Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.
With its midnight-black plumage, the raven is a bird that evokes a sense of seriousness. It’s been associated with prophecy and mysticism, and the intelligence of real-world ravens is well documented. In Norse mythology, two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, served Odin by traveling the earth and bringing back knowledge and insight. Tying into this mythology, Norway-based Hegel Music Systems has nicknamed its latest and greatest DAC, the D50 ($4900, CA$5900, £4250, €4895), “the Raven.”
Discussing the D50’s relationship to its predecessor, the HD30, Hegel founder and designer Bent Holter states in a recent Soundstage! InSight video, “The D50 is in many ways built on the same basic platform as the HD30. The biggest change is resolution; the noise floor is pushed down, and also the timing and phase information is much more precise. It’s mostly about making the sound more fluid.” Anders Ertzeid, Hegel’s director of sales and marketing, refers to the Raven as a “racehorse DAC . . . it’s a DAC, period.”
The Raven is currently Hegel’s only standalone DAC. It joins Hegel’s other top-tier audio components, which include the P30A preamplifier (“the Conductor”), the H30A power amplifier (“the Orchestra”), and the Viking CD player. While the D50 is an ideal match for Hegel’s reference separate components, Hegel has ensured that the D50 can also be seamlessly integrated with its top-tier streaming integrated amplifiers using a connection it calls the DAC-Loop. In simple terms, the DAC-Loop utilizes the digital output connection and menu functions of Hegel’s top-level integrated amplifiers to pass the digital music stream from the integrated amp into the D50 DAC. Presently, Hegel’s H400 and H600 integrated amplifiers include the DAC-Loop; this feature is also included in Hegel’s former H300, H360, H390, and H590 integrated amps. With the Hegel DAC-Loop, owners of these top-level integrated amplifiers can connect the D50 and instantly raise the performance of their systems, while retaining the full streaming and menu functionality of their integrated amplifiers.
Description
Measuring 3.9″H × 17″W × 12″D and weighing 14.55 pounds, the D50 has a robust build and minimalist aesthetic that is typical of Hegel components. The only evident stylistic treatment is a central keystone-like notch on the front face that hosts a silkscreened Hegel badge. The black satin finish is stealthy and unassuming. No buttons whatsoever are found on the Raven’s milled aluminum faceplate, just a dimmable white-on-black display screen that indicates operation, input, and sample rate. There are three hidden buttons on the bottom, directly under the display screen. The center button controls power on/off, while the left and right are for source selection and menu navigation.
The all-aluminum casework eliminates the possibility of chassis-induced magnetic flux, Hegel says, contributing to improved performance. The feet are also aluminum, with rubber soles that provide stability.
On the left side of the rear panel are the outputs: one pair of fixed balanced (XLR) jacks flanking a pair of fixed unbalanced (RCA) jacks. To their right are the inputs: one AES/EBU S/PDIF (XLR), one coaxial S/PDIF (BNC), one coaxial S/PDIF (RCA), two optical S/PDIFs (TosLink), and one USB Type B. The coaxial BNC and RCA inputs can accept PCM streams to 24-bit/192kHz and DSD64 (DoP) as well as MQA 8x, while the optical inputs handle 24/96 PCM and MQA 8x. The USB input accepts streams up to 32/384 PCM, DSD256 (DoP), and MQA 8x. At the far right is a three-prong IEC power inlet.
Hegel says its intention in developing the D50 was to surpass the performance of any of its previous DACs. To achieve this objective, Hegel excluded all functions and circuitry that might introduce additional noise. Thus, the D50 has no network connection, built-in streamer, or preamplifier capabilities.
The Raven incorporates what Hegel refers to as “advanced filters” on its power input. This is purported to eliminate noise from the mains. This doesn’t only improve the D50’s performance, Hegel claims; when the D50 is connected to a grounded power outlet, these filters will enhance the performance of all other audio equipment connected to the same circuit.
The D50’s power supply employs two low-noise toroidal transformers, one feeding the digital-processing and standby functions, the other assigned to the sensitive analog and digital circuitry. The two transformers are shielded by steel and placed as far as possible from the electronics to prevent any negative effects. Hegel has also taken care in the filtering of the output of these transformers to ensure pure power delivery.
