Intro
Contents
Small but nice… we all want that. But unfortunately it is often the case that compromises have to be made when compacting electronics in this case. Especially when it comes to amplifiers. After all: more watts means a larger power supply and larger capacitors. However, there are companies that compromise… within the possibilities– tremendously well. We hook up the Hegel Röst and sit down.
Hegel has become a (very) well-known name within the hi-fi industry. The Norwegians have been putting capable hardware on the market for years. The H360 was our first serious introduction to the manufacturer. And what an acquaintance. The H360 is really a beast of a device. Balls, openness, dynamism… control. And also a fine streamer and fine d/a converter. What more do you want? Or need?
The Röst
The Hegel Röst – Röst means ‘voice’ and is also a Norwegian island – is a step towards home automation. In terms of design, it is also a step(s) with a white finish and a sleek display. The Röst has a nice oled display which looks just a bit tighter. Here and there some refinements have also been made to the electronic design. However: the H360 and the newer H190 are still one step above the Röst. The Röst already has a SoundEninge 2. The newer one. The main difference with the larger models is power. The Röst delivers 75 watts in 8 Ohm. The H190 and H360 deliver significantly more power. Which makes them more suitable for more difficult speakers.
Simple
A Hegel is simple. There is an on and off button (bottom left) and left and right a button. Right is volume and left is input. The Röst still has a headphone output. Ready. On the back we see some entrances and exits:
- A line output
- Two line inputs
- A balanced input
- Speaker outputs (stereo)
- 1 x coaxial in
- 3 x optical in
- USB input (usb-dac)
- Network (streaming)
The Röst is aimed at people who are going to use the device as the centre of their set. Since many av devices use optical off, it is logical that there are three optical inputs on it. The coaxial input and USB connection are pleasant for those who would like to upgrade to an older CD player and possibly connect a streamer via USB.