Anything close to Hegel H360 but smaller/lighter?


So, I’m living in Brazil these days in an apartment with a room a little bigger than 12x12 (maybe 14x14) I’m guessing. I have a pair of Totem “The One” speakers laying in storage there and a Velodyne 12” subwoofer and I want to put these to use. I’m in the US now on a short stay and just bought the Martin Logan Forte simply  because it was cheap and I’m getting a buzz to listen to music again but I don’t want to break the bank. Plus, I’m in an apartment so sound levels need to be considered for the sake of neighbors. I knew this might happen…..I’m already thinking about upping the ante a bit and buying a somewhat decent integrated amp and came across good reviews for the Hegel H360 on here - would I get a noticeable sound quality difference if I sprung for this amp as opposed to the Forte. That is, $250 as opposed to a few grand?

Now I see that Hegel is 45lbs and I’m trying to bring this in my suitcase to Brazil and it will be doable if I sacrifice bringing other personal items back with me so, two questions here….

Will the Hegel provide me with a big noticeable difference in sound quality over the Forte ?

Is there another integrated out there that compares with the Hegel but is lighter/smaller?

 

cheers

thomastrouble

No amps mentioned on these posts will drive your Totems. I’ve owned both of these products and the Hegel will be the only amp listed on this thread that can drive them. I also own the sprout 100 and it won’t come close to driving the totems. 

Totems demand a lot of power to sound their best. I had a 250 watt McIntosh integrated driving my totems and they sounded great in a 12x12 room.

Ignore the power ratings from totem, you need a good couple hundred watt amp at least to drive them.

The sprout 100 is a very good sounding piece but you need to pair it with more efficient speakers.

1 more thing, I would never put an audio piece of equipment in my luggage and check in. The guys just throw those pieces around and you will end up with a broken piece. Plus, you will never get it thru the X-ray scanners if you try to walk it in.

Hey Rbstenho, wow, I need replies like this that won’t leave me disappointed after getting home - you are talking about Totem “The One@ bookshelf speakers though - yes? This is great to know and while the other suggestions here might be great sounding they will need to pair well with the Totems anc I thank everybody for their input here.

However, there is no problem bringing it through the scanners - perfectly legal to walk through the scanners - the TSA are only there to look for dangerous materials and it’s none of their business what electronics I have in my carry-on, I’ve had DJ mixers etc many times back and forth for work and if anything the odd security guy might enjoy chatting or admiring the gear, and yes, to put that in checked bags is asking for it to get destroyed…or even stolen - I’ve had that happen before.

 

well so far it still seems to be the Hegel, but I’m still listening.

 

Thanks guys

You can carry on any gear that fits in the rectangular box they show you.

Heavy to lift up to the overhead though!

I had an old Sansui 8 receiver.