McIntosh MA352 vs Hegel H390 

Its time to call-in their big brothers .... Hegel H590 vs McIntosh MA9000...... Thumbs up if you agree so they can make it happen. 👍👍

Thanks. This was one of the most intelligent, no-BS discussions of audio equipment I've ever watched. I was impressed with how specific each of you were while describing your reactions to the music. This is hard to do. And I also love the respect shown for differing opinions, which displayed a fundamental recognition of the fact that we all hear music differently and, in many cases, there is no right or wrong. Great job.

Peculiar combination. Hegel H390 vs McIntosh MA5300 would be much more comparable (at least in feature set)

The ability to impeccably describe in detail what each person hears or has heard is one of the main reasons why I love watching this channel!!! ☮️🖖🏽

It is also interesting how would either Hegel H390 or H590 go against the MA 9000 Int

A shootout review like this can be improved by a blind A/B test in the presence of neutrals. Most of the time, we already decided how the equipment sounds like the moment we see the brand, model and price. To do even better, do a double blind test. Reviewers can be totally embarrassed in a BLIND test though

I've heard the 352 in person and it's amazing. If it weren't so ridiculously overpriced, it would be a super success!

Good, but need add more amp in one test: Naim Supernait, Musical Fidelity m8 or others in same price. Good luck to find Music!

That gives me some ideas as to what to listen for. I love the looks of the McIntosh, but I think I will prefer the sound of the Hegel. Happy Birthday Jay!

Hegel H120 or 190 vs mcintosh MA5300 please...

Thanks to you guys I bought an MA352 and then an H390! I prefer the Hegel and it's only 5 days old so I expect that gap to widen. Much deeper soundstage and ability to convey nuance than the MA352.

Good and deep reviews about the best hifi technology currently available. McIntosh means tradition, Hegel great innovation. Many thanks to all of you.

Love McIntosh amps 🔈🔈🔊

The best audio reviews on RU-vid! Great job guys!

Vilip, I liked the way you described and compared the two int amps, especially the Al Stewart example. I’ve realized lately that when someone describes a characteristic of space, depth, or forward/back presentation of the music and if I say I “kinda” or “I think” I hear that with my system, that it’s not really there at all. These elements should be obvious to a more than casual listener, otherwise they’re just not there. Anyone agree/disagree with that?

What about the MA252+Chord Qutest vs. the Hegel? I'm currently looking at as I want to upgrade from PS Audio Stellar + S300

Excellent review. Exactly what i was looking for. Happy Birthday Jay. 🎊

This is perfect timing! These are my top two on my audition list. Now I will listen to what u have to say! Thanks

I recently purchased the MA352 and really love it. Good match with the B&W 803 D3.

Really like the comparison video's. Also very curious about the Naim Supernait 3. Have seen the Naim Naim 5si vs Hegel H90, but a Supernait (with or without hicap) vs Hegel or Mcintosh would be nice :D

My Hegel H390 sounds really great, just what my Heritage Specials need, power and guidance ❤

Happy birthday Jay, grettings from Dublin. I've been reading different reviews, here is the thing, what if you plug a pair of Sonus Faber speakers? may be you can check that out? thanks for such great reviews fellas!

Hi Guys, thanks for another fantastic review! Really enjoy your insightful comments. Was wondering if I can ask you a quick question.. I’m getting the Dynaudio Confidence 20 and would like some advice as to whether the Hegel 190 is sufficient to drive the speakers or should I upgrade to the 390. Sure would appreciate some pointers.. thanks!

