We Welcome Hegel’s New H90 Integrated Amp $2000 (60×2)
3 1/8h, 16 7.8w, 12 1/4d, 27 lbs

 

Hegel Audio of Oslo, Norway, brought out its H80 integrated amp ($2k) in 2013. H80 has been a defacto price class leader since its inception. Here we are four years later and H80 has been superseded by the new H90.

We’re happy that H90 is the same price as H80. It has an improved version of Hegel’s patented Sound Engine technology, dubbed Sound Engine 2. With SE2 comes superior damping factor whose spec is 2000. Most amps have a damping factor of about 100. Hegel runs 20 times higher! Design is A-B as opposed to D.

H90’s enormous damping factor means it has super tight control of your speakers. Musical transients START and STOP faster. Think plucked strings on a guitar or hammers hitting cords in a piano. Everything sounds more distinct. H90 is the ideal, affordable integrated amp to bridge the gap from more main stream fare- to the ultra high end of our hobby, without breaking the bank.

In addition to SE2, Hegel incorporates their unique SYNCHRO DAC. It’s a 24/192 hi-res DAC that is not asynchronous. It’s plug and play. Hegel is very proud of its DAC. If you listen to H90’s DAC vs what’s in your CD player for example, you’re sure to be impressed by the upgrade in clarity. We have compared the sound of CD players that run $3-6k with the SYNCHRO DAC within Hegel. We’re confident you’ll prefer the Hegel. That same DAC can work for you on any digital source.

Hegel shakes hands with the new world. It has an Ethernet input so it’s easy to stream. It has Apple Airplay. H90 has a nice headphone amp- which was left off H80.

Audio Connections:
Two Analog RCA inputs (no XLR ins on H90)
One Coax Digital input
Three OPT Digital inputs
One USB-B Input
One Ethernet Input
One set RCA analog outs

The power cord is detachable in case you choose to upgrade- which does make sense if you run an Isotek Mains Conditioner.

 

Rogue RP-1 Stereo Tube Preamp $1700

What’s the best buy in a tube preamp these days? Built in the USA, the Rogue RP-1. Rogue is one of the last owner operated companies in audio. Most of the venerable names of our biz have been bought/sold several times over the years and no longer run true to the original design brief. I’ve been dismayed at the direction of a number of companies I used to have on a pedestal! Mark O’Brien and staff have their feet on the ground and don’t waver in their craft.

RP-1 starts with two 12AU7 tubes. It supports phono, MM & MC! It has a dedicated headphone amp- this feature isn’t an after thought. It has four line inputs and a HT input.

RP-1 has two variable and one fixed output. Comes with remote. Has a mono switch and balance control. It is available in black or silver. The sound is tube burnished, just the ticket for a sentient man of the new millennium!
 

Starring WHO?!

Each year the Prostate Cancer Foundation has a fund raiser that generates $4-5 million.
Who did they invite for the most recent event to draw ‘em in? Billy Idol. At 62 this year, who thought Billy would last this long much less still be performing?!

New Entry On Our Site: ABC’s

It’s up near the top, called ABC’s. It is a short list of my recommendations on how to assemble a dynamite system. It approaches the task from the beginning, with the Milwaukee credo of getting a dollar’s worth of performance for each dollar spent. Print it out. Highlight. Visit to discuss/audition!

Mobile Fidelity UltraDeck+ $2000

MoFi introduced its StudioDeck+ ($1150) a couple months ago. I’m glad they did the roll out in summer when business is slower- because the StudioDeck+ has been on back order since day one. Mofi has been busy trying to fill dealer demo requests. They’ve been impossible to get until now.
You can read about StudioDeck+ in our June newsletter. I’m happy to announce, just in, is the UltraDeck+, it’s bigger brother.
UltraDeck+ is the UltraDeck turntable, with UltraTracker cartridge included. The UltraDeck runs $1800 by itself. UltraTracker runs $500 by itself. If you buy the PACKAGE, MoFi sweetens the deal, calling it the UltraDeck+ with the $300 combo price break.

UltraDeck Table: $1800 a la carte

-Hardened stainless steel inverted bearing with brass sleeve & sapphire thrust pad
-10” Tonearm with precision bearings
-1.3” Delrin Platter with decoupled spindle
-Fully Isolated AC Synchronous Motor
-Aluminum damping overlay
-Cardas internal tonearm wiring
-Hinged dust cover
-Height adjustable isolation feet by HRS

 

UltraTracker Cartridge: $500 a la carte

-DUAL Magnet (to emulate cutter head motion) MM cartridge, 3.5mV
-Single piece Cantilever Design
-Nude Elliptical Stylus
-Silver Billet low resonance body
 

 

 

 

 

MasterTracker Cartridge: $700 a la carte

-DUAL Magnet (to emulate cutter head motion) MM cartridge, 3.0mV
-Single piece Cantilever Design
-Nude Microline Stylus
-Dark Grey low resonance Billet body
-Employs Ohno Copper Coils
 

 

 

 

StudioPhono MM/MC Phono Preamp $250

What?! Did I read that correctly? A dead quiet, great sounding phono preamp that supports top MM & MC cartridges for only $250?! Wow!
Up till now we’ve only been able to endorse phono preamps for about $1500 (Rega Aria) that played nice with top MCs. Well, we now have a terrific sounding, if not baronial in scale, phono preamp to mate with the best carts out there. I’m reluctant to say that a $250 phono preamp is a game changer in the analog world but…
Spend the lion’s share on the cartridge. StudioPhono will take care of the electronics affordably!
 

 

 

 

New! Marantz SR-6012 Surround Receiver $1500

Marantz’s new SR-6012 has just arrived. It has Dolby Atmos and 9×110 on board to drive the whole system, 5.1.4. It also supports the new HDR/Dolby Vision and HLG video technologies.
Dolby Atmos is available in four ceiling channels or two. You want four. With four, your image
can go left/right/front/back. It can even SWIRL around the room. With two, it can only go back/forth between the two speakers. For the extra effort that Atmos requires, do it right and run four!
Marantz receivers have a three year warranty parts and labor. They have discrete transistors for all channels and heat sink properly so they don’t need noisy fans. The other guys use fans and even hybrid chip amps in some models!
Most importantly, the Marantz receivers are the most reliable out there. When you take into account all that surround sound receivers do these days, it’s a tall order to make them work properly.
Marantz has been doing surround receivers since the category was invented. We have sold Marantz since the 1980s and it’s the only surround receiver line we feel we can endorse.

New! Marantz SR-5012 Surround Receiver $1000

Marantz’s new SR-5012 has just arrived. It has Dolby Atmos and 7×100 on board to drive a system of 5.1.2. It also supports the new HDR/Dolby Vision and HLG video technologies.
 

 

New! Marantz SR-7012 Surround Receiver $2200

Marantz’s new SR-7012 runs 125×9 with the features of its brothers above. What makes the 7012 tempting is that its parts are more erudite. The sonic purity is not just beefier, but cleaner. It’s the best surround receiver out there! If you want to do it all on one chassis at a fair price, get 7012.
 

 

Richard Strauss (1864-1949)

In 1949 Strauss put his compositions in perspective with Wagner’s.
“With Wagner, music reached its summit. I am only a straggler.”