Amp for P3ESR (sub €2000)

It has arrived
I was able to purchase an open box item at a very discounted price.

First impressions:
Very dynamic and powerfull, it really makes the Harbeths rock. They suddenly have a lot more bass, and thighter bass.
Midrange seem very life-like, and the treble is sweet enough to listen to bad recordings, without losing any detail.
I'm a happy camper
One thing I will do, is add some ventilation to my cabinet, as it is somewhat thight.

Thank you to everyone who helped my pull the trigger on my purchase!

Next step: CD-S1000?

 

Congrats! Your impressions match mine. Hope it will bring you much joy!

Btw don't be surprised if sound quality starts fluctuating over the next 100 hours or so. Everything will be fine in the end.

 

Gorgeous.

 

It was getting quite hot, so I've installed some ventilation from AC Infinity, and now it runs nice and cool.
It stays at about 5°C above room temperature in the cabinet.

 

Hi @Christophe999s, I also have the P3ESR, but with the Rogue Sphinx, for over a year now. Thinking about changing the amp and found this thread. How do you like the Yamaha now? What genre of music do you play? Thanks!

 

Hello, I couldn't be happier Very good sound, and incredible build quality.
I have a very broad taste in music, I listen to rock, pop, jazz, ... almost everything except classical music. The Yamaha really makes the Harbeth's come alive.
I haven't heard the Sphinx, so I have no idea how this will compare to my Yamaha.

 

I've owned the Sphinx V2 and the Pharaoh. The A-S1100 is a better amp than both, in every regard, especially the bass.

 

Great choice. That's what I would have gone for.

 

Thanks! I remain very happy with this combo and don’t see hanging things up for the foreseeable future.

 

@Christophe999s

@Christophe999s, I'm glad you're enjoying it. My music is 90% classical and 10% jazz/contemporary, but I definitely think P3esr is very versatile to handle almost everything.

@Helom thanks! that's very good to know. I bought the Sphinx mostly for its efficiency, but the rest of the design seems too barebone to me (the nobs and the remote..) The sphinx to me is still a quite neutral amp, would you say the Yamaha has a very different sound(added color, warmth..)? btw, on my short list are the yamaha A-S1100, rega elex-r, musical fidelity m3si, parasound halo.

 

The Sphinx produces weaker bass than both the Yamaha and Halo. The Halo is the most neutral to my ears, but with a meaty/full midrange. The Yammie is the best amp when it comes to rendering string and piano tones, but a little more colored overall. It has a leaner midrange than the Halo but its soundstage is more expansive. Note that I'm referring to the Halo Mk1.

It's been a while since I had the Sphinx, but as I recall, its tone was on the cooler side of what I consider neutral, as though it had a peak around the 1kHz region. Lack of low-octave bass was its major deficiency.

 

This is perhaps the stupidest thing I have ever read on any audio forum, ever.

 

I have compared the Hegel H160 and H360 at home with Harbeth, Kudos, Spendor, Bryston, Totem, Audio Physic, Audio Vector and vintage AR3A speakers among others. I also had a chance to audition the newer Hegel H390. While all of the H series have a lot to recommend them, I could never personally get past the exact sort of issue that @avanti1960 described. Whatever you think of his listening observations (or mine), that’s how those extremely well made and well spec’d integrated amps sound to some of us.

We each respond just a little bit differently from one another to what various amps, DACs and speakers produce in any given room. Some of the amps just don’t sound good to some of us no matter how well the amp was reviewed. That’s why all those different amp makers exist.

I don’t think your word “stupid” has any place in any of this.

 

My new P3ESRs are driven by an Electron Kinetics Eagle 2 amp. 120wpc into 8 ohms, 50 amps peak output current, over 300 wpc into 2 ohms—capable of doing a little welding without complaint if you short the wires. These little speakers sound great with a high quality, muscular amp.

 

Sorry if I touched a nerve here. I have heard (3) Hegel Integrated amps (H190, 390 and 590) on (6) different occasions in (3) different states. Each time they sounded more bass prominent, slightly less transparent and overall softer than their competition. I would never want to own one and therefore would not recommend one. Based on their sound there are much better matches for the P3ESRs IMHO.
That being said I recently heard the H20 power amplifier paired with a Rogue Audio RP-7 preamplifier and KEF R11 speakers and the sound was incredibly transparent.

 

Hegel is the least 'controversial' amplification on the market. It is almost universally praised.

 

Yes . . . By magazine and e-zine reviewers. Audiophile consumers, on the other hand, like the Hegel products in the exact same proportion as they like products from competing makers.

 

There are many almost universally praised products that I find underwhelming. System synergy is part of it, but some brands have a house-sound that simply cannot cater to all tastes. From everything I've read on Hegel, I'm not surprised at all by Avanti's description. It's exactly as I would've guessed.

 

For me the magic happens when you combine an amplifier that can drive just about anything with a speaker that is an extremely easy load for an amplifier. My combination of Harbeth (super easy load) and Eagle 2 (D8 bulldozer) is sorcery. At least for this retired orchestra teacher.

 

Which is why I was so perplexed and disappointed when I heard them.
If you had listened to the amplifiers rather than listening to the buzz and propaganda of the sales media at large you would have understood my comments. I personally try to recommend or not recommend based on what I have heard and remain as neutral and critically honest as possible while noting that it is my point of view, try to listen to the system and confirm or deny those findings before you buy- as with any recommendation.
The kicker is that my absolute worst experience with a Hegel integrated was with Harbeth speakers- the C7ES3 model which I have owned. Sounded like slightly dynamic warmed over mush- which is why I gave the recommendation to the OP to avoid them with the P3ESR.
That recommendation still stands to anyone in a similar position.
It was based on listening to hundreds of amplifier and speaker combinations at dealers, homes and audio shows across multiple states over the past decade. Of course the preferences of one audio and music lover will not suit everyone- but in this particular instance it is wise advice.

 

Interesting to hear these views on Hegel/Harbeth. I understand that they're using Hegel 360's at Harbeth for R&D and at shows...

 

KEF uses them at shows too. I think this is a case of 'one crazy guy on the internet said....'.

 

As a previous owner of H90 and later the H190, I totally agree with Avanti's comments for the H190. It had wide & deep soundstage and effortless drive but that prominent and soft bass and somewhat unrefined highs bothered me to the point of selling it. I even thought maybe my unit was faulty. I am surprised to hear 390 & 590 also share the same signature. H90 on the controry had leaner and much gripper lows but it was too dry for my taste. Later I got the Yamaha and some of my friends even criticized for choosing a "consumer" product. But though it doesn't have as wide soundstage or as effortless power as the Hegel, is more transparent, detailed, more refined and cleaner highs compared to the H190.. instruments sound more lifelike. And the build quality it has just makes the Hegels feel like a joke.

 

Hi there,
Maybe you or somebody else could make me understand. These speakers could handle 50w. Now your amplifier delivers 120wpc into 8ohm. How it's possible to use that kind of power into this tiny speakers? Sorry, maybe it's a stupid question, but I'm a little bit puzzled...

 

Volume knob