Hegel H30 - Preamp help!

J

Justin

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Aug 7, 2015
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101
Hello folks, first post. Any thoughts from those familiar with Hegel would be hugely appreciated :rolleyes:

I am close to upgrading my amp & preamp. Current system is Rockport Atria speakers, Berkeley Alpha 2 (awaiting Berkeley reference DAC), Hegel H20 and P20 combo.

After listening to a slew of different amps, in the end I arrived kind of back where I started: really loving the H30 sound. A really big step up from the H20 but it reminded of what I loved about Hegel in the first place. The other gear that I have consistently enjoyed is Constellation. But I haven't been able to listen enough to the new Inspiration series. What I heard I liked on a short demo, but my dealer no longer carries them. I do love much about their sound - the non-fatiguing sweet mids and treble, the space around the music, something romantic in the sound in a sense. But when switching back to Hegel H30, I realized how much I value the presence of their sound. More forward, more "alive", more likely to get me on my feet dancing - I listen to a lot of groove-based stuff and rock and jazz and I have determined I can happily live with the H30.

My question is this: I really won't be able to demo the H30 with a Constellation preamp. Especially the Inspiration line. I tried the H30 with Spectral's new preamp, Simaudio Moon 740P, and the P30. I easily liked the match with P30 the most of these 3.

I am wondering if matching the H30 with either the Constellation Inspiration preamp or the Virgo 2 preamp would give me a best of both world's effect: the presence and immediacy of the Hegel sound with the some of the refinement and sweetness of the Constellation gear? Or should I just play it safe and get the P30 match, which I know I do like. Issue is I've never heard the match between a Constellation preamp and a Hegel amp.

Side note: my single biggest annoyance with the Hegel preamps is the volume control on remote. It adjusts so fast, there's really no substitute for needing to get out of my chair and adjust the nob to get dialed in. Not a good enough reason to buy a different preamp, but also not an insignificant factor.

Any thoughts? Thank you so much for any input - I have long been a lurker on this site, loads of good posts.

Enjoy your weekend, happy listening...

Thanks
Justin
 
Justin - welcome to Audioshark.

I know a lot of people feel the Hegel P30 was a real let down after hearing just how good the H30 was. I know the Classe CP800 is an excellent pairing, and a member here (MDP) compared it to several preamps and always came back to the Classe CP800 as his favorite for the H30. I believe he tried several preamps including the P30, Mark Levinson and others. The CP800 is an excellent preamp...shamefully, I have to admit, I have bought and sold 5 (or is it 6?) CP800's over the past few years. Unfortunately there aren't any help groups for that. :)

That being said, if it was me, I would go with a VAC preamp. I think they build some of the best preamps in the world and I also think adding a tube preamp to the H30 is just what the Doctor ordered.

As a side, I have owned the Hegel H30 amp. It is absolutely wonderful. It even made my tube loving friends compliment it.

Mike
 
Thanks a lot, Mike. Very helpful! I need to hear a VAC preamp, I guess.
 
I haven't heard the Constellation preamps driving the H30 so I can't be of any help on that front. I have heard the H30 being driven by the Manley 300B preamp, and if you're not averse to tubes the pairing is quite exceptional. Its remote volume is very smooth and doesn't exhibit the problem you encountered with the Hegel pre. If you have the opportunity to audition this combination I think it would be worth your time and consideration.

Also, welcome to AudioShark!
 
audio.bill said:
I haven't heard the Constellation preamps driving the H30 so I can't be of any help on that front. I have heard the H30 being driven by the Manley 300B preamp, and if you're not averse to tubes the pairing is quite exceptional. Its remote volume is very smooth and doesn't exhibit the problem you encountered with the Hegel pre. If you have the opportunity to audition this combination I think it would be worth your time and consideration.

Also, welcome to AudioShark!
Click to expand...

Now that's a great suggestion Bill! Does it have a remote? I wonder if it has the right inputs (XLR) for Justin?
 
Hi Justin,

Welcome to the forum.

