As always, a great review Meneer Beekhuyzen... I am looking forward to the SA 45 of Arcam, which is supposed to come out this October and your review of it. Best regards and thank you for your time and expertise...
Tempted to try an SA20. Seems a great choice for lower SPLs, easier to drive speakers in an apartment. Concerns are dac quality and reliability. Not a looker either but functional.
Great review, Hans. You have very high praise for this amp in its price category. I wonder how you would compare it to the Marantz model 40n you reviewed. The price has recently come down quite a bit to where it's almost the same as the Arcam at some retailers. I'm questioning towards the amplifier/DAC sections, discounting the Marantz's streaming abilities. Keep up the good work. 👍
Are class G & H (essentially G) basically amplifiers that are Class B-A/B design for lower voltage signals and then have a second and rarely a third voltage rail?
@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel good review, beautifully presented. But this piece is way too much. the competition is 30 to 40% less $ and just as powerful, versatile and with a much better bluetooth. It's a shame the A5 & 15 suffer from crossover distortion when at low popular levels. My uncle couldn't get rid of his A15 soon enough but then again he has the hearing of a bat or a dolphin it seems.
For me, the marantz model 50 has a significant advantage over the arcam: It is made in Japan rather than China. Arcam's low cost is due to this outsourcing. Of course, many couldn't care less. My serious music listening is mostly through analogue taps. Cd and vinyl. So I don't need all the streaming functionality, just a dac so I can have optical to my TV. The model 40n and 50n are overkill for me. The Atoll is interesting as it is made in France and is modular so you can add a dac if you wish. Very limited availability in the US.
I too prefer equipment not outsourced although quality and performance can still be good if cheaper parts aren't swapped for intended design. That's one issue. If its a Chinese brand with their own product and reputation, I would expect a good final product. Outsourced products makes me wonder about QC.
I have an h160 and a Keces E40. The E40 is astounding for its price and design at low to moderate SPLs. The Hegel gives greater resolution and detail, adds more life (liveliness) so voices seem more focused while sounding natural. Piano passages on the Keces are more rounded, less impactful and dynamic than the Hegel but still better than many amps near its price or higher. So while I wish it had a bit more impact like the Hegel at times, it is a more relaxed listen, makes music sound pretty but still tuneful and colorations are more lifelike and easy generally. I use both a Topping D70s and an Aune x8 upgraded with a Sparkos opamp and its linear PS. I do this because the Aune coax had dropouts on some CDs but found I prefer the optical on the Topping for movies while I can choose between the two for music. Coax to Topping, Aune via optical for music. Mostly prefer the Aune for music as its a bit livelier and less rounded but the Topping is preferred for movies. Both are good, slightly different flavors/presentation. Tried both dacs on the hegel single ended only and found the Topping too rounded, soft and the Aune less capable than the dac in the Hegel which while older, is fantastic. Piano takes on a nice presentation more lifelike sound, less rounded. All are nice but the Hegel with its internal dac not rounded in comparison. I could prefer the Topping over the Hegel on some material but generally prefer the Hegel internal dac. However, the Hegel cannot play SACD. I like the Keces and the 2 dac solution is working well. The Hegel can satisfy both analog and internal dac. Havn't even used XLR which could be more potent and the amp is overkill for my speakers, of which Dali Opticon 1 is the highest priced. Considered more expensive options but not a guarantee of success as the Dali Menuet SE did not work out for me. If you want more expensive and larger bookshelves, there are a ton of options though. Finding a small bookshelf no more than a foot high that outperfoms is difficult, regardless of price, but there are a few options and the Hegel would still be overkill for most. That stated, the only issue is the energy provided by the Hegel can also add glare with the speakers I have which I notice in movie speech soundtracks. The Keces/Topping/Aune while rounded, has less glare in the upper mids for movies. It's a give and take and I think recordings for movies are tipped up a bit. I am tempted to try an Arcam class G as an inbetween/bridge gap if it offers more liveliness/adds life to the music while retaining resolution. I do not expect it to outright beat the Hegel or greatly outperform the Keces (whose performance has been stated to sound like class A). But the dac section in the Arcam could be bettered which makes having it both a convenience but also perhaps an unneccesary ancillary component. If I heard it and thought it was good enough, at least giving me what I have now without the deficiencies (other cheaper dacs with the ESS 9038 implemented were so-so) it might be worth it and provides a one component solution. Would have preferred a straight analog amp with both SE and balanced XLR so I could add a dac. The class G provides class A at 12 to 20 watts given 8/4 ohms respectively but is stated to have