The full text of Changye Audio is translated from SoundStage-HIFI:
Over the past period, I've fallen in love with high-power transistor amps, and this relationship began with my purchase of the Bryston 4B3, which I bought when I gave up my aging Audio Research VT100 MkI tube amplifier. At the time I was a little frustrated by the VT100's departure because tube amps have always been a big part of my sound system; I still love the shape of the tubes and the sound of them.
But VT100 saddens me, because over time it often blows up pipes and it is very expensive to replace them. Also, I've always wondered if it fits the various speakers I reviewed?
So I kind of relented and (complained) bought a transistor amplifier. To be honest, I didn't expect to have fun. To my surprise, I really enjoyed listening to Bryston. It doesn't take much of a fit in, the 4B3 has been in my sound system for the past six years, and I appreciate the power and neutrality it provides, but in fact, I've come to aspire to stronger and better amplifiers.
Finally, this ultimate amplifier is now coming to my sound system: the Norwegian Hegel Music Systems H30A amplifier, which replaces the previous generation flagship H30, how strong is it?
How strong is it?
At $19,000 (all prices are in US dollars), the H30A is a very densely designed and constructed amplifier. I am grateful that the manufacturer can label the weight parameters of the product, so that I do not have to weigh the weight of each machine myself.
The H30A weighs 104.5 pounds, and it can be seen that it is made to a very high standard and the workmanship is quite good. The front panel is cut from solid aluminum, the side panels are made of solid but relatively thin aluminum alloy, and the top panel is also an aluminum plate of reasonable thickness.
Of course, the chassis is not the point, but the core of the engine under the panel cover - the H30A's dual 1000VA extra-large transformers and a giant 270,000μF filter capacitor array. The H30A is a complete leapfrog and is essentially an amplifier that can drive any speaker. I asked Anders Ertzeid, Hegel's vice president of sales and marketing, if there were acoustic or design considerations for the H30A using two transformers, and did the amplifier operate independently of the mono when used in stereo mode? Ertzeid replied that by using two slightly smaller transformers instead of one one, the winding can be tighter, minimizing the hum emitted by the transformer. Another side benefit is the amplifier's lower center of gravity, which reduces the risk of it tipping over during transport.
According to the Norwegian Hegel manufacturer, custom-grade high-current, low-impedance filter capacitors are installed very close to the power transistors to minimize series inductance. The H30A has 56 bipolar power transistors rated as a 15A, 200W, high speed, ultra-low distortion component. The circuit of the H30A uses Hegel's SoundEngine2 technology, an exclusive, patented technology for pre-feedback correction. Able to significantly reduce all types of distortion and significantly improve dynamic range.
It is worth mentioning that the H30A was first designed as a mono amplifier, in this mode, the Hegel H30A output power is 8 ohm load 1100W power. And the H30A is capable of stable output at 1 ohm load, a severe limit that very few amplifiers can achieve. When the H30A was used as a stereo amplifier, Hegel did not label the output power – I posed this question to Ertzeid, who told me, "Over 300Wpc." ”
Since my sound system configuration is fully balanced, using the H30A in stereo mode with the Hegel P30A prestage or my own Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 prestage would break my balance. I guess I could have asked Hegel to ship another H30A so I could use them as mono, but maybe one H30A is strong enough?
Nowhere to put it
Finding a suitable location for the H30A was no easy task, and my rack didn't provide enough space for the H30A's 9.4-inch height. 17-inch width is acceptable, but is there a rack on earth that can hold an amplifier nearly 26 inches deep, with a variety of power cables, signal cables, and horn wires? In the end I could only put H30A on the floor of my room.
Plus, you'll need two healthy men with no back to move the H30A into place, the wiring at the back is simple, and there are XLR and RCA inputs on the left and right channels when used in stereo sound (selectable by flipping a switch). In the center of the rear panel is another set of XLR and RCA inputs for mono use, also selected by toggle switch. There is also a toggle switch to select mono or stereo mode. The terminal blocks are robust and easy to install.
The front power switch ignited the amplifier after a brief warm-up start, the H30A was so quiet that I kept it energized and the temperature only faintly warmed up.