If you are thinking about the Constellation preamp and can afford the price, GO FOR IT! Two friends and I heard a pair of Rockport speakers (I forget what model, 20-30K retail) with Constellation and Hegel gear.

First up was an all Constellation setup. It was ok but we felt something was missing. I know the Virgo or Virgo 2 preamp was part of the pairing with the Constellation amp. Then we put on the H30 with the Virgo, HOLY COW, I loved that combo. Then we put on the P30 with the H30 and it lost all the magic. The H30 is a superb amp but can be tricky to match with a preamp. I absolutely loved the Virgo preamp with the H30 and had an opportunity to get the Virgo. I am kicking myself now for passing up that deal. For me, it was a great combo. It brought out the best of both pieces.
 
Really helpful Joe, thanks. I do love the Constellation sound but found all Constellation to be missing a little energy. which is why I find myself wondering about this matching - for you to say it brings out the best of both pieces is really encouraging. The key question for me is if the Inspiration would capture that same dynamic. I did briefly hear the Inspiration preamp/amp combo and I thought it was excellent. So I'm tempted.

I know you answered this, but just to be clear - when matched with the Virgo 2, you didn't find yourself missing any of the power & immediacy & forward musical sound of the H30? I do love that quality (as I said, I'm a new audiophile, but for me the H30 gets me off my butt and, in the best possible way, is a totally musical jolt of electricity).
 
Mike said:
Now that's a great suggestion Bill! Does it have a remote? I wonder if it has the right inputs (XLR) for Justin?
Click to expand...
The Manley 300B comes with an RF remote, but it is single ended with no XLR connections. So when I heard it driving the H30 amp it was via the RCA inputs.
 
Hi Justin,

By itself, I personally find the H30 a tiny bit aggressive and a little too lively for my taste. I prefer a slightly softer/warmer sound. That is just me. I need to pair the H30 with a preamp that smooths things out a little (mainly just the highs). I never felt any aggressiveness or brightness from the Virgo/H30 combo. It was perfect for me. I can not answer about a lesser Constellation preamp but I suspect the same DNA will prevail. I did not like the P30/H30 combo at all. I am sorry to admit that. It was not to my taste.

I've used my GAT preamp (via RCA inputs) with superb results on the H30 and a friend uses a McIntosh C500T with his H30 and it is also outstanding. I suspect Manley 300B, VAC and ARC preamps will pair extremely well too.
 
I've tried so many preamps with my H30 that I can't remember them all. As Mike said, I just haven't heard one that makes me want to spend money. The CP800 is grossly under rated. That being an obvious bias on my part. Thinking back, I remember Constellation being very good. I also recently brought my H30 to a friends house and paired it with his ARC REF5SE with great results. The P30 doesn't measure up to these other preamps in my opinion. And the volume control is enough to make you crazy!
 
Justin said:
Hello folks, first post. Any thoughts from those familiar with Hegel would be hugely appreciated :rolleyes:

I am close to upgrading my amp & preamp. Current system is Rockport Atria speakers, Berkeley Alpha 2 (awaiting Berkeley reference DAC), Hegel H20 and P20 combo.

After listening to a slew of different amps, in the end I arrived kind of back where I started: really loving the H30 sound. A really big step up from the H20 but it reminded of what I loved about Hegel in the first place. The other gear that I have consistently enjoyed is Constellation. But I haven't been able to listen enough to the new Inspiration series. What I heard I liked on a short demo, but my dealer no longer carries them. I do love much about their sound - the non-fatiguing sweet mids and treble, the space around the music, something romantic in the sound in a sense. But when switching back to Hegel H30, I realized how much I value the presence of their sound. More forward, more "alive", more likely to get me on my feet dancing - I listen to a lot of groove-based stuff and rock and jazz and I have determined I can happily live with the H30.

My question is this: I really won't be able to demo the H30 with a Constellation preamp. Especially the Inspiration line. I tried the H30 with Spectral's new preamp, Simaudio Moon 740P, and the P30. I easily liked the match with P30 the most of these 3.

