Hegel H190, IOTAVX, Triangle Antal 40th Anniversary, and Denafrips Venus II

A quick audio journey and the learnings along the way.

[@sashacolic2427]

These Antal 40th Ann in Santos Rosewood look and sound spectacular! Even with 92 dB and 8 ohms, they do require a quantity of high current to open up. A perfect pairing with Triangle speakers I found is Electrocompaniet electronics. On many shows I have heard Triangle speakers so far, they were using mostly EC amps/preamps to drive them. I fell in love so much in that combo, that I bought a pair of Antal 40th in Blond Sycamore finish and Electrocompaniet ECI-6DX mkII amplifier = Jackpot! They play all kinds of music, even classical and rock crescendos with ease, you just feed them with a powerful amp and a good source. Happy listening!

[@dajikbatarang1]

The best “upgrade” you can make is pulling those speakers away from the wall. It will do wonders.

[@joseluishernandezseptien]

Yay! A new video! Thank you 😊

[@cruzingrsx4484]

Happy Holidays! I’m looking forward to your future reviews sir✌🏼

[@MidFiGuy]

Thank you!!

[@mattharwood4413]

Welcome to the two channel conundrum! And I don't regret it one bit! My older ears have turned me into a detail/definition hound. I have Conrad Johnson Pre-amp/amp combo so a stereotypical vintage tube sound. I'm a Denafrips fan too. I seriously considered the Venus 2 (to upgrade from the Ares 2 like you) But because of the smooth/warm tube amp, I went with the Terminator plus (now 12th) for the detail/definition and a phono cartridge that would have detail. It's quite tricky to get smooth/warm + detail/definition but its possible and glorious! Audiophiles seem to love both the Hegel and the Kinki and the so I think you are on the right track. God Speed! Keep us posted!

[@MidFiGuy]

Thanks! This was much easier when I was reviewing headphone gear and could easily ship and try stuff over & over 😅 Conrad Johnson is so highly regarded I'd love to own a piece from them at some point. Congrats and also let me know if you found the warm + detailed sweet spot!

[@mattharwood4413]

@@MidFiGuy I think I have found that sweet spot for my ears (though I'm in the midst of trying to find HDMI (for I2s) cables for that Terminator. There are some sonic differences which are annoying as usual! I want to have a younger Tube oriented audiophile hear my system to see if its too detailed (sparkly highs) for them. - which would just confirm the damage my ears have suffered. LOL!

[@ZadiusTech]

Welcome back!

[@aceofspades6667]

I used to own a Hegel h160 and Maggie lrs. I decided to upgraded to 1.7i and moved up to an anthem STR integrated. Loved Hegel and Magnepan but the anthem has arc room Correction which is helpful for dual sub integration. I’m getting close to done.

[@philipgardiner2003]

Interesting observation about your musical "sensitivity". I bought a pair of brand new Focal Electra 1000 BE's in 2019 for 1/2 their original price ($2,999) from Upscale Audio. I wanted the Berylium Tweeter. And I also wanted tight deep bass, preferably w/out a subwoofer. A bit of a tall order consodering the 1008's are Focal stand mount options in their former Electra line up. I also knew these were going to lean on the bright side of neutral. With that in mind, I returned to my list of power sources- all integrated amps that included, Norma, Moon, Mytek, Line Magnetic, Hegel, PS Audio, Cambridge Audio and a used PASS Lab. Which one did I select to pair with the Focals? 😊

[@csamaras]

Good to see you back and with more 2Ch content to boot! I heard there are some potential latency issues with Denafrips DACs that become noticeable when watching movies (which, like you I also use my setup for). Wondering if you'd encountered that? I ended up with a Merason Frerot which I find really similar to that R2R sound I like. No remote though 🙁

[@MidFiGuy]

Yes but it's sooo slight that it doesn't bother me. When or if it does I have a Schitt Modi lying around, or of course Hegel's internal DAC. Merason? There are so many rare brand names in 2- channel it's hard to keep up to speed on who's who! How do you like it?

