Am i driving this amp too hard ?

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Hi,

In my quest to get better sound, I just bought a Hegel H200 (200 watts into 8 ohms) and am using it to drive my PSB speakers (4 ohms and 89 db) to replace my Arcam AVR 600. The sound is great but I find myself hearing the amp at 55-60 (out of a max of 85) to get room filling sound. Am I driving this amp too hard ? I have a large listening room (18x24 ft) and use a Logitech transporter/ Oppo 95 as a source.

Thanks in advance
 

CnoEvil

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I would be surprised if the amp was getting it tight, as it has a minimum load rating of 2 Ohms, which has most other amps' protection circuits cutting in.

I am also intrigued to know how the Hegel compares to the AVR600, which (imo) takes a great amp to comfortably beat it (especially when bi-amped and using a decent power cord).....I've never heard the Hegel, which seems to be a musical amp.
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks Cnoevil - I was hoping to hear from you as we'd discussed the AVR 600 issue on a previous thread. The amp is great - it does sound better than the AVR 600 - the bass is tight and the dynamics are great. My only worry is the volume level which I mentioned in the note.
 

CnoEvil

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Your amp is rated at 200 W @ 8 Ohms and 350 W @ 4 Ohms, which is very substantial.

How far the volume knob has to to be turned to get a given level of loudness, depends on how it's calibrated (if that's the right word)......it is model dependent, and it's quite possible the Hegel uses all of the available rotation, with a surge at the end (I'm guessing here).

If the amp starts clipping, it will be painfully obvious. Does the sound of the amp change as it gets louder?

Given your past history (I've just done a search), I can understand any nervousness.

Did you have any concerns with the Arcam in this regard........The damage could have been caused by the thump through the speakers, if you had one of the AVR600s that turned itself off (due to a dodgy power supply), when on a high volume. The cracks/pops when changing source etc are unlikely to have caused the damage.
 
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Anonymous

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I think it was the phono stage in the Arcam - its very sensitive and I guess I moved one of the power cables and it let out a giant screech ! The amp is fine and I now have a new tweeter.

Your point on the calibration is valid - I should check with the dealer (its still within the 14 day return period :) )
 

CnoEvil

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I think you have been clever with your choice of amp, as reading the reviews, it seems to have the same refined Class A characteristics as the AVR600.

It's also worth noting, that although the Arcam seems on paper to have less power than the competition, it can run close to full volume, without distorting.
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks, Cno. I'm having severe audiophila nervosa with artifacts popping up and I'm hearing sibilance where there is none :)
 

CnoEvil

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Is it possible to try a better source, just in case this has a greater effect than changing the amp?

If it doesn't help, then there is nothing lost as it's only on trial.
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks, all sorted now. The manufacturer confirmed that the volume goes up all the way to 99 in 1 db increments - the reason they have this fine calibration is because Japan is a huge market for them and it is a requirement there. The sound is great and I really see the benefit of moving up from the Arcam (which is now essentially working as a pre for video processing).

Have two sources now (the Oppo which has been well reviewed and is a Stereophile A+ digital player and the Squeezeboc transporter which I love). The next upgrade though would be a bake off between a superdac and the Linn streamers !
 

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