From the other side of the globe, here, I once listened to a high end system that was able to make me feel I was in Carnegie Hall (2,000 seats?) when in a listening room of about 5m x 15m and 3.5m high. Maybe 25 years ago. Not brands you sell, but certainly possible with some of the kit you sell. (Pete Seeger & The Weavers in a singalong with the audience recorded from the side of the stage where the band are all behind each other in the right channel). Not my kind of music, but impressively revealing. I also listened to a system that seemed broken, compare to the silence you mention in "The year of the cat", but here both speakers produced audio. The soundstage simply was cut off along the right side of the right speaker cabinet. After cable swaps and experimentation, a CD-booklet photo of the recording session in the studio solved the problem. The grand piano in the small studio had been placed against the right wall of the studio and this was perfectly reproduced. The recording of "The Year of the Cat" is likely a multi-track recording with the mastering (in post) placing the "voices" in the stereo soundstage (through the use of pan-pots (panorama potentiometers) ). Reproduction here totally depends on micro-dynamics, both in left-right and in front-back - the latter is actually a fault to our brain. The live stereo miked Carnegie Hal session, however, provides real phase front-back waveform information that our brains can process much better. If you go back in the history of tube-tech, into studio and recording kit, you will find very "neutral" sound that has no "tube" character whatsoever. Try RCA Living Stereo recordings for that matter. The debate "tube versus solid state" is driven by lazy electrical engineering that ignores waveform and phase correctness by approaching everything as a sine wave approximation. Most audio designing electrical engineers do not understand the benefit of a frequency range beyond 20 kHz. Our ears are not single +/- wire microphones but complex waveform parsing systems that are much faster than our vision. As there are some neurons in the brain with electrical synapses (i.e. not chemical like the majority) we can safely assume these to play a role in waveform analysis and spatial clue parsing that we do in the 20Hz to 20kHz band (which likely only works in the 200Hz to a couple thousand Hz range) by throwing the lowest latency at these tasks. Now tell me what "bandwidth" you need from amplification (or speakers), what absence of frequency variant phase and distortion faults, we need, to faithfully reproduce all the acoustic audio clues? An electrical engineer told me he had studied Fourier analysis and did not need a lot to reproduce a 200 or 2000 Hz block wave. I don't agree. True in theory, but no speaker, no crossover or amplifier can cut up a 200 Hz block wave into a pulse train of half sine waves that reconstruct the 200 Hz - impossible within the 20,000Hz limit. IMO. Look at the waveform of a clarinet, then a flute, a cello, a violin and piano - all at the piano's central A note of 440Hz. Imagine these to play about at the same time and we can disentangle them and place them in space. Talk about bandwidth and waveform. My hypothesis is that vacuum tubes have more bandwidth than frequency range. If only the darned transformers, and capacitors for that matter, could be removed from the signal path (a simple transistor is a complex network already, by the way). Why would one brand do a solid state pre-amp with more than 1 MHz bandwidth? Because they have figured this all out. All the "phase" or "time" attention in your WA speakers is because of this reasoning, too. It's all relative. Long time ago, one day, I played a reference title in my music collection. My wife traversed the listening room and asked if I had changed something in my system. "Why do you ask?", I said. She answered "it sounds better than two days ago." My follow up question was, "is that important to you?" She answered, "no." The change I made? Two uninterrupted AC lines - direct spurs - from the main mains panel to the wall outlets of pre and power amp. After all, what we listen to is alternating current "~rectified" (*) and modulated coming out of our speakers. The next improvement came when I phase-aligned all the components in my system - my national AC wall-outlet/plug standard allows phase/neutral to be plugged either way and that is impossible, e.g., with British and French (**) wall outlets (where you must hope that the electricians that connected the wall outlets to the cabling never made a mistake). (***) None of this defines musicality, by the way, but it is on the critical path to experiencing life-like performance. And we should not forget that we took ages to learn to distinguish mother's voice from the noise floor of everyday sounds and other voices. That learning started already in the womb as soon as the hearing system has been formed and we are born with imprinted melodic lines of our language that we immediately can use to hold our parents emotionally hostage with well performed crying spurts. In order to be able to recognize musical instruments - distinguish them from each other - it helps to go to live concerts a lot so as to train the brain in recognizing all the instruments. Or, our ability to parse and judge music completely depends on the training our brains went through. OK, our physical hearing limitations are a bit important as well. When it sounds "tubey" it's not good. A neutral mid-range that is free of harsh distortions may come across as warm next to a system that is somewhat harsh in the mid-range, but it still is neutral. (*) ~ as in ~= meaning "about equal". "Sort of". (**) So I used these wall outlets in the music room in my house to prevent phase/neutral reversal using wall outlets with a lid on them that is closed when not in use. This prevents, by the way, plugging devices in that I do not want there, like vacuum cleaners. (***) The phase is easily located in the wall or PDU outlet with the old screw driver electricity phase tester. The correct appliance phase should follow from its schematics and hopefully correct component connection inside ... An easy test, however, is with the in-wall electrical cable detection device you can by in the home DIY store. That device does not have to be able to detect studs and mass density differences. It should detect an electrical field. Disconnect all devices from mains and each other. Connect one device to mains and switch on. From, say, 1.5m or 5 ft away, with the "electrical cable detector" switched on, move towards the device and measure at what distance the detector "sees a cable". Switch the audio device off, revers the plug so phase/neutral are swapped and measure distance again. The shortest distance is the correct phase/neutral orientation. When all devices are aligned, voltage differences disappear that otherwise exist between device grounds that connect via audio "ground" links (often in one of the two stereo interface links and more harmful in unbalanced connections). You can measure pretty high voltage differences between devices actually when phase/neutral do not align and this means dirty AC would live there. Not the same, but an interesting comparison is with links between digital components that have "floating" links where both ends of the digital link are like a transformer that relays the signal and not the noise carrying voltages.

