Hegel H590, Gryphon Diablo 120 or McIntosh MA9000

IMO you should choose your speaker first, then make your amp choice. What kind(s) of music do you favor?

aRui said:

My current speakers are Tannoy Kensington GR. The amps I used so far: McIntosh MA6700, Accuphase E-480, Rogue Cronus Magnum 3. The amps I auditioned on the Ken GRs were: Accuphase E-650, Luxman L590AXII, Cary 300.2D. I'm looking forward to buy another set of speakers in the near future and they could be B&W, Magico, Wilson Audio, Harbeth or Dynaudio. Among the integrated amps I haven't been able to audition so far are Hegel H590 ($5990), Diablo 120 ($7800) and McIntosh MA9000 ($8490), which would be great for my current Tannoy Kensington GRs? and for my listed speaker brands I'm going to purchase? Thank you.

Click to expand...

Are these prices of second hand components?
Because new, they retail for quite a bit higher.

There was a time when the general rule of thumb was to purchase your speakers first then your amp. However, within the last few years there have been so many changes to the design of amplifiers that it is sometimes more advisable to purchase your amp first.

Also, it used to be that when you wanted to change the sound of your home audio system you almost always started with the speakers. Not so true anymore. Many amps on the market today do not sound alike at all and each design can affect your sound significantly. Just as much as speakers. There are so many "flavors of sound," one amp may not necessarily sound "better" than another, just different. Sometimes very different. It all just depends on the individual application. Whether to change speakers or your amp is a decision only you can make. These days either can affect your sound in a big way.

GSOphile said:

IMO you should choose your speaker first, then make your amp choice. What kind(s) of music do you favor?

Click to expand...

+1

bluegrassphile said:

There was a time when the general rule of thumb was to purchase your speakers first then your amp. However, within the last few years there have been so many changes to the design of amplifiers that it is sometimes more advisable to purchase your amp first.

Also, it used to be that when you wanted to change the sound of your home audio system you almost always started with the speakers. Not so true anymore. Many amps on the market today do not sound alike at all and each design can affect your sound significantly. Just as much as speakers. There are so many "flavors of sound," one amp may not necessarily sound "better" than another, just different. Sometimes very different. It all just depends on the individual application. Whether to change speakers or your amp is a decision only you can make. These days either can affect your sound in a big way.

Click to expand...

I disagree. The speaker choice will likely have the biggest impact on the system sound. So most will choose to invest more here than on other single components.... and to change them out less often (a bigger and more costly PITA).

I will agree that speakers will indeed in many cases, perhaps even most cases, have the biggest impact on the sound of a given system. But it's been my observation that it's too easy to blame speakers and jump to the conclusion that it's the speakers that are the problem. And I think that's especially true with nowadays with amps that sound so different from one another as to affect sound as much as speakers. I'm not sure I'm ready to completely let go of the notion that, in general, speakers have the most influence on the sound of an audio system.

I'm in the process of purchasing a high end audio system. I did purchase my speakers first. But in the process of my research I auditioned several amps. I was really taken aback by how different the amps sounded. They all had very different sonic personalities.

All I'm saying is it seems to be more common today that many amplifiers have very dissimilar personalities and are therefore having much more influence on the sound of audio systems. It seems to me there are many times when a person sees their speakers as the source of their problems when it could just as likely be their amplification. And, I think it was perhaps less likely just a few years ago.

I would recommend that a person purchasing a new system today would do well to at least pay as much attention to amplification as they do speaker choice and research each accordingly. There have been many recent cases on the forums of audiophiles actually building their systems around the amp. Don't ask me to cite one of those examples as I can't. But in my research for my own system I had read cases of people building their systems around their amp/s. Just the same as you, I would in most cases be inclined to start with speakers. I'm certainly not saying one should begin building their systems by starting with their amps. But I think, right or wrong, we're starting to see this more often.

The H590 I believe lists just under $10k, 300 wpc and a high damping factor. Might as well add the ML 585 to the list.

Any update to the OP’s decision? Those are awesome options to have to consider!

So…I too, was once thinking where I should go from a Hegel H390 and the H590 and Gryphon Diablo (300) were always options.

Decided on a Diablo 120(!) w/DAC - A downgrade in “watts” but WOW it does not sound nor perform that way! I can’t believe how good the Diablo 120 has been as a transformation in amplification and in the overall SQ side of things.

I pine for the Hegel h30 separate amp should I ever bore of my integrated.

That’s a good option too !

‘Coarse I ever win lotto gryphon will be on my list