Montreal Audiofest 2024

All prices listed in Canadian dollars.

Hegel hosted a few rooms. In this one, the Norway-based company’s setup included its brand-new 150Wpc H190V streaming integrated amplifier with MM phono stage ($4899, projected release: May), a pair of Andrew Jones–designed MoFi Sourcepoint 8 speakers ($4399 with stands)—the model's 8 designation refers to the size of the concentric driver—AudioQuest cabling (various prices), and a MoFi Ultradeck turntable with factory-aligned Mastertracker MM cartridge ($3999), which wasn't in use during my visit.

The sound of Tidal-streamed files produced by this unpretentious, configurationally simple, not silly-priced system was so enjoyable—big, substantial, coherent, propulsive, enveloping, tonally varied—that I was in no rush to leave my chair to hear bigger, more expensive setups waiting for me in other rooms, even though I love hearing those, too. If the length of time I spend sitting in a seat listening is a gauge of that system's sound quality (call it the butt test?), this Hegel system scored high—maybe 4 butts out of a possible 5?