The input sensitivity of the H30A is quite high, and I used the Hegel P30A preamplifier for most of this review. The P30A and H30A are a wonderful combination. Towards the end of the day, I switched to a Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 preamp and found that I could only use the first four stages of volume control, and I asked Hegel's founder Bent Holter about that. He responded:
In my experience, the best dynamic range is 32dB gain in the power amplifier and the lowest possible gain in the preamp, which I know is not common in the US. They typically use a gain of 26dB in the power amplifier and a higher gain in the preamplifier. However, turning up the gain during the line stage of the preamp and then attenuating the volume by setting the volume control low is not optimal. So we prefer a higher gain for the power amplifier and a lower gain for the preamp so that the volume control can be set higher. So what you need is a low-gain preamplifier (such as the Hegel P30A or similar) to test the full potential of the H30A.
Boot audition
As you might expect, given the configuration of this amplifier and the technical prowess of the Norwegian Hegel engineers, the H30A immediately takes on a neutral, calm and powerful sound. But this is almost the same conclusion for all high-quality transistor amplifiers. However, it must be said that when it comes to tonal balance, the Bryston 4B 3 and Hegel are both at hand.
In terms of size, price, and make, the Hegel H30A is very similar to the Simaudio Moon 860A v2 I reviewed in November 2021, and I remember spending a lot of time trying to figure out the sound difference between the Simaudio amp and my own Bryston 4B 3. After testing for a while, I clearly heard Simaudio slightly smoother in the high-mid and treble sections than in the Bryston section. This is more to my taste, because I have a soft spot for tube sound, of course, the sound is smoother and represents better sound performance, more precisely the treble of the 860A v2 is more distinct between movement and silence, I know that Simaudio is one of the best amplifiers, but its treble will make me jump out of the music when I first audition.
The Hegel H30A is different, Hegel's high frequencies are clear and stretched, and without Simaudio's lightness, I was able to settle in my sound system with Hegel amplifiers without any of the dissonant transitions that would occur when running in.
I know this may sound paradoxical, but Bryston and Hegel actually sound huge differences—important, crucial differences. The H30A's most distinctive and immediate qualities are its ability to produce massive, high-definition sound images, and like most well-made transistor amps I've experienced, the H30A excels in speed and motion capture, thanks to its luxurious materials.
The most interesting thing about it is the low-frequency performance, I thought I was used to the low-frequency control of high-current, high-power amplifiers, but I didn't expect the H30A to produce such a huge, realistic, tangible sound performance. In Mineworldview, a great combination of amplifiers and speakers produces bass that you can touch, the bass of a real instrument in the analog world, and then your mind is completely filled.
But this time the Hegel amp changed the way I listened to the bass, especially the various instruments, and at the beginning of the test, I put the Piano in the Background of Duke Ellington and his orchestra (LP, Columbia CS 8346) on my VPI vinyl turntable. As soon as the opening sound followed the first few notes of "Happy Go Lucky Local," I was hit in the chest by Aaron Bell's bass. At first, I thought Hegel was just highlighting the bass frequencies, providing more current and control, or maybe just elevating the tactile feel of that range, but that's not the case. Instead, Hegel appears to project a real instrument, physically dimensioned exactly right, right to the center. The bass in the original sound bounces with the H30A control speakers, and my sound system now allows me to almost see the actual silhouette of the instrument. I know it sounds amazing, but I feel like I can even feel the entire length of the strings when they vibrate outward.
The track "Kinda Dukish" has Ellington's characteristic swing (which is lacking in all other big-name bands). There's a lot of room to play around the bass, drums, and piano, especially on the bass strings, and it needs a front-row position more than you'd usually hear in a band, which makes me play it over and over again.
You might define this high-power amplifier and huge low-frequency attribute as a hard wound for all transistor amplifiers, and that would be a mistake because the way the H30A presents low frequencies extends to other frequency ranges and other instruments.
The H30A's rendering from high bass to midrange has a hearty sense of power, a good example of which is its coverage of "In Our Sleep" from Laurie Anderson's Bright Red (LP, Music On Vinyl MOVLP2539); Especially when the guitar is played on huge, rolling bass notes, the H30A plays quite beautifully.
