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Hegel HD30 Thoughts?


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Greetings all , long time reader very rare poster here...

 

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with this relatively new DAC....I am entertaining a change and as I am a Hegel H300 integrated owner I have some experience with their very good products. I currently feed a Primare DAC30 by way of an Audiobyte Hydra Z USB converter.....

Any thoughts here would be useful and thanks in advance

 

 

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Greetings all , long time reader very rare poster here...

 

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with this relatively new DAC....I am entertaining a change and as I am a Hegel H300 integrated owner I have some experience with their very good products. I currently feed a Primare DAC30 by way of an Audiobyte Hydra Z USB converter.....

Any thoughts here would be useful and thanks in advance

 

I don't have personal experience with this unit...yet. (Disclaimer: I'm an authorized Hegel dealer.) There's a review at

 

StereoLife Magazine - Hegel HD30.

 

Best,

 

Jeff

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I don't have personal experience with this unit...yet. (Disclaimer: I'm an authorized Hegel dealer.) There's a review at

 

StereoLife Magazine - Hegel HD30.

 

Best,

 

Jeff

 

That is a very nice review. The fact that it comes with LAN/streamer model, has volume control and can play every flavour (pcm and dsd) makes this a very insteresting proposition. Must listen to this sometime in the future.

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I have this in for review. I hope to publish in the next month or so.

 

Thanks ...I will look forward to this....I wouldn't say I am a fanboy of Hegel specifically but I have had a few of there products including the H300 integrated that is currently in my main system and Hegel really does bring value to the table. In fact, although I don't use the on-board DAC that comes with the H300 it is at least as good as a couple of other DACs I have had for my desk top set up (W4S Dac1 as an example).....

 

It appears that Hegel uses casework (and other internals) from China and this could be part of how they offer such value but I can attest that this has no detrimental effect in any aspect of their products ...or at least the products that I have had/have. It will be interesting to see/hear what Hegel does with their version of no holds barred DAC implementation.

 

Not sure what to think of the streamer addition on this unit...speaking extemporaneously I think this might just be a non starter ...that said I will await the review and judge from there.

 

Dave

 

 

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Haven't heard it yet, but one design omission that I don't like is that there is no indication of the input signal sampling frequency. The display only shows the input selection and volume level. There are several reviews already available on the HD30 product page.

 

Hold the DAC+ button on the remote, takes 3-4 seconds for the sampling frequency to show on the display.

 

sH

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I don't know what server or software you're using to play the DSD files, but check your player's settings to ensure that it will output DSD128 as opposed to converting it to PCM. I know in JRiver for example you can set the output format dependent upon the file's sampling rate, and that could cause the behavior you're experiencing.

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In their product announcement it states that the HD30 supports DSD128 via USB, but that is not actually specified on the product web page or in the online manual. The AKM DAC being used is actually capable of DSD256 (quad rate) but apparently their implementation only supports up to DSD128. I would suggest contacting your dealer or the Hegel distributor in your country regarding this issue.

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I've talked withe Hegel on Friday, very helpful and friendly. I asked if The HD30 supports DSD128 and it was confirmed that it does. As you said earlier audio.bill I must go in and chech the setting in my software. I was told that Audirnavana doesn't support DSD128 for Mac but there's an option for it. What about Jriver?

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I have this in for review. I hope to publish in the next month or so.

 

Chris, any chance of some comparisons with the PS Audio DirectStream DAC and the Moon Neo 380D DAC you've reviewed previously?

ALAC iTunes library on Synology DS412+ running MinimServer with Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 tablet running BubbleUPnP for control >

Hi-Fi 1: Airport Extreme bridge > Netgear switch > TP-Link optical isolation > dCS Network Bridge AND PS Audio PerfectWave Transport > PS Audio DirectStream DAC with Bridge Mk.II > Primare A60 > Harbeth SHL5plus Anniversary Edition .

Hi-Fi 2: Sonore Rendu > Chord Hugo DAC/preamp > LFD integrated > Harbeth P3ESRs and > Sennheiser HD800

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Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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Thanks for the useful link Firedog. The Moon 650D DAC is of the same ilk as the 380D so the reviewers SQ assessment relative to the Hegel HD30 are very relevant.

ALAC iTunes library on Synology DS412+ running MinimServer with Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 tablet running BubbleUPnP for control >

Hi-Fi 1: Airport Extreme bridge > Netgear switch > TP-Link optical isolation > dCS Network Bridge AND PS Audio PerfectWave Transport > PS Audio DirectStream DAC with Bridge Mk.II > Primare A60 > Harbeth SHL5plus Anniversary Edition .

Hi-Fi 2: Sonore Rendu > Chord Hugo DAC/preamp > LFD integrated > Harbeth P3ESRs and > Sennheiser HD800

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  • 5 weeks later...

I talked to a dealer who sells the 380D, the Hegel line, Berkeley, and MSB. He personally owns the 380DSD and loves it. But he said I should definitely also audition the HD30 in that price range to see which one I prefer. As well as the other 2 if I want to spend more.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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Well as I may or may not have mentioned I still own a Wyred 4 sound DAC 2 dsd se... Or maybe I said that in an other thread, anyway , and to be clear , I really like the W4S DAC but with the current equipment I have it seems clinically precise . Which is not only a subjective opinion it may not tell the whole story.... Let me put it another way in completely different terms. With the W4S DAC I'm sitting in the first row of a good performance where you can capture every nuance of every instrument.... Which is great... With the Primare I'm sitting in the 15th row and I capture the whole performance with all the instruments playing in a coherent and whole landscape..... It's fantastic .

I have had short stints with an older Berkeley DAC on two occasions but honestly I didn't have enough seat time to give any kind of meaningful opinion.

Hope that is of "some" help

 

 

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I haven't heard the HD30 but do own the HD25. I prefer it to the Meitner MA1 I have just sold, as well as the Chord QBD76 and a range of others I have had over the last couple of years. The HD25 isn't quite as resolving or as smooth as the Meitner, but has a richer, denser, more colourful sound which I prefer. I can only imagine that the HD30 would be better still.

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