advertisement


2nd hand Hegel H80 v new Croft phono integrated

SQ aside,
So a hand made in England point to point wired hybrid integrated ( with or without phono, or there is an R version also which is not available with an onboard phono stage ) from an established small scale maker or a designed in Norway & made in China solid state integrated with an onboard DAC from a relative 'newbie'.
I know what my choice would be but I guess it's whether you want an amp with an onboard valve phono stage or an amp with an onboard DAC, whether you need or desire either of these facilities will depend on what other components you have & what formats you use.
 
Sorry, I cannot answer your question directly. I can only share my experience.
I came from Expousre 9 (PSU)+11 (Pre) plus 2x 4DR (PowAmp). Change to Croft 25se (Pre) and 2x 7se (Powamp). Now I used Hypex active modules (box count...), which are directly connected to an AKM equipped DAC.
I can say that tubes are good for the mid and high frequencies. It just sounds more right.
 
phelixoflaherty said:
Have an option on both of these.
Croft will be new.
Heart says Croft, mind says Hegel.
Can Pink fish hive mind help?

Thanks
Click to expand...

As already pointed out, there are other factors at play, and there's the unknown quantity of your speakers. I can imagine there may be instances where the Hegel could be the better choice, depending on where you're trying to get to.

A mate of mine bought a pair of LS50s, decided his Copland amp struggled with them and bought a s/h Hegel which did admittedly wake them up a bit. It might be an H80, but I have a vague feeling it's further up the range than that.

It's a matter of personal preference though, I've never found the LS50 particularly engaging, and I've yet to hear a system using a Hegel amp (only older models, admittedly) which has taken my fancy.

Here's the funny thing though, when you put the Hegel and the LS50s together... well, as it turns out, I don't like the combination much either... but joking aside, I think he's gone backwards, personally I'd have ditched the LS50s and kept the Copland. But I'm not the one who has to listen to it more than once or twice a year.

I confess if it were me making the choice in your shoes, I'd go for the Croft and select loudspeakers accordingly.

I'm assuming you're not using a pair of Apogee Scintillas?
 
Apologies.
Its a small sitting room and the speakers are Harbeth P3ESRs.
Got the speakers recently and am delighted with them.
Am listening to them at the moment through a friends Vincent sv-236mk. Using a chromecast audio
 
Croft doesn’t have a remote, you can get one fitted if it bugs you by a 3rd party. I’d go for the Croft personally given your speaker choice, if it doesn’t suit you’ll likely shift on easy enough and not drop too much cash even buying new.

Out of interest what amp are you moving from?
 
Use p3,s with Croft integrated,only line version,so cant say about the phono stage sound.Have tried a few amplifiers.Sony es ,Hegel h90.Primare.Sansui.The Croft sound is very good ,and the one i use daily .Mine uses just one tube for line stage.The mullard m8137 is my go too tube.Must say ,that my sony es amp does get the Harbeth to sound a little more powerfull in the bottom end .But for the clarity,and stunning all round foot tapping, cant touch Croft.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top