Questions on Hegel H390/H590

[pvanosta]

Not sure in which subforum to post, as it relates to DAC, streaming and Roon...

 

Does anyone know / has anyone tested recently:

 

I am looking at the Hegel H390 / H590 amplifiers to potentially replace multiple boxes in my system (Auralic Vega G1 streaming Dac, Parasound Halo JC2-BP preamp and Bel Canto ref1000 monoblocks). I can find the info on most of the features I need (like HT bypass assignment) but I don;t see a clear answer to the questions below.

 

I run Roon on a NAS / NUC combination via ethernet to the Vega G1 which is recognized as a Roon endpoint

I have many DSD128 and DSD256 files, which run in native resolution on this combination.

 

If I use the H390 or H590 as a Roon endpoint via ETHERNET, will it have the same capabilities?

 

In other words:

1. does the H390 now work as a Roon endpoint?

2. Does the ethernet port in th H390 support DSD128 and DSD256?

 

Thanks all for any inputs

 

[firedog]

AFAIK, but you should email Hegel to be sure:

 

Roon status is under development, but not yet available. IOW, not an endpoint - YET. Acc'd to Roon forum, the software is in Beta and will be released any day (by end of year) and your unit can be upgraded by user.

 

DSD high rates are supported over USB. No specific mention by Hegel whether it is supported over ethernet. I'm guessing it isn't, but again, email Hegel and ask. AFAIK DSD  is converted internally to PCM for playback; the Hegel website and manuals aren't 100% clear abut that. I wouldn't be concerned about it;. If you are, you should audition the units playing DSD and see if you are satisfied with the result. 

[pvanosta]

I asked Hegel first, before coming here. So far no response, hence my question in this forum.

[firedog]

4 hours ago, pvanosta said:

I asked Hegel first, before coming here. So far no response, hence my question in this forum.

I'm surprised. They answered me in the past. 

 

I found this number: Phone. +47 22 60 56 60.

I also talked to them once and they answered questions.

 

If that doesn't work try some of the dealers. At least some of them should know the official answer and respond to an email or phone call. 

[Ran]

9 hours ago, pvanosta said:

1. does the H390 now work as a Roon endpoint?

2. Does the ethernet port in th H390 support DSD128 and DSD256?

 

 

1. Not at the moment. Probably by the end of the year.

2. No

 

My suggestion to you is to keep the Vega as it outperforms the Hegel as a streamer. The H590 will outperform the Bel Canto / Parasound combo in my opinion. I switched from Pass Mono blocks / Boulder Preamp to the H590 and love the result.

[Rexp]

8 hours ago, Ran said:

 

 

1. Not at the moment. Probably by the end of the year.

2. No

 

My suggestion to you is to keep the Vega as it outperforms the Hegel as a streamer. The H590 will outperform the Bel Canto / Parasound combo in my opinion. I switched from Pass Mono blocks / Boulder Preamp to the H590 and love the result.

Wow, high praise for the H590, I guess integrateds are finally as good as separates, thanks

[pvanosta]

Thank you all for the feedback. That was the input I was looking for.

[SLM]

I'm old school McIntosh from 30 years ago, but without a system the last ten years. I'm just coming up to speed on streaming options, etc. My goal is to stay simple but to achieve great sound. I ordered an NAD M33 that seems to be on terminal backorder. So, I'm thinking of switching to a Hegel H390. As part of my due diligence I reviewed several YouTube videos and sometimes see DAC/Streamers integrated with the Hegel H390: units like BlueSound or Brooklyn Bridge. Why? I have a rock solid mesh WiFi system and my approach would be to connect the Hegel H390 to one of my nodes (net work extender) with an Ethernet cable. Then, the H390 shows up on my network and I play music using my iPad or iPhone using Spotify or Tidal directly, or with BluOS or Roon. What am I missing with regard to configurations that add a DAC/Streaming device?  Seems redundant. Also redundant it seems is BluOS or Roon if I can play directly with Spotify or Tidal. Thanks for help that I'm sure is basic stuff, but confusing to me. 

[Ran]

The streamer inside the H390 is very basic. If you want to use it for Spotify or AirPlay it will work just fine but it lacks support for other protocols and the DLNA implementation is lacking. Also, you will wait forever for new updates (Hegel does not make their own network modules). Depends on your system and needs, an external streamer will provide greater flexibility and potential better sound. 

[pvanosta]

38 minutes ago, Ran said:

The streamer inside the H390 is very basic. If you want to use it for Spotify or AirPlay it will work just fine but it lacks support for other protocols and the DLNA implementation is lacking. Also, you will wait forever for new updates (Hegel does not make their own network modules). Depends on your system and needs, an external streamer will provide greater flexibility and potential better sound. 

+1: I used my H390 together with an Auralic Vega G1 network DAC for two reasons:

- it sounded MUCH better than the built-in DAC from the Hegel

- Auralic Vega G1 was Roon ready, while the Hegel still is not and Roon was a must-have for me.

[firedog]

1 hour ago, SLM said:

I'm old school McIntosh from 30 years ago, but without a system the last ten years. I'm just coming up to speed on streaming options, etc. My goal is to stay simple but to achieve great sound. I ordered an NAD M33 that seems to be on terminal backorder. So, I'm thinking of switching to a Hegel H390. As part of my due diligence I reviewed several YouTube videos and sometimes see DAC/Streamers integrated with the Hegel H390: units like BlueSound or Brooklyn Bridge. Why? I have a rock solid mesh WiFi system and my approach would be to connect the Hegel H390 to one of my nodes (net work extender) with an Ethernet cable. Then, the H390 shows up on my network and I play music using my iPad or iPhone using Spotify or Tidal directly, or with BluOS or Roon. What am I missing with regard to configurations that add a DAC/Streaming device?  Seems redundant. Also redundant it seems is BluOS or Roon if I can play directly with Spotify or Tidal. Thanks for help that I'm sure is basic stuff, but confusing to me. 

Many people who have tried Roon or other specialized playback UI's for audiophiles find them anything but redundant. For many, they make massive improvement in the user experience. Yes, it's adding a box. But it can be a small, not expensive box that enables you to add the functionality. Don't knock it till you've tried it.
 

The 390 is a great unit, but it's been on the market quite a while and probably isn't going to get much in the way of updates, especially in the UI area you are referring to.

[SLM]

Thank you for the quick and helpful replies.  I now understand the rationale for an independent DAC/Streamer to potentially upgrade quality and definitely improve the user interface. If that's the case, I'm thinking why get the H390 and instead get a great integrated amplifier and add a great DAC/Streamer. Indeed, my initial selection was the NAD M33 to address all of this in one package. Two steps forward, one step backward.