.

I feel in this case the word 'damping' is the stumbling block here for you.

I feel that the word damping is conjouring up an image in your head as to think how it effects the sound quality. There are so many in hifi about like all metal tweeters sound metalic.

Imo you can have too much damping factor. It wont affect the sound quality in a negitive way or 'dampen' the sound, like the picture the word puts in your head.

Think of it like a strong man with a strength of 4000 asked it lift a weight of 10kg. Hes just going to do it with more ease and control than the strongman with a stength of 80? Now in turn the 4000 strong man puts the weight back down to the ground with great control and not just thrown down to bounce on the floor buy like the lower damping factor strongman.

Also the high damping factor is not constant and goes up and down with the load of the speakers. It just helps take away all the added fuss, tizz and boom away from the sound comming out of the speakers so you only hear whats intended with min distortion. Something i witnessed recently at frank harvey while doing atc demos with cyrus dual mono amps.

Hope this makes sense
 
drummerman said:
MUSICRAFT said:
Al ears said:
MUSICRAFT said:
Hi drummerman

Now be nice please *biggrin*

Anyway, the H300 has a damping factor of 1000. Hegel Music Systems new ROST has a damping factor of 2000 and the H360 at 4000

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Nice to know Rick.... but how does this help OP withhold question?

Hi Al ears

Just clarifying the numbers for drummerman

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Anything above about 80 is theoretical and of no consequence in real use. Hegel marketing :)

Hi drummerman

Nothing matters *biggrin*

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft
 

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