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

Thomas, sent you a PM. 

Also on 2nd thinking this since you are in an apartment the 2170 would probably be plenty unless you want headbanging levels. You do lose the EQ and streaming functions of the 3400 but you normally see these used more than the 3400 for way under your budget. 

Thanks for that guys !

just last week I sent a ton of older gear to The Music Room to sell for me on consignment (a lot of big stuff (Pass Labs 250.5 etc that I can never use again) and as part of the payment they are trying to find me a 3400. I know this might be overkill but I would rather have the peace of mind (and the added features) even though I’m paying a bit more than I need to, but who knows, I may move into a house someday and be able to crank things up if I want.

im far from an audiophile, just somebody who wants immediate gratification without all the learning and research involved and I’ll be content with an integrated these days.

The only integrated I had from maybe 15 years ago was a Naim Nait 5i and it was my first purchase into higher end audio and I was happy - am I going to see a big difference between that and the Lyngdorf ? Just curious before actually hearing the Lyngdorf. At the end of the day I don’t have choices and the luxury of building a whole system, so I’m just trying to do the best I can with what I already have in Brazil (Totems, nice CD player and a subwoofer) and a small and light integrated that I can fit inside my carryon.

I want to thank all you guys for all your help in making this (very rushed) decision!!!

Hey guys , still digging….what is your opinion on the Naim Unity Atom compared with the Lyngdorf? Much much cheaper, size and weight fits the bill - would I be giving up a lot on SQ and will this pair well with the Totem 1s ?

Others have suggested the Benchmark amp. Let me second those recommendations and add an exclamation mark! The Benchmark AHB2 is small and light weight, but delivers detail, resolution, and musicality that will best amplifiers that are much more expensive. I really like Hegel gear and had an H120 that I really loved, and which I thought would be my end-game solid state amp. A friend/audio mentor raved about his AHB2 and encouraged (actually “begged”) me to try the Benchmark on a 30-day trial. With great skepticism I reluctantly did so, and the difference was not subtle. It was dramatic. Within two weeks I put both my Hegel and my Pontus II up for sale. I can’t speak highly enough about the AHB2. It takes everything – detail, holographic imagery, soundstage, and musicality -- to a higher level. At least it did for me (using Harbeth SHLplus speakers).

There are, however, a couple of caveats: First, the AHB2 is not an integrated amp, so you’ll need a preamp. Second, the AHB2 performs its best when paired with other Benchmark gear. In my case, I purchased a used Benchmark DAC2 HGC, which is both a DAC and a preamp, for $1k. That pairing was so good, I sold my Pontus II (which once again, I liked so much I easily concluded that it was my end-game DAC, but the DAC2 was even better when paired with the AHB2). These two products, paired together, are much smaller and lighter than almost all other integrated amps out there, while delivering a sound quality that is hard to beat.  I can’t encourage you strongly enough to give the AHB2 a try. You won’t regret it.