Hegel H95 Integrated Amp $2000 (60×2)

(3.94h, 16.93w, 13.78d)

Hegel Music Systems will be shipping its new entry level integrated any day. Employing Hegel’s SoundEngine 2 circuitry, H95 will be able to drive the vast majority of speakers out there.

While I haven’t heard H95 yet, the amp section is an upgrade to H90, its predecessor. That means H95 will be a conspicuously fine mate for Wharfedale Lintons, GoldenEars, Magnepans & Brystons.

For those of you with keen perception, yep, H95 is plenty stable to drive not just one pair of Lintons, but will even run DOUBLE Lintons!

H95 has an on board SynchroDAC. It’s the same DAC circuitry that is used in its bigger brothers, H120 & H190. It is recognized as among the finest DACs on the market. Just run your digital source (CD transport? Bluesound Node 2i?) straight in and you’ll hear Hegel’s DAC, not the source’s DAC.

Since I’ve not heard H95 as of this writing, let’s hear from someone who has- in Europe:

DS of Soundstage:
“I thought its sound was slightly smoother than that of the Schiit Ragnarok 2 fully loaded integrated it replaced, whether I was using the Ragnarok’s built-in DAC or Bifrost 2. It also seemed, despite both amps having the same power the H95 delivered a bit more bass solidity which in turn made the sound more forceful.
H95 not only sounded super smooth and highly detailed, it sounded incredibly lively- cymbals, guitar and piano all had lots of high frequency energy, popping from the mix with heightened immediacy. It was fun to hear Mark Knopler’s voice projected from the mix forcefully, and the drums had serious slam- the dynamics were great.”

Marantz PM-7000N Integrated Amp/Streamer $1000

(60×2, 4.9h, 17.3w, 14.9d, 24 lbs)

Marantz’s new PM-7000N is a Swiss Army knife. It is a 60×2 HDAM based integrated amp with tone controls and MM phono on board. It also streams wirelessly. You can use Internet Radio, Pandora, Spotify, SiriusXM, Amazon Prime Music, Tidal and more via AirPay 2, Bluetooth and Heos. The amp section is discrete with high current output devices.

Inputs: 4 analog, Coax, 2 Opticals, USB-A

Outputs: Fixed Line Out, Single subwoofer output

Silver Discs

Ya know how you’ve been reading that CDs are extinct while vinyl is coming back? Vinyl is indeed selling well. In 2019 9.7 million records were sold. In 2019 60 million CDs were sold! We’re fine with both formats. But as I keep saying, those silver discs aren’t history!

Steven Brault: Pitcher & Musician!

The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher makes a decent living at his day job. Steven was a music major (vocal performance) at Regis U in Denver. Brault’s specialty is singing Broadway hits and he’s just released an album “A Pitch At Broadway.” Steven has a unique set of talents!

Wharfedale Elysian 4 Speakers $9995 Per Pair

Luscious Walnut, Piano Black, Piano White

(46.8h, 15.8w, 17d, 100 lbs ea, 92 dB SPL)

Wharfedale is about to ship its stunningly gorgeous flagship speaker- Elysian 4. Elysian means blissful. It’s gotta be great- right?!

E-4 is a beautiful BATTLESHIP that provides an enormously lifelike size & quality image. Built like a musical instrument instead of a speaker, E-4 is the whole package for your home. E-4’s veneer is comprised by a sandwich of different woods. The veneer is then finished by 6 layers of hand crafted piano lacquer. The front edges are radiused to deliver broad dispersion.

E-4 continues Wharfedale’s pattern of giving you a tremendous amount of hardware and performance for your money. E-4 is a tremendously beautiful work of art as well as a prodigiously fine musical performer.

» Wharfedale Ribbon Tweeter
This is a larger diaphragm of superior materials to W’s Evo line.
» 6” Proprietary Woven Glass Midrange Driver
A step up from Kevlar used in the Evos
» Two 8.5” Proprietary Woven Glass Woofers
Likewise a step up from the Evos
» Contoured cabinets for controlling resonance
» Slot loaded port which tunes more specifically than hole in the wall port
» 4 ohm load

Peter Comeau: Wharfedale’s designer:
“Elysian represents the pinnacle of our achievements. The cabinet design in combination with the drive units, allows the Elysian speakers to convey the whole body of instruments like cello and bass guitar, without constraining the dynamics of the musical recital. Whether you’re listening to solo piano or full orchestra, jazz trio or a rock band, these speakers bring the thrill and excitement of the performance to your listening room.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marantz Multi-Channel Power Amps

Marantz makes three outstanding multi-channel amps.

With this array out outstanding power amps, you can configure any music or home theater system you have in mind. These amps all use LINEAR POWER SUPPLIES and run class AB.

This provides more warmth and smoothness from the amps- compared to those using SMPS or D designs.

Stereo or Multi-Channel power amps can be made in a myriad of configurations. Marantz chooses to make its amps with no short cuts or tricks. They’re not trying to throw a curve ball past you with fallacious specs.

Do read the fine print out there. If you see a conspicuously high power rating for the money, you can infer compromises have been made and specs have been CHEATED. Marantz builds its amps without any gimmicks.

MM-8077 $2200 (150×7: 7.29h, 17.3w, 15.1d, 46 lbs)

You can use as few, or as many of the 7 channels as your system needs.

MM-7055 $1200 (140×5: 7.18h, 17.3w, 15.1d, 35 lbs)

We often sell this guy for a 5.1 system. Other customers have used it with MM-8077 for the Atmos channels.
Or, let’s say you want to bi-amp great speakers like Brystons or Wharfedales. You’ve got
all the channels right here on one cost effective chassis!

MM-7025 $800 (140×2: 4.9h, 17.3w, 13.8d, 24 lbs)

Yep, two channels qualify as “multi-channel” so I’ve accurately categorized it. MM-7025 can be run as a wonderful amp in a STEREO system, or parceled out for a couple channels in a surround system. With classic warm Marantz sound, it isn’t just a home theater amp for less discriminating tastes.

Best Sounding Concert Hall? Musikverein (Vienna)

If you ever get to Vienna, be sure to take in a concert at Musikverein. Most people, including me think it’s the best sounding concert venue on the planet.
Others on the short list are Boston’s Symphony Hall and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. I’ve heard concerts at them all and I can confidently proclaim that the Musikverein wins by a country mile.
Rafal Blechacz played LVB Piano Concerto #3, and the Vienna Phil played the Rite of Spring on the same program. Hearing this live in such an iconic venue is impossible to beat!