[ButtUglyJeff]

A couple a quick questions for any Hegel owners:
 
1) Has anyone used this DAC with an iPad/iPhone as a source (I'm assuming you would need the Camera Connection Kit/CCK)?  It would be nice to have that option...
 
2) I noticed Mac drivers on Hegel's site.  Has anyone had connection issues here where they need to use the drivers?  I'm a bit spoiled with plug and play

...
 
The DC12 seems like it would be a great pairing with my Liquid Carbon.  Thanks in advance.

 

[Arttt]

If you need a dac and not dac/amp combo , then I strongly recommend Hegel hd25!! As a dac its so much better! Scary detailed!

Hegel dacs won't work with iPad or iPhone without usb hub with power supply

No problems with drivers, I have MacBook and I didn't need any drivers, simply plug n play.

 

[tgdinamo]

  A couple a quick questions for any Hegel owners:
 
 
 
2) I noticed Mac drivers on Hegel's site.  Has anyone had connection issues here where they need to use the drivers?  I'm a bit spoiled with plug and play

...
 
 

 
I connect my HD12 to Macbook pro via USB and have had no problem with those drivers. I exclusively use it in this setup at my desk at home, and run the XLR output cables to Focal speakers. Sounds fantastic.

 

[Thunder240]

Anyone happen to know what the impedance of the HD12's headphone out is? I can't find it on Hegel's website, the manual, or in any of the reviews. If anyone happens to own a multimeter and could measure it, that would be very much appreciated.

 

[Dro007]

As an owner of the hd12, I must say I am impressed. The dac seems to be more powerful than the headamp, but the headamp is quite good. Being a norwegian, a hegel retails for approx 800 usd here, and you can get your hand on a used one for approx 500 usd, which I did, almost a third of the retail price in the US (1400 usd).
 
What I am pondering on is whether or not to buy an extra headamp and use the hegel as dac only. The phones are Senn hd650s. What would be a decent upgrade, and how much would it cost me (and is it worth it)? The reason for asking is that I am quite new to the game, and the hd12 is the best dac/amp I have owned to date.
 
Thanks!

 

[Dro007]

Anyone happen to know what the impedance of the HD12's headphone out is? I can't find it on Hegel's website, the manual, or in any of the reviews. If anyone happens to own a multimeter and could measure it, that would be very much appreciated.

 
 
I asked Hegel that very question, and they say the output impedance is 64 ohm, which is actually quite high. I also asked them about the quality of the headphone amp, and they said it would do well agains headphone amps in the 250-350 usd range, but the dac itself is quite good (1400 usd retail price) and in order to improve the sound quality, one should connect it to a pure headphone amp well above 350 usd. 

 

[Thunder240]

Wow. I'm not usually in the habit of questioning manufacturer's specs about their own products, especially when the specs they provide are 'bad'. However, I also got an answer from a Hegel rep when I posed the question regarding headphone output impedance, and the answer I got was "@64 Ohm it's about 100mv".

I don't know what to make of this answer, but clearly there is some misunderstanding. It's interesting that both of us got answers that included the number "64", probably not a coincidence, and hopefully an indicator that the rep who responded to you also misunderstood what you were asking.

This morning I listened to some music through the Hegel with Fostex TH-X00 Purplehearts, and although I think they sound better from my CEntrance Hifi Skyn, I still noted some very impressive representation of space on live tracks, and I felt the timbres were true. Since the Fostex are 25 Ohm headphones, from a 64 Ohm output impedance I'd think there would be a more noticeable difference as compared to the CEntrance.

So, does anyone care to speculate what data the rep actually provided to me if not the output impedance?

Also, does anyone

I asked Hegel that very question, and they say the output impedance is 64 ohm, which is actually quite high. I also asked them about the quality of the headphone amp, and they said it would do well agains headphone amps in the 250-350 usd range, but the dac itself is quite good (1400 usd retail price) and in order to improve the sound quality, one should connect it to a pure headphone amp well above 350 usd. 

 

[Dro007]

I figured that I might just jump in with some comparisons for those who might consider the hegel hd12.

