Hegel Amplifiers

Strictly my Opinion. Peak Ampere ratings are near-real world- meaningless.
NO speaker can take such current.

Output devices, as near as I understand, have what is called a 'safe operating range'. Go out of that envelop, and the devices either fuses or shorts. Either way, you are out of action. A fuse may not be quick enough and therefore speaker protection circuits, if employed should take that into account.
From Wikipdia::
Safe operating area
The safe operating area defines the combined ranges of drain current and drain to source voltage the power MOSFET is able to handle without damage. It is represented graphically as an area in the plane defined by these two parameters. Both drain current and drain to source voltage must stay below their respective maximum values, but their product must also stay below the maximum power dissipation the device is able to handle. Thus the device cannot be operated at both its specified maximum drain current and maximum drain to source voltage. [2]

So, if you redline a device in current, you have to have lower voltage so as not to exceed wattage.

Now, forget all this nonsense and buy whatever pleases your ears. Any particular build philosophy has both good and bad implementations. Class (?) is no guarantee of anything. Specsmanship is for ad writers to compare what's in there pants.

Hello Milpai,

1 - I used very successfully TVC preamp (Promethius) with my Spectron class D. When I saved money I bought 1st class tube preamp: first BAT and then I fall in love with Joule-Electra "300". Still, I use this TVC
as spare/2nd system preamp.

2 - In all discussionsof PEAK current or PEAK voltage never forget duration. If such peak lasts 20 msec (e.g. NuForce) then ...you do not hear it. On other hand, Spectron's peak current/voltage is 500 msec - long enough (actually longest in industry as far as I know).

On relation between voltage/current/ect and sound quality - read :
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/manufacture/0708/index.html

Good Luck
Rafael

Rafael,
Thanks for the link. And good to know that the combination of TVC + Spectrons worked fine for you.

Magfan,
I get your point on the voltage and current. This was explained in detail in the link Rafael provided. My next question is, what is the link between "class" of an amp and it's wattage? I do not believe that a 50 Watts Class A amp will drive a speaker better than 100 watts class AB or D. It might sound better, but not "drive" better. Isn't more power always better than less power, to get more "headroom" for a better sound?

I recently happened to listen to some Hegel stuff, namely the P4A MKII pre-amp driving the H20 and the H4A MKII power amps, through Xavian speakers. The sound was indeed really (really) good, smooth, lucid and communicative, very detailed and with a very airy and silky top end. I was however thrown back by their pricing - for that kind of money I could think of (and have in fact listened to)better combinations out there..

Jnk,
Thanks much for your feedback. And what a timing!!
Yes, the price is a bit forbidding and even a good deal is very pricey on the H20. I am guessing it is a good amp, based on what you mentioned. But at twice the cost of the Parasound A21?
And by timing I meant - I found an article by Norway's Audio Fidelity's group test in May-2004 of the following amps: Hegel HP-4A transistor amplifier, EAR 509 Silver Jubilee tube, McIntosh 275 (revisited) tube, Dynamic Precision DP A-1 transistor amplifier, Naim integrated transistor amplifier, Tandberg Huldra 10 transistor radio, Rotel RA-1062 integrated transistor amplifier, Rotel RB-1090 power amplifier transistor, PB SDA 2175 semi-digital power amplifier, Embla ICE power digital mono blocks, Parasound A-21 transistor amplifier. They declared the A21 as a winner based on price/performance ratio. Some comments on the A21 were (Norwegian to English conversion) "Only a tiny hardness up reveals that this is not entirely same class as Hegel and DP to double times the price. Flaws little weight at the very bottom in terms of super amps to Hegel and the DP, but it has a warm and lush sound balance without being gross or fat. There was no blurring of detail and body and here is the air in plenty. Female Voices are bold reproduced with high 'femme fatale' factor."

The conclusion was "Another råbra amplifier that has the appearance that a more expensive amplifiers, the build quality as a more expensive amplifiers, have powers like a more expensive amplifier. And as the most important; also sonically is Para Sound A-21 very closely on a lot expensive stuff! It has a perfectly delicious body
with lush lower midrange, solid dypbass and a brave and småfrekk upper midrange that gives music high gøyfaktor. An unusual blend of soft warm and quick, sparkling transients! "

I am at this point heavily leaning towards a A21.