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The Internet of Things has arrived at the stereo rack (footnote 1). Many hi-fi systems are now connected to the wider world, controlled by phones and tablets. Complex front panels with many switches and buttons have practically vanished; those still around are retro pieces or style statements. Little front-panel touchscreens with complex menu trees have been rendered vestigial or at least redundant. Designers of receivers, integrated amplifiers, and DACs must now at least consider incorporating a streaming module and a device-control app. In certain component categories and certain price…
We interrupt this tech talk for music
Having unpacked the H400 from its sturdy double box, I set it up in my office and connected it to my Amphion One18 nearfield speakers. While I dug further into the guts of the H400 (in the virtual sense, not literally), I started playing music. Because the only network-connection option is wired Ethernet, connecting to my home network required no fussing with passwords. I downloaded the Hegel Connect app to my iPhone 15, and it quickly found the H400. From the Home screen, I had immediate access to Airable internet radio and podcasts, and via…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Integrated amplifier/DAC/streamer. Streaming protocols: AirPlay, Chromecast, UPnP, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Roon Ready. Streaming formats: MP3, WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, DSF, DFF, AAC, PCM, MQA, Ogg. Analog inputs: one pair balanced (XLR), two pair unbalanced (RCA). Digital inputs: 2 coaxial (1 RCA, 1 BNC), 3 optical, 1 USB, 1 Ethernet (RJ45). Analog outputs (line level): fixed (RCA), variable (RCA). Digital output: 1 coaxial (BNC). Maximum output power: 250Wpc into 8 ohms (24dBW) (dual-mono topology). Minimum load: 2 ohms. Frequency range: 5Hz–…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: dCS Bartók streaming DAC, Oppo DV-981HD universal disc player.
Line preamplifier: Benchmark LA4.
Power amplifier: Benchmark AHB2.
Loudspeakers: B&W 808, Amphion One18.—Tom Fine
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed a full set of measurements on the Hegel H400 using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system. I used the front-panel controls, the remote control, and the Hegel Music Systems app, which I installed on my iPad mini after connecting the amplifier's Ethernet port to my network. Not all settings are available with the app. The amplifier is specified as having a maximum output power of 250W into 8 ohms; I preconditioned the H400 before the measurements by following the CEA's recommendation of running it at one-eighth of the full specified power into 8 ohms for 30…
To examine the H400's digital performance, I used the coaxial and optical S/DIF inputs—the optical input only accepted data sampled at rates up to 96kHz—and USB data sourced from my MacBook Pro. (While Roon recognized the Ethernet-connected H400, it reported that "Unfortunately, the manufacturer has not yet completed certification for use with Roon." Footnote 1) The USB Prober utility identified the H400 as "Hegel USB" from "Hegel Music Systems," with the serial number string "2 (none)," and indicated that the USB port operated in the optimal isochronous asynchronous mode. Apple's AudioMIDI…
The Focal Diva Utopia loudspeaker made its US debut in New York City this past week, showcasing the combined expertise of French and English partners Focal and Naim in their first fully active, wireless, and connected loudspeaker.
Focal and Naim Audio CEO Cedrick Boutonet and Réjean Bedel sit down with Stereophile's Ken Micallef.
Focal and Naim Audio CEO Cedrick Boutonet and group marketing manager Réjean Bedel were on hand to introduce the Diva Utopia at Manhattan’s Par Excellence store located in NYC’s fashionable East Village and the Bowery, where the city’s derelict…
Mozart: Symphonies 29 & 33, Clarinet Concerto
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Bernhard Forck, concertmaster; Ernst Schlader, bass clarinet
Pentatone PTC5187208 (auditioned as 24/96 FLAC). 2024. Michael Havenstein, prod., Teldex Studio, Berlin, eng.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Bernhard Forck, concertmaster; Ernst Schlader, bass clarinet
Pentatone PTC5187208 (auditioned as 24/96 FLAC). 2024. Michael Havenstein, prod., Teldex Studio, Berlin, eng.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
If you turn to this recording for Mozart's beloved Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K.622, you will likely end up happy. On that work, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, long fabled for bringing out the unique colors of music with period instruments, turns the spotlight on its star clarinetist,…
Pearl Jam: Dark Matter
Republic Records 0602465026221 (auditioned on LP). 2024. Andrew Watt, prod.; Marco Sonzini, Paul LaMalfa, Serban Ghenea, engs.
Performance *****
Sonics *****
Republic Records 0602465026221 (auditioned on LP). 2024. Andrew Watt, prod.; Marco Sonzini, Paul LaMalfa, Serban Ghenea, engs.
Performance *****
Sonics *****
Eddie Vedder's solo albums were produced by Andrew Watt, who was born a few months before Pearl Jam's Ten was recorded.
The young Watt has become a force in modern music, helping to advance the sounds of artists including Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber and bringing a fresh face to long-established acts like the Rolling Stones and Iggy Pop. He has also done it for Pearl Jam, guiding their 12th…
Pat Metheny: Bright Size Life
ECM 1073 552 3892 (auditioned on LP). 1978/2024. Manfred Eicher, prod.; Martin Wieland, eng.
Performance *****
Sonics ****½
ECM 1073 552 3892 (auditioned on LP). 1978/2024. Manfred Eicher, prod.; Martin Wieland, eng.
Performance *****
Sonics ****½
Finding a voice is usually slow for most jazz players. Yet on this sparkling reissue of Pat Metheny's debut as a leader, his technique, approach, and attitude arrive almost fully formed. Recorded in December 1975 in the Tonstudio Bauer in Ludwigsburg, Germany, when the guitarist was 21, Bright Size Life has been reissued on LP, cut from the original analog masters, as part of ECM's Luminessence vinyl reissue series.
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