"Blown away by KEF/Hegel combo!!!!"


The other day, I visited my local Magnolia Home Theater at Best Buy.  At the far  end of a large room, was a very simplified audio system, which consisted of only one component and a pair of speakers.  The speakers were KEF Blade One Meta, and the lone component was the newer Hegel H600 integrated amp.  I have owned a Hegel H590 integrated for several years now (I us an outboard DAC with it), which drives an incredible pair of Revel Salon 2 speakers, with phenomenal effect, so I was fully aware of how wonderful Hegel products are capable of sounding.  But now, I got the chance to hear the H600 (as an all-in-one using it’s internal DAC) with a pair of the world-class, IMHO, KEF Blade One Meta speakers, and I was extremely excited about it.  The source was Roon/Tidal.  As I sat there and the music of  my choosing began to play, all I can tell you is that this was one of the most incredible sounding audio systems I’ve ever heard, and I've heard quite a few in my day!!!!  The sound was super dynamic, wonderfully detailed and transparent, the bass was phenomenal, the soundstage was tall and wide with much depth and separation and coherency, beautifully natural, smooth, lush and full sounding, and it was also easy on the ears, and not in any way bright sounding.  For me, it was pure heaven!!!  I could’ve sat there all day long and listened to that incredible system.  I was absolutely blown away by that simple (but expensive) audio system!!!!  Happy listening.                    

kennymacc

I once had the KEF Blade and Hegel separates Los Angeles Audio Show display room (a large one) all to myself for more than an hour. Loved the Blades, Hegel is not my first choice, but that combo was a treat.

Buy a good dac results will be much better  still !

my friend has the 600 and the dais decent  but not a in the $5-6 dac class 

which would be ideal for your equipment  which is very respectable.

Kenny, your description of the subject combo was without a doubt, highly convincing and I'd like to hear the Kef BOM's one day, but what also caught my eye was the phrase Revel Salon2. These are my current speakers, and I've had them for almost a year .... but, instead of a Hegel integrated, I've got separates ... the VAC Signature Mk IIa SE line stage, a Lampizator Baltic 4 upgraded with the 11-P digital engine (that used in Lampi's Poseidon DAC), an Aurender N200 and  Odyssey's custom monoblocks. Seems I could use quite a few of the descriptors you so eloquently specified too. Not to belittle your experience at all, but I'm wondering how you would compare the KEF's with your Salon2's??  Hard to do I suppose w/o an A/B in the same room. Thanks for letting me indulge myself. 

I have the hegel h30a monoblocks hooked up to the tekton ulfbrich with all be tweeters and mids and it's a match made in heaven. Those hagels get to 5k transients and the tektons handle it > 100 db. Read the reviews on both. Now the big mcintosh as it is said they roll off on the high so if you pair them with bright speakers it is fantastic synergy and they hit hard. My hegel shut down on the magico even though they state 1 ohm stable where as the big macs 1.25 don't on the q7. It is fantastic we live in an audiophile world with great technology and choices. Wounderful you live in a area and can listen at audio stores cuz i don't I'm jealous. Enjoy the music and stay healthy.