I picked up a H360 at a discount when the H390 was being released. Does the signature and experience differ a lot between the H360 and H390?

Always been a McIntosh fan, listen to a lot of Japanese Jazz vinyl pressings that sound thin most of the time. I’m thinking the MA352 might be the ticket. I’m currently running a 200 watt MA 6600. Just love it but want to try out tubes for a change. 😎

I love your video reviews. And I watch the young one on his channel all the time. I have old Macintosh equipment C-2300 and two 2105’s. Mackintosh amplifiers do have a little base bloom. The C2300 recently back from a full rebuild it Macintosh is the champion of bass booming. Have to dial it back but it is a very engaging amplifier in spite of its many faults and I can drive magna pound speakers to ear bleeding levels. The 2105‘s are much more delicate, but still have that extra bit of bass the boys describe. I also have a Parasound Halo integrated amplifier. Very recently I tested all three of them back to back. The Parasound has an absolutely crystal-clear presentation and sounds very beautiful but when compared to the Macintosh equipment it comes off as a little bit dry and not quite fully alive. I believe what Mcintosh has always accomplished is making their equipment sound more human and lifelike. I enjoy your videos keep up the wonderful work. Someday when all this silliness is over with I would love to come up to your shop in Canada listen to some equipment.

The audio store I bought my system from in 1983 used Al Stewart's Year of the Cat as their demo record and I've played it at home more than any other album.

Great job, guys! I realize that this is outside the scope of this review of the 2 integrated amps, but how was the phono stage of the MA352? And Happy birthday Jay, from the further along the temporal spectrum of human existence. "I once was young and foolish. Now I'm old and foolish." [source of quotation no longer available from glitchy slushware]

With this review I have made made my choice on which amplifier I going to have in my listing room. Thank Guys Jamile JAM Shaheen

If I can ask would you say that McIntosh overall has a "sound signature"? It seems that Hegel does, etching out the soundstage, which I get, but I think Adrian's opinion was that emotionally he enjoyed and was engaged more with the McIntosh. Do you think that Adrian just wants less "sizzle" and enjoys a more relaxed yet still detailed presentation?

what do you guys think of the Mcintosh 7200 receiver?

If your birthday is 05/02 we got birthday the same day lol

Guys...you should seriously consider to be helped (the best way by professionals) . Do you know what smell fatigue is ? Is the same thing happening with your ears and same times even worst .... When same one will explain you what you should hear( or you will read in same article) - your brain will accommodate it and you will hear it. Never have consider DYI projects ?

