Hegel H95 Integrated Amp $2000 (60×2)
(3.94h, 16.93w, 13.78d)
Hegel Music Systems will be shipping its new entry level integrated any day. Employing Hegel’s SoundEngine 2 circuitry, H95 will be able to drive the vast majority of speakers out there.
While I haven’t heard H95 yet, the amp section is an upgrade to H90, its predecessor. That means H95 will be a conspicuously fine mate for Wharfedale Lintons, GoldenEars, Magnepans & Brystons.
For those of you with keen perception, yep, H95 is plenty stable to drive not just one pair of Lintons, but will even run DOUBLE Lintons!
H95 has an on board SynchroDAC. It’s the same DAC circuitry that is used in its bigger brothers, H120 & H190. It is recognized as among the finest DACs on the market. Just run your digital source (CD transport? Bluesound Node 2i?) straight in and you’ll hear Hegel’s DAC, not the source’s DAC.
Since I’ve not heard H95 as of this writing, let’s hear from someone who has- in Europe:
DS of Soundstage:
“I thought its sound was slightly smoother than that of the Schiit Ragnarok 2 fully loaded integrated it replaced, whether I was using the Ragnarok’s built-in DAC or Bifrost 2. It also seemed, despite both amps having the same power the H95 delivered a bit more bass solidity which in turn made the sound more forceful.
H95 not only sounded super smooth and highly detailed, it sounded incredibly lively- cymbals, guitar and piano all had lots of high frequency energy, popping from the mix with heightened immediacy. It was fun to hear Mark Knopler’s voice projected from the mix forcefully, and the drums had serious slam- the dynamics were great.”
Marantz PM-7000N Integrated Amp/Streamer $1000
(60×2, 4.9h, 17.3w, 14.9d, 24 lbs)
Marantz’s new PM-7000N is a Swiss Army knife. It is a 60×2 HDAM based integrated amp with tone controls and MM phono on board. It also streams wirelessly. You can use Internet Radio, Pandora, Spotify, SiriusXM, Amazon Prime Music, Tidal and more via AirPay 2, Bluetooth and Heos. The amp section is discrete with high current output devices.
Inputs: 4 analog, Coax, 2 Opticals, USB-A
Outputs: Fixed Line Out, Single subwoofer output
Silver Discs
Ya know how you’ve been reading that CDs are extinct while vinyl is coming back? Vinyl is indeed selling well. In 2019 9.7 million records were sold. In 2019 60 million CDs were sold! We’re fine with both formats. But as I keep saying, those silver discs aren’t history!
Steven Brault: Pitcher & Musician!
The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher makes a decent living at his day job. Steven was a music major (vocal performance) at Regis U in Denver. Brault’s specialty is singing Broadway hits and he’s just released an album “A Pitch At Broadway.” Steven has a unique set of talents!