hegel c53 / c54 / c55 multi-channel power amplifiers
Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, the Bryston 9B ST five-channel power amplifier was THE multi-channel one-box power amplifier to go for for 5.1 home theatre systems. THX certificated, it was able to put out a bullet-proof five channels of 120wpc into 8ohms (200wpc into 4ohms). Fast forward a couple of decades and £6,000 later, the modern equivalent is the 9B3, sitting at a figure of £14,500. Although for the extra, you now get 200 watts from each of its monaural models, but the 4ohm figure of 300wpc is the same as the Hegel.
Nowadays, the 9B is rarely mentioned, which may partly down its high cost - but genuine, independent monaural channels are expensive to produce due to needing five times the components when compared to mainstream five-channel amplifiers. Most amplifiers of this type use a single transformer which feeds five all channels, and ends up suffering when all channels are begging for high output.
In steps the modular multi-channel power amplifier. Consisting of five identical mono amplifier boards, each with their own toroidal transformer to generate its power, each channel is truly independent, and doesn't affect any other channel's demand for more power.
Now there's a new kid on the block - the Hegel C range.
Hegel have built themselves an enviable reputation in the hi-fi world for their amplification. Now, Hegel have turned their knowledge towards multi-channel audio and home theatre systems, and produced a three-channel, four-channel, and a five-channel modular power amplifier. So now you can have the same amplification for your multi-channel system as you do your hi-fi system.
The C Series multi-channel power amplifiers will double its power with each halving of the impedance, providing 150wpc, 300wpc into 4ohms, and offering a stable 600wpc into 2ohms - ideal for the likes of Perlisten loudspeakers...
Hegel's C Series amplifiers offer three-channel, four-channel, and five-channel configurations, with each module provides unbalanced RCA and balanced XLR inputs, switchable gain, and switchable phase.
The five channel versions comes in a good six thousand pounds cheaper than the current Bryston...
DualAmp technology separates out the current gain stage and voltage gain stages that are usually combined in amplifiers, allowing specific circuitry to do a better job, reducing distortion and preserving dynamic range.
DualPower technology supplies the output stage with a different power feed to that of the input and voltage gain stages. Like DualAmp, this gives lower distortion whilst maintaining high dynamic range.
SoundEngine technology preserves the original between stages, where distortion or errors tend to creep in, giving the advantages of Class A and Class AB amplifiers without the negatives, reducing high frequency distortion.
