How do you describe Hegel sound? How do you describe something that's not there?
I spent the first 45 minutes wondering just that on my first listen. It was a confusing experience. Having read every single review of the Rost I could find and talking about Hegel with others both online and in person I had a certain expectation. My reservations were how it would sound with my speakers, in my room and whether it would not sound thin, dry and/or uninvolving.
Having spent 3 days with Rost and some part of it listening via Hegel HD12 DAC I can certainly report it's none of the above. In fact now having spent more time listening to H160 I can begin to formulate some idea of Hegel sound (if there's such a thing)
I'll do my best to keep it short this time.
I'd describe both as neutral, dynamic with good musicality, rhtythm and pace. Can't really get any more vague than this... I know, right? There is however a maked difference between the two which isn't suble.
Both units have built in DAC that are decent sounding. From what I belive I've read they're the same. H160 implementation of the DAC is better. Rost sounds very well via any of it's digital inputs but its sound can be further imporved using analogue inputs.
H160 has a more expansive soundstage and slightly better top. Rost feels more controled however which is weird as it has half the power. It's probably as it has a shorter bass with a tad more rhythm. What's lacking in comparison in the size of the soundstage is made up with how it handles every note. Each instrument has a very distinct timbre which appears from completely black background. So where H160 is perhaps better with macro dynamics the nuances of micro dynamics are imrpoved in the Rost. Due to a sheer variety of timbre and what feels like lower noise floor Rost also appears more detailed.
I feel H160 would do better with speakers that may need more bass oomph. My speakers don't need it as plenty of bass coming from these 10" woofers. The shorter bass of Rost is prefered as it results in better rhythm. I tested Rost via all inputs except balanced with 2 external DAC. Used H160 mostly via its digial inputs (optical and USB).
Feel free to ask any questions. As it will be easier to clarify than to write it all up all over again.
I spent the first 45 minutes wondering just that on my first listen. It was a confusing experience. Having read every single review of the Rost I could find and talking about Hegel with others both online and in person I had a certain expectation. My reservations were how it would sound with my speakers, in my room and whether it would not sound thin, dry and/or uninvolving.
Having spent 3 days with Rost and some part of it listening via Hegel HD12 DAC I can certainly report it's none of the above. In fact now having spent more time listening to H160 I can begin to formulate some idea of Hegel sound (if there's such a thing)
I'll do my best to keep it short this time.
I'd describe both as neutral, dynamic with good musicality, rhtythm and pace. Can't really get any more vague than this... I know, right? There is however a maked difference between the two which isn't suble.
Both units have built in DAC that are decent sounding. From what I belive I've read they're the same. H160 implementation of the DAC is better. Rost sounds very well via any of it's digital inputs but its sound can be further imporved using analogue inputs.
H160 has a more expansive soundstage and slightly better top. Rost feels more controled however which is weird as it has half the power. It's probably as it has a shorter bass with a tad more rhythm. What's lacking in comparison in the size of the soundstage is made up with how it handles every note. Each instrument has a very distinct timbre which appears from completely black background. So where H160 is perhaps better with macro dynamics the nuances of micro dynamics are imrpoved in the Rost. Due to a sheer variety of timbre and what feels like lower noise floor Rost also appears more detailed.
I feel H160 would do better with speakers that may need more bass oomph. My speakers don't need it as plenty of bass coming from these 10" woofers. The shorter bass of Rost is prefered as it results in better rhythm. I tested Rost via all inputs except balanced with 2 external DAC. Used H160 mostly via its digial inputs (optical and USB).
Feel free to ask any questions. As it will be easier to clarify than to write it all up all over again.
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