The dac in the hegel is very, very good. I have not compared it to other dacs in the same range, but it beats my dragonfly red out of the field (as it should, considered the price). Some prefers it over similar offerings from Chord, Naim etc. I have not tried it yet.

I also bought a bottlehead crack w/ speedball, and the analogue section on the hegel hd12 is not as good as the bottlehead, though closer than what one might think. The headphone amp on hegel has very good detail retrieval (just as good as the crack), good soundstage and the music is neutrally delivered with good, non-fatiguing treble, but it falls behind to the crack on instrument separation, bass (both quality and quantity) and mids. The hegel sounds a bit dull in comparison, and the instruments are easier to seperate on the crack. The difference is not as big as one might think though, and tubes might change the whole thing. I used the Sennheiser hd650.


My 5 cents on the hegel:

+: Tremendous as a dac-only, and you can find it used (atleast in norway/scandinavia) at almost the third of the retail price it has in the US. It also retails for approx. only 2/3 of the US price here in scandinavia.
-: The headamp is, as Hegel themselves claim, competetive with most headamps between 250-350 usd. It falls just short of my bottlehead crack w. speedball.

 

[isol]

I have been using Hegel HD12 for over a year and suddnely it just won't connect to my Mac Mini. I tried another Mac Mini as well as a Macbook Pro still no joy. I can connect via toslink but not via USB. I have been emailing Hegel half a dozen times and so far no reply from them. As also a Hegel H160 owner I'm very dissapointed with the company right now.

 

[tgdinamo]

I have been using Hegel HD12 for over a year and suddnely it just won't connect to my Mac Mini. I tried another Mac Mini as well as a Macbook Pro still no joy. I can connect via toslink but not via USB. I have been emailing Hegel half a dozen times and so far no reply from them. As also a Hegel H160 owner I'm very dissapointed with the company right now.

I have the same USB problem with my HD12, both on my Win 10 desktop, and my Macbook pro. No reply from Hegel after multiple emails. It also works for me via toslink.

 

[isol]

I have the same USB problem with my HD12, both on my Win 10 desktop, and my Macbook pro. No reply from Hegel after multiple emails. It also works for me via toslink.

So it worked for you before? For how long? I don't understand why the dac just suddenly won't connect to the computer anymore. At first I thought it was because of the macOS update but I tried it also with older sierra, now ts not even registered in the System Report > USB section. I like the Hegel sound but this silent treatment from them is really annoying.

 

[tgdinamo]

So it worked for you before? For how long? I don't understand why the dac just suddenly won't connect to the computer anymore. At first I thought it was because of the macOS update but I tried it also with older sierra, now ts not even registered in the System Report > USB section. I like the Hegel sound but this silent treatment from them is really annoying.

It worked for me with no issues until about a year ago. Then it stopped recognizing the USB on my mac. About that same time I switched to windows on desktop and at first it worked there but eventually it stopped recognizing the USB on windows as well.
Maybe it has something to do with software updates on both Mac and Windows (where Hegel software should be updated to account to whatever changes may have been done to OS sofware - if not that then it's some type of HD12 hardware problem that only affects the USB).

 

[isol]

It worked for me with no issues until about a year ago. Then it stopped recognizing the USB on my mac. About that same time I switched to windows on desktop and at first it worked there but eventually it stopped recognizing the USB on windows as well.
Maybe it has something to do with software updates on both Mac and Windows (where Hegel software should be updated to account to whatever changes may have been done to OS sofware - if not that then it's some type of HD12 hardware problem that only affects the USB).

Well, somebody from Hegel replied my email with only this suggestion: check my usb cable! I replied immediately saying the cable works fine with the H160. I also list down all things I have tried. That was 11 days ago. You have any luck contacting them?

 

[tgdinamo]

Well, somebody from Hegel replied my email with only this suggestion: check my usb cable! I replied immediately saying the cable works fine with the H160. I also list down all things I have tried. That was 11 days ago. You have any luck contacting them?

Sadly they did not reply to me at all.

 

[donpablo]

Any comparison between Hegel HD12 and lets say Aune S6, Audio gd 28.28/38, Burson Playmate, Yulong DA9/10/Aquilla, Questyle 400/600i?

Would be very grateful for that.