The H30A slightly enhances the aggressiveness of that lively guitar, more sense of space, and authenticity of the image. The H30A makes it sound like a real guitar; It's like when you hear an unexpected sound, you turn your head to look. Before you actually see where the sound is coming from, you already have a picture of it in your head, and the realistic sound forms the visual picture, and that's the magic of the H30A here.
How does the H30A capture the instrument in focus and describe it as a portrait? My Aurelia Cerica XL loudspeaker could have easily positioned and deepened the sound field, emitting huge waves of sound that projected outward like a cone. And the Hegel amp really grabbed my Aurelias, forming a portrait with amazing depth and true focus. When I first played Astor Piazzolla's Tango: Zero Hour (LP, Pangea PAN-42138), I almost wet myself with the beer in my hand, and from "Tanguedia III" onwards, I was hooked and had to hear the bottom all the time. The lead band's piano, right in the middle of the soundstage, was so rock-solid, so vibrant, so real and sincere that I couldn't breathe. Similarly, the violin, which is largely used as an accompaniment instrument, acquires color depth and woody roundness. Yes, the H30A is too good to image.
At the top of the frequency range, the still familiar Hegel style. Hegel doesn't sweeten the sound in any way, but it's clear, without any graininess and faithful to the original signal. Piazzolla's little accordion and "Milonga del ángel" have a lot of sharp high-frequency overtones, and the H30A makes me feel as if I'm at the forefront, this thin old LP is very well recorded and provides a clear stage for performance. At some point, the treble can be subtly abrasive, but the H30A doesn't push it down in any way, and I can easily hear extremely sad and beautiful music through the sound.
I want to elaborate on that sadness and pure emotion of "Milonga del ángel" and how it relates to stereo equipment. I can listen to this album happily in the shower, using the simplest Bluetooth speaker. But to really feel it, understand it and discover something new every time you listen to it, a good sound system is a must. I understood when conducting my Aurelias with the H30A, I was able to see the musical expression and understand some of the more complex transitions between the violin and accordion.
Towards the end of the test, I received a pair of Estelon XB Mk II speakers, Estelon with Hegel H30A + Hegel P30A front and rear stages, EMM Labs DS-EQ1 vinyl turntable + DS Audio DS 003 vinyl cartridge, the sound effect is breathtaking. The H30A drives my Aurelia Cerica XL speakers already sound great, while the H30A drives Estelon sound is a huge leap forward, more realistic, lively from top to bottom.
It's really super strong!
Why am I gushing like this? For a while, I put my Bryston 4B 3 back in place on the H30A and my sound system immediately lost some of its magic. Don't get me wrong! The Bryston was already a great amplifier and I might have kept it, but during testing, I began to appreciate the full sonic potential that Hegel had unleashed, allowing me to dive deeper into musical performance.
If Hegel is not better than Bryston, I think it will be news because it costs 2.5 times more than Bryston. In fact, the 4B 3 costs $7495, which is still great value for money; But it doesn't have the advantages of the H30A, especially with a forward-thinking speaker like the Estelons.
Over the past few years, I have used three similarly rated amplifiers in my sound system: Bryston, Simaudio, and Hegel, with outputs of 300, 225, and 300Wpc, all of which are recognized as high-power amplifiers, but power doesn't tell the whole story, Simaudio and Hegel are both behemoths, each weighing about 100 pounds, and the $20,000 Simaudio price is very close to Hegel. Bryston is lighter; Unlike Simaudio and Hegel, it is not really advertised as an amplifier that drives any load. Simaudio stands out for its ambitious body design – all panels are made of thick cut aluminum. But at the end of the day, none of these factors influenced my purchase decision, and there was only one real job for the amp: it had to sound good, and all three amps could do it, but Hegel did it best.
While reviewing this review, I noticed my personal affection for the Hegel H30A, and I felt a little uncomfortable with all the Hegel compliments because part of my job was trying to find something to spit on. Well, apart from the fact that I can't afford it right now, and that it's hard to move when I want to dust under it, the H30A has everything I need, and I can't really find anything unhappy with this amp, which doesn't happen very often.