poor performance when that range is greatly exceeded. So while measuring well over 100 watts in spite of stated values, while good for dynamic swings, its not quality watts for louder listening. The Hegel plays well loud and retains its abilities. The Keces, when it reaches its limits has like a softer cliping, it starts to wimp out and sound washed out, but thats about the 3pm position and on the Menuet SE which is hard to drive and dips much lower than 4 ohms. It really worked that amp and it got hot. No issues driving my other speakers as loud as I want although there is more glare at louder than moderate levels, its a solid performer. I think the Arcam would do similar. At lower to moderate levels, its class A but too loud and it loses its charm. So using the Keces with its 2 dacs versus an Argam SA20 becomes a more difficult choice. I want to sell the Hegel only due to size and weight and perhaps becasue its overkill for my needs, in spite of making some of my music more lifelike, in a smaller kind of way small bookshelves do. As I get older, heavy equipment becomes more difficult...and undesirable. Your Hegel, is smaller and lighter with similar specs and perhaps capabilities with less power. Its a different presentation for sure but if it provides the more lifelike and punchy presentation, you might miss it with the Arcam which would be different but by how much? It is stated to be lively and vg resolution so perhaps closer to hegel at lower SPLs? For louder music, the Hegel will outpeform it. The G tech on the Arcam seems to have more bass on smaller speakers, bigger woofers may be less controlled. Its damping factor is much lower than both the Keces and the Hegel, both of which grip woofers for faster, tighter and tuneful bass. The Arcam seems to have mixed results. Also, the Hegel has great SNR, low distortion and displays great dynamics. The Keces isn't far behind except for distortion which is still fairly low. The SA20 displays a bit more distortion as measured by one Polish site I use, lower SNR and less dynamics but still at a level that shouldn't be too audible at lower SPLs. The SA20 is a powerhouse but many have stated that at some point, it loses its charm which myself, I probably wouldn't hear given I don't listen at higher SPLs any longer, probably well under 90dB all the time and closer to 80dB and under most of the time. Just don't know if getting perhaps a bit more is worth even the now discounted price being offered. Also some people have written about certain issues that haven't been addressed properly so reliability is a concern. Really, between your Hegel and an SA20 or the A25 which is stated to be 15 to 25 watts in class A, while they wll sound different to a degree, I think the Hegel is still better in ways other than sound. Hegel (as well as Keces) has a great track record of reliability, performance and resale for the Hegel (Keces is still not widely known but isn't made in PRC). They look great too in an industrial way. The older SA20 looks more dated and while the A25 has been upgraded, still not a looker by any means and most functionality is accessed by remote. The nice thing about the Hegel dacs is they sound good, in spite of not measuring as well as some newer dacs, they sound really nice, perhaps leaner but more focused, resolving and with texture in details than many cheaper, budget dacs, even costing in the hundreds lack. Different flavor. One guy with both a hegel and an SA20 preferred both over others a Cyrus and an Audiolab. The Hegel being more lively as I find and the Arcam having more depth in the stage, as I also prefer. Is the Hegel completely flat, no but it presents flatter pehaps due to its dynamic capabilities which stand out. The Keces is a bit more dimensional in this regard too but a bit less dynamic. So somewhere, there's a balance of capabilities. The Hegel stage is a bit wider, the Keces a bit deeper and softer sounding with the dacs I use. The Arcam is stated to have both a wide and deep relatively speaking stage within its limitations (SPLs). Hit the power limitations and its over. Under the limitations is where the magic happens. How much/to what degree I have not experienced in comparison to what I know. Well there it is. If you can afford this option, have a good return policy or can resell without too much damage $$, it could be worth it to try it. I do not expect it to outperform the Hegel in every category but you may find a preferential/an alternative sound. Share your experience if you do so.
@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannelBTW, I call my Keces my little Hegel which I wouldn't use this name for any other amps I have had. I actually have 2 Keces E40s. Great little desktop with a usb connection more than sufficient for Y/T music and podcasts.
@@nc3419Thank you very much for your review. After thinking about it, I now think I should just spend some more money and buy Axxess Forte 1. Especially since I heard it in October 2023 during the Warsaw Audio Show and it was quite impressive. The Forte 1 just ticks all the boxes for me.
Ik heb dit juweel in demo kunnen beluisteren in combinatie met Fyne Audio f502 speakers. Wat een staaltje van balans, groots geluidsveld en ritme/muzikaliteit! Ik denk dat ik mijn Hegel h95 ga omwisselen voor deze. Naar de Arcam kan je urenlang luisteren, Hegel daarentegen is scherper/meer gedetailleerd wel maar minder vloeiend en veel directer en dus vermoeiend.
