I've owned the Peachtree and Hegel 80 and to me, the Hegel clearly outperformed the Peachtree and gave me more pleasure. It was quieter, warmer, richer, had tighter, faster, more controlled bass and I could listen for longer periods. With the exception of the finicky volume control, it was a wonderful piece that I would include in my system for a long time.
Until............
On a whim, I tried the Clones Audio 25i integrated. At a retail price of around $890 I figured, what the hell?
Basically, the Clones integrated made the Hegel sound like HiFi, while the Clones sounded more natural and lifelike.
In fact, this little $890 black box sounded more natural and organic than my $1,400 Bent Autoformer passive preamp with my $1,500 Job 225 amplifier. Better than my $7,000 E.A.R. 890 amp and $5,000 (or whatever Tim is charging now), 834 integrated. Better than Kora, Dynaco and Wyred amps I've had.
I am in no way affiliated with the sales or distribution of Clones products in any way.
Funjoe has opened my ears to what I've been missing since I started this madness almost 30 years ago.
Someone above mentioned the Creek integrated. Don't waste your time chasing low-fi. Do yourself a favor Macct. Try the Clones. I'm not saying it's all things to all people. You may try it and hate it.......to each his own. I'm just saying I haven't been this enthusiastic about a product for a very long time.
.........$890
Until............
On a whim, I tried the Clones Audio 25i integrated. At a retail price of around $890 I figured, what the hell?
Basically, the Clones integrated made the Hegel sound like HiFi, while the Clones sounded more natural and lifelike.
In fact, this little $890 black box sounded more natural and organic than my $1,400 Bent Autoformer passive preamp with my $1,500 Job 225 amplifier. Better than my $7,000 E.A.R. 890 amp and $5,000 (or whatever Tim is charging now), 834 integrated. Better than Kora, Dynaco and Wyred amps I've had.
I am in no way affiliated with the sales or distribution of Clones products in any way.
Funjoe has opened my ears to what I've been missing since I started this madness almost 30 years ago.
Someone above mentioned the Creek integrated. Don't waste your time chasing low-fi. Do yourself a favor Macct. Try the Clones. I'm not saying it's all things to all people. You may try it and hate it.......to each his own. I'm just saying I haven't been this enthusiastic about a product for a very long time.
.........$890