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Hegel H90 in a small room with Kef LS50 vs Atom & Lyngdorf

M

macct

New Member
I am looking for a new integrated for a bedroom system with Kef LS50 speakers and a small Velodyne sub. I have 3 leading candidates, but I am only familiar with one, the Hegel H95. The Kefs were previously paired with a Hegel H190 which I subsequently moved to the LR. I am not sure how a smaller Hegel would perform, but I assume it would be similar (150 watts vs 60 watts?). The system will be primarily used for streaming music and some TV.

The other 2 candidates are the Naim Atom and Lyngdorf 1120. I have read a number of reviews and posts about the two of them, but I haven't seen the Hegel mentioned in the same company. All 3 are lower power. Will all 3 be a good candidates with the Kefs? A few reviews mention the bass is lean with the Naim. Is that a function of the speaker or power?

The Hegel seems the safe choice, but I like the idea of trying something new. The Naim is the most expensive, and is proving hard to find even though there are few Naim dealers in my general area (2 hours radius). The Lyngdorf is not available locally, but its features and reviews make it compelling against the Hegel. Would you consider a product that you can't effectively demo?

I would really welcome thoughts on how the Hegel H95 compares against the Atom and TDAI 1120.
 
Any NAD dealers in reach - the M10 would be worth a demo if so. I own the bigger Lyngdorf amps but their stuff can take a long time to shift used, as hifinut says Hegel seems to be more common and easier to move.

Can you get a mail order sale/return sorted with a dealer - usually they take a credit card swipe or £% up front.
 
macct said:
. Would you consider a product that you can't effectively demo?
.
Click to expand...

Not buying new Hegel or Lyngdorf.
as these could be difficult getting a decent price for used if you regret.
I've heard some Hegel that sounded boring ime and some Lyngdorf clinic lifeless, but that could be other factors really.

If its for a secondary setup I'd either wait or buy some cheapskate second hand.
 
I bought my LS50's as a package with a NAD D7050 thinking that if the amp wasn't good enough I could swap for something better .

It has now been 4 years and it's still in the system. There is a good synergy with NAD and they are good value. Maybe look at Sevenoaks as they have good package deals.
 
I sell Hegel products as well as the KEF LS50. That combination is easy to recommend, based on what you have said about the size of the room and some assumptions about listening levels. I have had several Naim Uniti Atoms here as trade-ins and I think that would drive the LS50 quite happily too. I have not tried the TDAI 1120, but on paper that should be fine here too.

If you are in the UK and buying at a distance then you have the right to return products within a couple of weeks of purchase. We offer 30 day returns on everything. I just had a H95 returned under this policy, which is now for sale at a small discount, in case that is of interest.

https://www.strictlystereo.com/shop-online/hegel-h95-integrated-amplifier
 
Amber Audio said:
Any NAD dealers in reach - the M10 would be worth a demo if so. I own the bigger Lyngdorf amps but their stuff can take a long time to shift used, as hifinut says Hegel seems to be more common and easier to move.

Can you get a mail order sale/return sorted with a dealer - usually they take a credit card swipe or £% up front.
Click to expand...

yes i think elite take 70% up front from memory
 
I appreciate the responses. The Hegel H95 remains the easy choice, but I think I rather have more diversity. I am still following up with a local dealer on the Naim Atom to get his thoughts and to see if he has one to demo (they also carry NAD). The low power rating is my biggest concern. Lyngdorf is the hardest to track down. Dealers in the area are all associated with custom installs. While I really like the specs, I am not sure I am willing to take the risk if I can't demo. A 2170 also doesn't make sense since it doesn't stream. Any thoughts on the reliability of Naim? Would you look at a preowned Naim Uniti Star or Nova over a new Atom? Thanks again.
 
Hegel Amps are known to have good synergy with KEF speakers. You say that you already have the HegelH190 and you seem want something different in presentation of sound then the Naim Atom would probably give you this different sound. The one clear advantage the Lyngdorf 1120 has over the other two amps is that it has room perfect option which with the aid of computer and microphone you do eight different readings of the room, it will then have 95% understanding of your room and make its calculations and adjust sound accordingly. You will have probably the best room acoustics with this amp, but once you get used to its presentation is it as good as the other two amps? That is the crucial question but without auditions it will always be a calculated gamble....
 
Just an eventually money saving side note, Steve Guttenberg enjoyed the Kef LS50s powered by the Cambridge Audio CXA81.
 
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