I am wondering if matching the H30 with either the Constellation Inspiration preamp or the Virgo 2 preamp would give me a best of both world's effect: the presence and immediacy of the Hegel sound with the some of the refinement and sweetness of the Constellation gear? Or should I just play it safe and get the P30 match, which I know I do like. Issue is I've never heard the match between a Constellation preamp and a Hegel amp.

Side note: my single biggest annoyance with the Hegel preamps is the volume control on remote. It adjusts so fast, there's really no substitute for needing to get out of my chair and adjust the nob to get dialed in. Not a good enough reason to buy a different preamp, but also not an insignificant factor.

Any thoughts? Thank you so much for any input - I have long been a lurker on this site, loads of good posts.

Enjoy your weekend, happy listening...

Thanks
Justin
Click to expand...

Justin,
All great choices above. Also do consider Marantz Reference SC-7s2 (I own one). In my opinion it is the complete package -- jewel like build quality (with generous amount of copper in its chassis), looks to die for, extremely low output impedance allows it to match with virtually any amp. The sonics are smooth as silk. Best of all, you can get a gently used piece for less than $3000. Reference level quality does not get any cheaper.
Anshul
 
Hi Justin!

I agree with you re: Constellation, and I actually liked the preamp better than the amp. Same for the Soulutions (old series 7) when I heard them.

Anyway, I've recently heard the H30 pair with a D'Agostino preamp. It was bliss, really, really good!


cheers,
alex
 
Justin,

Welcome to AS!

Mark (MDP) brought his H-30 to my house several months ago. We paired it with my ARC Ref5SE. It sounded terrific!

I have also heard the H-30 with the Classe CP-800. An excellent pairing as well.

Lots of very good suggestions being offered to you here. Good luck and keep us posted!
 
asiufy said:
Hi Justin!

I agree with you re: Constellation, and I actually liked the preamp better than the amp. Same for the Soulutions (old series 7) when I heard them.

Anyway, I've recently heard the H30 pair with a D'Agostino preamp. It was bliss, really, really good!


cheers,
alex
Click to expand...

That's one I forgot. I paired it with the Professor's D'Agostino as well, it sounded superb.
 
hi justin, i have had my hegel h30 for about a month now and it does have a more forward sound than the classe ct-2300 it replaced. the preamp i use is a tom evans pulse and vibe p/s which i think is a nice combo but no remote or xlr (i don't mind the exercise). the hegel h30 is a great amp and really drives my gamut L7 speakers that goes down to 2.7 omhs, very stable that's why i changed amps. the rest of the system is a linn lp12 with radikal p/s and linn uphorik phono stage. do you have a stock power cord? i bought mine second hand with no powercord and looking for a good after market pc to match. john
 
asiufy said:
Hi Justin!

I agree with you re: Constellation, and I actually liked the preamp better than the amp. Same for the Soulutions (old series 7) when I heard them.

Anyway, I've recently heard the H30 pair with a D'Agostino preamp. It was bliss, really, really good!


cheers,
alex
Click to expand...

Thanks Alex - did you mean you preferred the Constellation preamp to amp, or the P30 to the H30?
 
Justin said:
Thanks Alex - did you mean you preferred the Constellation preamp to amp, or the P30 to the H30?
Click to expand...

Hi Justin,

I mean I preferred the Constellation preamp to the amp. I haven't heard the P30, and neither did any of my friends, so can't help here!



cheers,
alex
 
Update: Received upgraded H30 amp on Saturday, breaking it in. (anyone have any experience with break-in of H30? how many hours?)

I have demo'd Shindo Monbrison and Giscours. Not the right match at all with H30 and Rockport Atria. I suspected this glad I tried.

Next up: Arc Ref5SE and Ayre KX-R 20. really looking forward to hearing the Arc. I'm thinking the right tube pre will make all the difference here... I'm expecting the Ayre to sound very SS but couldn't resist a chance to hear it.

Also can't wait to hear VAC pre, that's for sure!
 
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