Help looking for dynamic warm romantic sound with detail
It sounds like the DAC in the Hegel is no slouch. I totally agree today’s DAC’s can easily compete with analog and a lot more convenient. Would have to know a lot more about the OP, PC, but I’d be surprised if it’s up to par with a really good streamer which will likely give you more cable options as well. Back to my previous post on room treatment; I think far too many people ignore their room and are never happy with their gear and are always on the merry go round and changing out stuff. I know I played that game for years myself until I tried it and now I’m blown away how my system or room sounds now. |
Rationale: If you listen to rock, I suppose you want bass. Lots of it. Therefore, I would get a floor-stander that goes down to 20Hz. Or at least to 25Hz. And I don't mean the 25Hz written in the spec sheet (-10dB/1m), but the one in tests, with room response at -6dB/2.5m. Further on, look at an amp that can sustain and control that bass. I'd say at least 200W into 8 ohms which must double into 4 ohms. Also, if you want crystal-clear vocals, means you want the best mid-range you can get (usually only found in the reference series of speakers). Therefore, for top-notch sound in the bass and mid-range, you want a "flagship", "higher-end", "signature", "reference", "top of the line" amplifier and speakers, plus cabling, room treatment and good speaker positioning. Here are some suggestions - partially extracted from StereoPlay's latest rank (June 2019) combined with my personal research. https://www.connect.de/filedownload/documents/118662796/610-rang-und-namen-stereoplay-2019-06.pdf Reference class A/B amps with DAC and at least 200W/8 ohm which doubles into 4 ohms (approximate MSRP prices): - Gryphon Diablo 300 (18k with DAC) - Mark Levinson Nº 585 (14k) - McIntosh MA9000 (13k) - Hegel H590 (10k) - Maranz PM10 (Class D, 10k) - Audionet DNA (10k) - Perreaux 255i (8k) - Krell Digital Vanguard (7.8k) - Anthem STR (6k) - Hegel H390 (6k) Reference Speakers that in-room go below 30Hz at -6dB/2.5m (approximate MSRP prices): - KEF Blade Two (25k) - Bowers & Wilkins 802 D3 (22k) - Canton Reference 1K (20k) - Monitor Audio Platinum PL500 II (20k) - Focal Sopra No. 3 (20k) - Audio Physic Avantera III (20k) - Dynaudio Confidence 30 (20k) - KEF Reference 5 (19k) - Sonus Faber Amati Tradition (18k) - Bowers & Wilkins 803 D3 (17k) - Wilson Audio Sabrina (16k) - Focal Sopra No. 2 (14k) - Focal Kanta No. 3 (13k) - Canton Reference 3K (10k) - Dynaudio Contour 60 (10k) - Nubert nuVero 170 (9k) - Bowers & Wilkins 804 D3 (9k) All the above equipment is detailed and dynamic. "Warm" and "romantic" are subjective matters, and I wouldn't rely on forums and the Internet for that. In my humble opinion, these attributes depend more on the album and its recording quality / mastering, rather than the equipment you're using. You'll just have to go with your own music a nearby audio show and listen to different combinations. I know a combo with above equipment can exceed 20k, but don't get scared of MSRP prices and try to buy (a bit) used or ex-demo. I just (May 2019) got a Hegel H590 + Canton Reference 3K combo for ~9k euro (MSRP 20k) and they sound heavenly (I listen mostly to acoustics - jazz, ambient, chill-out, piano, instrumental and classical in a room of 25 square meters). With regards to using subwoofers, I would ditch them. Don't get me wrong, subwoofers are great - if you have speakers that don't go below 30Hz. If you have bookshelf or smaller reference floor-standing speakers and you want to add subs - you MUST get 2 reference subs (at least in the area of SVS 4000 or Rel S/5 SHO) - which will set you at least 4k only for the subs! And keep in mind that even if you have reference bookshelves and top-notch subs - I doubt you'll be able to tune and make them work together better than a speaker manufacturer has tuned-up their flagship floor-stander. Just saying. Best of luck and don't ignore cabling, room treatment and speaker positioning! |