[@csamaras]

Yeah I guess Merason might fall under the "boutique" umbrella. I've had it for a couple of months and ll be the first to warn anyone that the frerot is certainly not a DAC for the tweaker audiophile. No changing filters, or switching NOS/OS here (heck, it just supports up to 24/192, no DSD, no MQA!). Still, the sound that comes out of my amp is... utterly enjoyable.

[@JosephTongret]

If you're interested in trying a competing speaker to the Triangles, you might look at Arendal Sound. The 1723 Tower S would probably work well for you.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Nice gear . I also went from Bro3 to Triangle EZ to Triangle 40th Comete with Matching stands Big difference EZ vs 40th also use 2 diffent amps me 51.5 pound Yamaha Integrated amp and me 60 pound Doge 10 Tube integrated amp with Kt-120 power tubes both those amp have hell of sparkle with 40th I switch between Burson composer/Denafrips Ares dacs 😃 Congrats on the new setup - Thanks for the video -

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

The 40t magnesium tweeter does have a softness to it its like your sitting in the 3rd 4th roll of a concert instead of like My Klispch where its like the front roll (Not that forward sounding)

[@roybrolsbeak]

what would you say is the best bang for buck at triangle ?

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

@@roybrolsbeak bro3 !! 😆 Serously it may be 500 bucks but dam the midrange purity is very good ! Great texture and a?soft dome that actually has sparkle and Air !

[@mindhead1]

@@roybrolsbeak I have the Comete EZ. Picked the, up for $1K USD. I think they sound great. I drive them with a Willsenton R8 and CXA81 amps. The Comete EZ is a nice step up from the BR03. I can’t say how they compare to the 40 anniversary version.

[@hassabsaeed9993]

how is the tube amp with the new large triangle speaker ,, is it enough ,, i have the triangle delta and i am thinking getting a tube amp like yours ,, any thoughts ,, and congrat on your new setup :)

[@coreyspivey9171]

Hey I noticed the Euforia amp had different tubes than stock. Which tubes did you go with?

[@FireStorm4056]

YES NEW MIDFIGUY VIDEO, HYPEEEEEEE

[@MidFiGuy]

Hahah let's goooo! I'd make more of these but the amount of time it takes for me to produce one always astounds and perplexes me.

[@FireStorm4056]

@@MidFiGuy Completely understand! Just enjoy being along for the ride. Take care!

[@bengleason508]

Does this setup sound good at low volumes? What SPL’s have you listened at?

[@leonardjona]

FIRST: Great video! SECOND: Agree with your assessment of the IOTA VX usability. A much “easier” hands-on experience. Will NOT be giving minez up any time soon! Sorry NOT sorry LMAO SMH 😂 FOURTH: No more hiding behind the camera please! #ChristmasCutie ;)

[@morrimoto]

great video. i love the rabbit hole! 😂

[@MidFiGuy]

It's profoundly vicious but keeps us busy 😁

[@morrimoto]

@@MidFiGuy why not just go all separates?

[@MidFiGuy]

@@morrimoto what pre + amps can I get for under $4k all in? I was looking at Schitt and the Denafrips separates options.

[@morrimoto]

@@MidFiGuy benchmark ahb2, schiit freya.

[@xTG14x]

I use a Parasound P6 and an upgraded VTV Purifi EVAL1 amp (Tweak Audio, +$600), paid $2750 ($3200 if the P6 was new). If I had to pick something different than the P6 at about the same price, I’d go with the PS Audio GainCell

[@aussie8114]

No balance control or tone control means Hegel won’t be on my list. You could try putting a Schitt EQ between the DAC and amp.

[@leonardjona]

Agreed!

