Усилители мощности стерео — Hegel C54

The C54 is the four-channel variant of the C5 series, a family of rack-mountable multi-channel power amplifiers from Hegel Music Systems of Oslo, Norway. Its three- and five-channel siblings are the C53 and C55, and all three share the same 3U enclosure. Hegel lists home theatre, bi-amping, mastering studios and commercial installations among the intended uses. The US price is USD 8,300.

Key specs that matter

All four channels deliver 150 W into 8 ohm, 300 W into 4 ohm and 600 W into 2 ohm at 1 kHz with 1 percent THD, a rating given for 100 V, 120 V and 230 V supplies. Loads below 2 ohm are not supported. Harmonic distortion measures under 0.01 percent at 100 W into 8 ohm, and the 19 kHz plus 20 kHz intermodulation figure is under 0.01 percent as well. Signal to noise ratio is greater than 100 dB, crosstalk lower than -100 dB, damping factor above 2,000 and bandwidth 5 Hz to 100 kHz. The rear panel has eight signal inputs, a balanced XLR plus an unbalanced RCA for every channel, together with a mini-jack trigger input accepting 5 to 12 V and a mini-jack trigger output at 11.9 V. With handles and without feet the amplifier measures 48.2 x 13.2 x 52 cm (W x H x D). Gross weight in packaging is 38.5 kg against 33 kg for the bare unit.

Engineering and use context

SoundEngine2, the patented correction circuit Hegel uses across its amplifiers, lets the class AB output devices idle at a low bias current. As a result the C54 runs cooler than a typical class AB design of this power, which is why Hegel considers it suitable for mounting in a standard equipment rack. Leaving one rack unit empty above and below is advised. Rack ears are built into the front panel, detachable rear ears adjust to the rack depth, and a set of feet comes with the amplifier for use outside a cabinet. Two small switches per channel select gain of 23 dB or 29 dB and phase of 0 or 180 degrees, allowing, for example, a pair of channels to drive the bass section of a speaker at a different gain from the pair driving the treble. Any automation processor can start the amplifier through the trigger input, and the output passes that command on down a chain of C5 units or other gear.

Pairing

Four channels suit bi-amping a pair of stereo speakers, running surround or height channels in an Atmos system alongside another C5 amplifier, or feeding an active crossover. Balanced XLR connections to the processor or preamplifier are the natural choice in a rack installation.

Alternatives

The Hegel C55 adds a fifth channel with the same per-channel rating in the identical 3U chassis.