[Arttt]

Hegel is pure high end for " small money" ! We in Sweden know that from experience
Hegel hd12 is a great deal, but its not as good as hegel hd25. I spoke with folks from Hegel about the differences between hd20 hd 12 and hd20 at presentation of hegel hd12 here in sweden in my home town...
I was told that hd12 had more in comment with hd20 reither than with hd25! Digital inputs on hd12 been improved ( less jitter ) thats always a good thing! but analog section is better on hd20 and needless to say on hd25.  In a speaker rig in a room with good acoustics you can hear how hd25 takes it on another level with micro/macro detail , it punches hard with dynamics without sounding "hard"   Vocals are amazing...
 
Hd12  is very good dac for the price but its not as good as hd25!
 
As for someone mention hd12 doesn't have enough power for hd800 , i had same impression once i had it at home for a few days. I had a brand new unit with less than 50 hours on it.
Later on , after a month or so i came back to the store and gave it a listen , now sound blossomed with huge wide soundstage , bass hit with authority and vocals where so engaging i could not get enough of it , one recording efter another  , i spend like hour there without noticing it
 
I was satisfied at volume level 60 , wouldn't won't it more loud than that and it had more power to offer , a lot more
 
hd12 sounds really amazing with beyerdynamic dt150 , great synergy , for those who prefer tubes and allergic to digital glare  but want keep dynamic, detail, and clarity of digital sound, hd12+dt150 is something worth hearing!
 
IMO, naim v1 is not a bad dac. Its just sound "right" with naim gear!  as for amp section of V1 , yeah its weak...
 
HD12 is a great choice, sound character definitely flirts with tube sound and it has a decent amp section too! Guy from Hegel told me he prefers hd12 with audeze lcd2 , had nice synergy!
 
I recomend hd12 as any other Hegel product , they know what they doing

 

[aqsw]

[HD12 is a great choice, sound character definitely flirts with tube sound and it has a decent amp section too! Guy from Hegel told me he prefers hd12 with audeze lcd2 , had nice synergy!

I recomend hd12 as any other Hegel product , they know what they doing
[/quote]

I find the dac section amazing. The amp section is lacking. I have the volume at 85 for normal listening. Lcd2.2pf.
The pm3s at about 62 for same volume. I bought it for the dac section. Waiting on the Liquid Carbon and Ethers.
I like that the footprint is small, its black like the LC. The setup will not only look fantastic, but I'm sure will sound the part too.

 

[Arttt]

LC looks interesting! i hope the synergy between ETHERS and LC will be good! Hegel is neutral and works with everything

 

[aqsw]

LC looks interesting! i hope the synergy between ETHERS and LC will be good! Hegel is neutral and works with everything

From all the reviews I've seen, the synergy between the lc and the ethers are phenominal. Check out the ethers thread on this combo. Im sure the hegel will only make it better.

 

[lashing]

I have the HD12 going right now. Its a very good DAC. Tried the Teac 501 - hated it. Then the Teac 503 .. meh, ok. The Hegel actually sounds like music. I also like the simplicity. Headphone out isnt the best but it isnt bad either. 

 

[BearMonster]

I wonder why hegel are not more popular over here. I wonder if hegel will upgrade the dac chip to the akm 4490?

 

[aqsw]

  I wonder why hegel are not more popular over here. I wonder if hegel will upgrade the dac chip to the akm 4490?

No idea why? I love mine!!!

 

[Arttt]

Hegel sound character is neutral, it doesn't imitate tube sound warmth or digital precision and fireworks of details that in your face from the start. It's not trying to impress you...

That's why Hegel won't be popular among mainstream, it's pure high-end without flavor, taste like water )

 

[lashing]

Hegel sound character is neutral, it doesn't imitate tube sound warmth or digital precision and fireworks of details that in your face from the start. It's not trying to impress you...

That's why Hegel won't be popular among mainstream, it's pure high-end without flavor, taste like water )

You are probably right. I am Canadian. We like European gear.

 

[audiobill]

  I wonder why hegel are not more popular over here. I wonder if hegel will upgrade the dac chip to the akm 4490?

Hegel uses a pair of AKM 4490 DACs in balanced mono configuration in their reference HD30 DAC. It's at a much higher price though as their reference DAC, at $4800 US.

 

[lashing]

I dont know what DAC chip is in my HD12. The chip may be important but when you look up these chips at mouser they are dirt cheap. Obviously the circuit design is far more important.
 
I tried many DACs and just couldn't get into digital music. The HD 12 has me listening to tons of digital now. So whatever they've done is working .... for me. 
 
I would like to try a yggdrasil to compare. Not so easy to get a hold of one though.

 

[Arttt]

i agree!
chip itself is not the main thing ...
Hegel has amazing organic analog sound character and the cool thing about hegel sound signature is that it has good synergy with anything you connect to it.

 

[Thunder240]

I just swapped a Hegel HD12 into my stereo system in place of my "starter" DAC, an Emotiva XDA-1. I haven't had a chance to listen critically yet, but one thing that jumped out at me right away when I put on a track with which I'm very familiar (Eva Cassidy's "What a Wonderful World) is that high piano notes sound much more natural than they used to, rounder with no halo effect. I realize that the comparison of the two DACs isn't entirely fair, since the Hegel retails for 4-5 times the price of the Emotiva (which I would say is an excellent value given its features and dirt cheap price), but still. Maybe I'm just reacting to skepticism I held that switching from one competent DAC to another competent DAC could make a noticable difference. I wouldn't call it night and day, but it's absolutely a worthwhile improvement. Finally, I should note that I am not considering the digital preamp capability of either DAC. I use an analog preamp in my system, and both DACs were/are being used at reference volume (zero attenuation).
 
I can't wait to spend more time with this DAC!

 

[Arttt]

cool )
Make sure you use proper signal and usb / coax cables with Hegel, with Hegel HD12 its worth to upgrade cables!
I don't know what kind of cables you have right now but if its possible, get from a local hifi shop a pair of demo higher end cables and see what happens )
 
From personal experience , Hegel sounds really cool with Chord cables!  Sound is very musical, organic, natural , full-bodied and detailed, never artificial or fatigue!
Audioquest cables sound not bad too!

 

[aqsw]

I just swapped a Hegel HD12 into my stereo system in place of my "starter" DAC, an Emotiva XDA-1. I haven't had a chance to listen critically yet, but one thing that jumped out at me right away when I put on a track with which I'm very familiar (Eva Cassidy's "What a Wonderful World) is that high piano notes sound much more natural than they used to, rounder with no halo effect. I realize that the comparison of the two DACs isn't entirely fair, since the Hegel retails for 4-5 times the price of the Emotiva (which I would say is an excellent value given its features and dirt cheap price), but still. Maybe I'm just reacting to skepticism I held that switching from one competent DAC to another competent DAC could make a noticable difference. I wouldn't call it night and day, but it's absolutely a worthwhile improvement. Finally, I should note that I am not considering the digital preamp capability of either DAC. I use an analog preamp in my system, and both DACs were/are being used at reference volume (zero attenuation).

I can't wait to spend more time with this DAC!

You have a fantastic dac there. Piano notes are a sure tell sign. My Hegel has been relegated to office use after buying a Space Tech Labs dac,
but I still think the Hegel is a remarkable DAC.