Hegel emphasizes the attention they’ve paid to the D50’s circuit boards, noting that the “routing features rounded corners to minimize impedance drops and reduce radiation.” Further to this, Hegel highlights that the AES/EBU input utilizes an RS422 receiver, which is balanced by a transformer to ensure that signals are free of jitter. The S/PDIF inputs are managed by a custom-designed card that unpacks the I2S data before the decoded signals get reclocked by three dedicated master clocks. One master clock is for S/PDIF, while the other two are for USB: one for 44.1kHz streams and multiples thereof, and the other for 48kHz streams and multiples. According to Hegel, the clocks are strategically placed to ensure that the DAC chip receives a perfectly timed signal. The DAC chip is mounted on a separate board, above the other electronics, to reduce noise and interference while optimizing signal paths. Hegel has used DAC chips from Analog Devices, Texas Instruments, and AKM in the past. For the D50, Hegel chose ESS Technology’s ESS9039, as this chip was found to be the best match for the new DAC’s design.
The D50 incorporates input sensing so that it can detect a digital signal and wake up the device automatically. The user can configure this feature to simply power the unit up or to automatically switch to the new input as well. An automatic standby feature will kick in if no music signal has been detected for 15 minutes; however, this can be disabled or changed through the setup menu.
Hegel bundles its RC8 remote control with the D50. When used with the D50, this compact aluminum-body remote provides power-on/standby, menu-navigation, and input-selection functions. It has a simple button layout, but no backlighting.
Setup and listening
To evaluate the D50, I used my Rega Apollo CD player as a digital source, connected via coaxial S/PDIF (RCA) with an Audio Sensibility Statement SE OCC Silver digital interconnect. I used my Roon Nucleus server, connected via USB with a Furutech ADL Formula 2 USB cable, to stream from Qobuz and Tidal and to play music files stored on a connected Western Digital My Passport Ultra drive. The Raven was connected via Audio Sensibility Statement SE OCC Silver XLR interconnects to my Bryston BR-20 preamplifier. A pair of Bryston 7B3 amplifiers drove my Dynaudio Confidence C2 Signature loudspeakers via Audio Sensibility Statement speaker cables. All listening was done in my 7.75′H × 18.5′W × 13′D acoustically treated listening room.
Right from my first listen, I was taken by the D50’s graceful, relaxed delivery. The background was dead silent, allowing me to appreciate the space between the players and the intervals between the notes. Aural images were well delineated and corporeal, but not artificially outlined.
These characteristics were apparent on the title track of Chris Botti’s To Love Again (The Duets) (CD, Columbia CK 94823), which I played on my Rega Apollo, using it as a CD transport. Anthony Wilson’s opening guitar notes flowed smoothly, with no undue attention drawn to their leading edges. Microdynamics were conveyed wonderfully, such that I could sense Wilson’s touch and the woody timbre of his instrument with every pluck of the strings. Likewise, the D50 presented the sweet tone of Botti’s muted trumpet absent of any shrillness or bite. The Raven portrayed Billy Kilson’s gentle cymbal taps by combining palpable dynamic presence with a velvety touch. Sonic images were drawn with holographic precision, but rather than seeming sharp-cornered, they were rounded and three-dimensional. Turning my focus to the strings of the London Session Orchestra, the inky-black background meant that the massed instruments sounded remarkably defined and separated.
The D50 provided another memorable listening experience with Elizabeth Shepherd’s rendition of “Midnight Sun” from her 2012 album Rewind (CD, Linus 270155). The impressive solidity of Scott Kemp’s powerful bass notes was juxtaposed against the quickness of the strings. Cymbal splashes had a delicate and feathery quality that was absent of any fizz around the strikes, so that the decays were conveyed with greater clarity.
On “Buzzard Song” from the same album, the opening tremolo of the strings demonstrated the D50’s clarity and cleanness of expression. I appreciated the drone of the double bass, incredibly full, rich, and textured, its deep, dark notes communicated with an eerie and menacing quality. The rattle of strings against the bass’s neck was rendered with generous texture and dynamic expression. Shepherd’s voice sounded eerily lifelike, her breaths having a satin-like quality.