[@arkadiykudabayev3505]

I added supertwitters to my anthals. And now I feel enough brightness and sparkling

[@Chris._.B]

You might want to consider the Rega Elicit Mk5 or Electrocompaniet ECI 80D ... Both of which would add more definition, presence and air over the Hegel. I looked into the Kinki too but decided against it as felt it may be too similar to the Hegel with the super high damping factor (though never actually got to listen to it)

[@MidFiGuy]

Thanks, I'll look into those. I generally like Rega but know they can be pricey. Maybe I can look at the used market

[@hclandscapes]

If your not sold on the H190 you should check out the H390 it’s meant to have a more open cleaner sound than the H190 and more power too.

[@micumatrix]

Yeah I am starting with older NAD amp/CD and Triangle BRO3 and thinking about changing, but British audiophile showed some nice active loudspeaker and I am tired of trying to match components…

[@mindhead1]

Did you ever get the Kinki amp?

[@Canadian_Eh_I]

If definition/resolution is what you're after, you should check out speakers with ribbon tweeters or even better ribbon midrange like the RAAL or Neo8/10

[@supremeboy]

I got question regarding H190 + Denafrips dacs. As i understand denafrips are not roon ready certified so how you stream music? Cant just directly use Hegel amp to stream if i want to get Denafrips Pontus II dac?

[@calaf_725]

Hi, if you use the Hegel to stream you need to use the Hegel internal dac. If you want to use an external dac you will need an external streamer as well.

[@xcvbxcvb2179]

Speaker placement is a very nice and cheap tweek that makes a ton of difference.

[@vittoriomartinidonati65]

Hello, plse note that h190 has auto shut off, check manual, also how do you use Venus w h190 streamer since h190 has no dac loop….so you should do streamer to Venus to h190 analog input….based on your explanation and taste , kinky should be right choice

[@MidFiGuy]

Doh! Thanks for pointing that out about the auto shut off, I'll look into it. As for the Venus / streamer situation, I was so looking forward to using the H190 as a Roon endpoint but then I tested its internal DAC vs the Venus and it was no contest for me. As good as the ESS based DAC in the 190 is, I really preferred the R2R sound from the Venus and stopped using Hegel's Networking capabilities. Right now I'm using a Chromecast Audio (hah!) as a streamer.

[@purcelmotanul3911]

yamaha as1200 or 2200, and you have your sparkle in the highs + tone controle (+ bonus VU meeters)

[@Kukkema]

Any update on your system?

[@82ivaylo]

Marantz and Triangle is very good combination.

[@kwilj]

"A family member..." It's ok, you can name names! 😂

[@ggdfggdfgdffgfddg34]

ждем твой отзыв о том стало ли с блюрей проигрывателем больше эмоций от фильмов!

[@philipgardiner2003]

You may want to consider a used pair of Focal Sopra 1 with the Hegel 190. It would be a bit of downgrade to go with the Kinki.

[@word2RG]

i think you may prefer Benchmark over Kinki

[@freakin13guy]

Superb speakers which I too own and thoroughly enjoy… Now the Hegel 190 while very good is not the best pairing with the Triangle.. In fact, when speaking with a NA Triangle Rep, the 2 amps he specifically recommend I NOT pair with these Triangles are the Hegel and the Musical Fidelity amp. He highly recommended a Naim Supernait 3 or XS3.l or a higher end Rega amplifier… I went with the big boy Naim SN3 and it sounds truly exceptional! Just my 2 cents for options to explore. ;)

[@BrianS-xg5uq]

I have the triangle gaia paired with xs3 and pontus ii :)

[@motorhead16]

I have Triangle Australe (insanely awsome speakers) and I just blind bought an used Hegel H190 to pair with them. Was looking for ROTEL RA-1592 or DENON PMA-2500NE but as I couldn't find any, I bought the HEGEL. Hopefully will work well, maybe i'll come back to share an opinion.

[@Borednlonely]

Don’t get they hype about Hegel. A vintage Naim system is far more engaging

[@Carl-yx1ww]

Hegel are over priced