This was great from both Vilip and Jay. Vilip's piece was a tough act to follow, but Jay had his own original thoughts articulated in his own words to add.

Physical differences in age may be part of the reason your preferences are differences.

Why wouldn't you guys compare MA8900 vs Hegel 390?

Naim Uniti Atom vs Hegel H390 ? My preference is Uniti Atom with Klipsch RP 7 III

Which would be a great pair for Kef Ref 5, Hegel H590 or Mcintosh MA 9000 and why? I like both amps though, I own H190, never listen to Macintosh before but knowing the legendary brand makes me like it already, btw wish to get your input though, Can Hegel H190 drive Kef Ref 5? Just sold my R11 and bought REF 5 that's why planning to upgrade the amp in not so near future though, thanks and hope to get your insights.

Excellent job from you all, exept that big dude Who dis klipsch hehe. Klipsch is about feeling in The music for Me. Own hegel h360 with klipsch Rf7mk3 its so nice. Anyway keep up this good work!

Happy Birthday Jay...

A five band equaliser, you mean like an Akai bookshelf stereo system?

For me, it's all about transparent, holographic soundstage. Timber and tone after that, then smooth, sparkly top end extension - above 20k, and certainly no mid bass emphasis. BTW, if you take the Mac to a desert island, you'll probably get sand in it...

Did a similar shoot out with guitars and found out that sound preference is very much age dependant..as our hearing ability degrades with time and our preferences changes as well.

i watch your reports in Germany. you all do a very good job! Thanks and go on...

It sounds like you needed to have a blind test where you do not know which amp was being used when you are listening. The different emotional reactions described while listening could possible be attributed to knowing which amp was being played. Vincent (08-01-2020)

How would the MA352 do with some Bose 901 Series VI - I like classical, jazz, Dire straits, 70s music - I have a Miller Kreislet 1B dual core sub. Would love some feedback

First time I’ve heard Villip. He’s really good. I’d like to see more from him.

Both are fine amps. But to really be objective an a to b blind test using same db loudness and same equipment might tell a difference or surprise these reviewers, with their final results. They might draw the same conclusion or not the same using these more objective methods. Subjectivity and seeing what you're reviewing can shade the analysis and opinion more. The old reviewers of magazines decades ago tested their results with the lab equipment after they reviewed their equipment to see if what they concluded or heard was confirmed or deferred with the electronic test results given. Good review.

Would appreciate your input on a good 3/4 thousand dollar intergrated? Amp.

One of the most helpful audio component presentations I've seen and heard. Thanks, guys. I'm considering replacing my very fine, but very old tube separates to power Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage speakers, and I strongly suspect that I'd prefer the MAC. Would love the opportunity to home audition both the 353 and the Hegel, but that presents certain, uh, logistical and financial challenges. :)

Add in a Processor, reset the Crossover, RTA, set the slope and DB, recalibrate the speakers. Stereophiles will not live w Processors, however, if it is well calibrated , any system can sound full, bold and expensive. Do note that source used during comparison, are crucial as well.

One of my favorite audiophile discussions. Hearing the 3 of you guys compare emotional involvement based on music and gear selected is very interesting! Thanks for this video

Hi guys,really enjoy your videos.I was wondering if my speakers Paradigm Reference Studio 100 Series can be used . They are great speakers and I enjoy them.

Matrix Neo Picking up the bullets in the air.

I like your show enjoy it but if hegel is on it wins... and you are allowed your choices as we all should thanks for the effort

@Scott Roberts, and All... Just a follow up. I have had the Magnepan LRS + for about a month now. They are indeed as fantastic as advertised! I am amazed that they so fill up the room with sound. Prior to the Magnepan I had Focal 1028Be. And they were very very very good. But not good on the same level as the Magnepan. The Magnepan sound is coming from the rear as well as the front! It's glorious. I also made some changes on the bass side of things. I sold my REL T9X and replaced it with a pair of T7x's Smaller--but oh so nice! Maybe one last addition. I'm looking at a HIFI Rose RS250A as an external Streamer. The DAC chip is supposed to be quite good and the user interface seems very new millennium. I'll let you guys know how it works out.

