To Hans Wetzel,
I recently saw that you use the Monitor Audio Silver 10s in your personal system. I happen to own the same speakers, and I enjoy them very much, but my amp is a little too weak for them. I own a Densen B-110 [integrated amplifier] (its measured at about 75Wpc into 8 ohms, 130Wpc into 4 ohms), which sounds very nice and rhythmical, and can go loud, too. The problem is the bass can become a little unruly and muddy, and it doesn’t have the impact the Silver 10s are capable of, especially at low volumes.
I guess this is only natural for a biggish three-way speaker, so I would greatly value your advice on a matching amp, preferably one you’ve heard and liked with the MAs. I’ve heard your Hegel Music Systems H360 [integrated amp-DAC] on a friend’s ELAC FS 249; it was astonishing, but it’s way too expensive for me. Please note that I wouldn’t mind buying secondhand and that I live in Europe, which makes American products harder to find used, and more expensive.
Thank you in advance and keep up the good work!
Best,
Dimitris Ioannou
Greece
Hegel’s H80 or H160 would be natural options for you, and they are both specified to have a damping factor of over 1000, which tends to be correlated with bass control and precision.
Having reviewed the H160, I found it to sound almost identical to the H300, the H360’s predecessor, with great bass slam and impact. If you’re on a tighter budget, I think you’ll get a high proportion of the H160’s sound for a lot less money if you go with the H80, and you won’t be giving up any of your Densen’s power. Since Hegel is Norwegian, I am guessing availability on the continent shouldn’t be too difficult, and there looks to be at least one dealer in Greece. Good luck! . . . Hans Wetzel