Tell me about your sound diffusion...where can I get it?

Please review vtl it 85 tube amplifier

another great video my friends,stay safe in these challenging times !!

MA352 is GBP 8495 Vs H390 which is GBP 4900

I've owned the MA352 for 2 years. Its customizability & hybrid design trumps other equipment w/ similar power output regardless of your loudspeaker.

I am 7about 71. In 2000 I had the Magneplanar 6. With BK. Went though a few herd time. Went to from riches to rags and my speakers were destroyed. Lost everything. I remarried at 2019z I was so fortunate. mag 7’1i. Mac 252. We moved to Costa Rica to get Amat from craziness. Of USA to Costa Rica. Despite my repeated directions to pack Receiver it came in popcorn and eventually a loose tiny bit of metal was on mother board. It was fixed by Mac Dealer here. No warranty. I stupid cable guy set on my speaker wire and pulled out the black input. I got a turntable. I had many hundreds of records. You can pigeon hole me. Neil Young, War, please if you listen to Marvin Gaye What’s going on, it is a requirement you listen still for whole album. You will get it. I was never SF in late 60s.. will get why? Bonnie Raitt. I like her old stuff like HomePlate. We went to a few outdoor dances while I thing the Golliwogs were place. Great fun.,-They turned out to be CCR. I saw Hendrix,, Young, The Band , Janis, Doors, Dylan. Stones in Sacramento, at Altamonte,, and Bridges to Babylon, Janis Jefferson Airplane, Aretha Franklin, Babyface., Diana Ross, CSN&Y, Steppenwolf,, Marvin Gaye, Bonnie Raitt, , , Paul Butterfield aBlues, . Led Zepelín, Gladys Night, Boz Scaggs, Brian Simpson, Sade, lthe Eagles, Babyface, Lucinda Williams, Maxwell, Diana Krall, Tower of Power, Earth Wind and Fire.. more. I got a turntable and am trying to get albums. Should I only get original pressings? Lenny Kravitz, ,,. It hard for me to find meaningful music today., For some strange fl reason I put Michael Jackson,,off the wall. It was so so freaky.,I heard what music used to sound like.!!! Sad story, for me is that my Mac 252 was finally unbalanced by cable guy.. All of that is I now got me into a pickle. What receiver do I buy? I have 7’1i mags.,I have an old Cambridge just to hear music but it’s bad. I want to get one in the next few days., A friend is visiting me a week. I NEED A RECEIVER. I hate money is issue. I bought best cables. I have a great Rótele CD your player. Can I buy a receiver here? Send me one of

The Hegel integrated units always get good reviews, but personally I’m a little hesitant to spend $6k USD for an all-in-one unit, especially one that includes a DAC. I realize that you can add an external DAC later on, but then you’ve spent money on a feature that’s not being used. I dud not know that Hegel also makes preamp and amp separates, so I wonder how they perform against the integrated units.

Thanks for the video guys!

which would pair better with Klipsch cornwall 3s?

Really nice work. There is such a difference in the look of the two amps I actually like the looks of the Hagel better it’s so unassuming. Looking to auditioning them sometime.

I just bought a Hegel 390 and pairing it with B&W 702S3’s. Did it blindly based purely on reviews, but I’m sure I’m going to love it. Listened to McIntosh 152 on the 702S2’s and it sounded phenomenal, so can’t wait to hear the Hegel on the newer S3!

The tube front end will have a sound. Very good compare on these two.

Hello- Although I haven't heard the H-390 nor H-590 I honestly couldn't get past the mess "under the hood" of either. I'm using a YAMAHA A-S3200 Integrated AMP to power my KEF Speakers and I am extremely happy with the sound. If you have a look under the cover of either HEGEL AMP and compare it to the YAMAHA, one looks like there was care and pride taken in design and assembly the other looks like it might not make it past burn-in. :) Although I realize time is spent LISTENING to Stereo Systems, it for me is the whole package... just my 2 cents.

OK... I've had the Hegel H390 since a couple days before this past Thanksgiving. And believe it or not there really was a break in period. In addition to breaking in, it took a pretty good warm-up each time I turned it on for the day. However, the other night everything seemed to come alive! I was playing Pat Metheny {To the end of the world}. And it was absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the best I ever heard this cut. Toe tapping, shoulder moving, grooving music! It sounded so good it made me laugh out loud. So, the final test will be when I get the Magnepan LRS +. Then maybe I will see some of this 3-D magic. But for now, I am really happy. And understand, I am coming from a Luxman 590AX--(1st version).

Happy Birthday Jay.personally im siding with Adrian on this one.

Thanks for this detailed review. I have Hegel H190 and wondering if I need to upgrade to H390? Please advise.

Vilip…. Highly disappointed, those are not the best Maxell tapes… not Normal Bias dude. 😜

Laurel and hardy show

Adrian - you need to get Vilip a Hegel hat.

Hegel H390 or Parasound JC5 which one is better?

Quite predictable. Of course, the seller will never criticize one brand in favor of another...

Great review guys, always love these episodes, Big thumbs up.

Jay looking like he's hungover or just had a 25 hours argument with himself over class d.

Jay you look 12...jejeje, great to see you guys, love these videos, happy birthday 12 year old !!

I am between Parasound P6 and A21+ versus Hegel H390. None are available for listening in Brazil. Help me!

I heard the same thing from the h390 through focal kanta3! How would you compare w the Parasound JC5 wa P6 pre? Great review.

How does the mac 352 react to difficult loads? I know the hegel has no problems with this...

This is a great comparison. I've been wondering about these 2 head to head.

Before watching this video I was certain that my choice would be the Hegel H390. I did a lot of investigation in to the Hegel and other brands like the Accuphase E480. Funny, but McIntosh was never a consideration for me. Listening to Adrian, however, my attention turned to the McIntosh MA352. One of the promises I made myself was that when I retired I would treat myself to a hi-end music system. I am beginning to find that choosing the right radio is not easy. It will take time.

Hard to beat tubes

I love these comparisons! Do you have other Hegel Comparisons planned in the future?

Haha...Vilip picked his choice Hegel whilst wearing McIntosh cap. Great discussion guys!

Would you guys have the test playlist on tidal that can be shared

Appreciate the video. However, peeking inside the Hegel will leave most unimpressed (when factoring the cost). Also, take a look at the used equipment market to see which one will be worth something in 10 years. This is a non-comparison in my opinion since most McIntosh buyers will not consider the Hegel.

I'm running a Hegel H190 with Kef LS50 Meta and KC62 sub. Sound is fine, detailed and smooth with accoustic and non complex music, but when I play demanding rock like Iron Maiden, it sounds super thin and hollow. The bass guitar is almost non existent, with no body. On the other hand, any accoustic bass, like the drums, are well defined and impactful. Not sure if the issue could be just my speakers, lacking any mid-bass body, but I also feel that something has to do with the Hegel as well. It is like if the music was far away in another room and you want to turn the volume up to feel it closely and more realistic, but that never happens, even at annoyingly loud volume. I also feel like part of the Hegel trick to sound so black and clean is to remove part of the music when it gets compex. I just cannot get engaged by the music. It sounds accurate and smooth, but doesn't sound natural or life like.

no humming sound from the Hegel ?? i got a brand new 390 and it humms like crazy went back to the dealer get another brand new 390 ,guess what ? same fucking hummm..unbelievable

How was the holographic imaging of the 252?

Any love for Sugden on this Chanel ?

2 speak from the heart - 1 speaks from the vallet.

I love your content!!

Excellent detailed review as well... Thanks

is hegel put together in china?

You guys are the best reviewers!