“When We Were Free” from Pat Metheny’s 2008 album Day Trip (CD, Nonesuch 376828-2) opens with a slow but snappy double-bass riff by Christian McBride, after which, ten seconds in, Antonio Sanchez enters on drums. The Raven surprised me not just with its dynamic presentation of Sanchez’s cracks on the snare, but also with its subtle portrayal of his shimmering cymbal taps. These taps had an elevated sense of physicality and touch, another illustration of the D50’s ability to relay microdynamics. The aural images of the players were precise and three-dimensional, with their positions layered on a broad, deep soundstage that reached just beyond my front wall and out to the side walls.
In 2018, I attended a live performance by a young folk artist, Annie Sumi, during which she featured songs from her 2017 album In the Unknown (CD, self-released). Listening to “Evaporating Life” through the D50, I relished the distinctive and unconventional sound of the waterphone. The Hegel DAC convincingly conjured the instrument’s eerie metallic echo, conveying fluidity and buoyancy along with spaciousness and height. The acoustic-guitar plucks were precise and tight, while possessing a beautiful sonorous quality. Sumi’s voice was nothing less than angelic via the D50, full of texture and detail, but with a naturalness free of any analytic character. The Raven presented images against an absolutely black background. Think of a performance in perfect darkness with soft lights focused only on the players, concealing the background and stage, and you’ll have an idea of how the D50 rendered this track.
With my Roon Nucleus server connected to the Raven via USB, I played a couple of DSD tracks. First up was “Fever” from Ray Charles’s Genius Loves Company (DSD64, rip from Concord SACD-1033-6). The impact of the kick drum in the opening was superbly tight and elastic, combining an impressive thump with a strong sense of speed. I noted how authentically the Raven rendered the finger snaps, clearly revealing the sound of fingers hitting the palm. Likewise, the hand strikes on the bongos had an impressive tactile quality and timbre. Through the D50, Charles’s rich, smoky vocals and Natalie Cole’s sultry singing were completely lifelike.
Next, I listened to “Take Five” from the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s 1959 masterpiece Time Out (DSD64, rip from Columbia CS 65122). The Raven did a great job of revealing the shudder of Joe Morello’s kick drum. The snare sounded not only tight but full, the reverb of the skins very apparent. Cymbals once again possessed a real sense of physical presence, while avoiding aggressiveness.
Comparison
I compared the Hegel D50 DAC with the DAC inside my Bryston BR-20 streaming preamp using my Rega Apollo as a CD transport and my Roon Nucleus connected via USB to each in turn.
As mentioned earlier, Hegel states that the D50 incorporates advanced power filters that benefit any component plugged into the same electrical circuit. I investigated this by using my BR-20 while the D50 was plugged in and on standby, and then again when the D50 was unplugged. With the D50 plugged in, there was slight but noticeable taming of the upper treble when I played music through the BR-20, and the background was slightly blacker. Accordingly, to keep things equal, in all my back-to-back comparisons I made sure to unplug the Raven when I was listening to the BR-20.
The Hegel D50 sounded slightly warmer and more relaxed than the BR-20’s internal DAC, with fuller and weightier bass. However, while the BR-20 was slightly leaner in the bass, it did reveal more texture. Images with the BR-20 were more chiselled, while the D50 provided rounder images, manifesting a somewhat greater sense of dimensionality. The Raven also produced aural images that offered a greater sense of physical presence, and resolved micro- and mid-dynamics more finely. Backgrounds were ultra-black through the Hegel D50, with absolute quiet between images. In comparison, the BR-20 cast more light onto the soundstage, revealing surroundings as well as echo and reverb along with the air between images. Through the D50, high frequencies were somewhat reserved compared to the BR-20, giving the D50 a more subtle personality. In a nutshell, the D50 sounded more serene and blissful, while providing a greater sense of realism. On the other hand, the BR-20 was more exciting and flavorful.
Conclusion
Hegel Music Systems’ D50 is an excellent DAC that delivers utterly quiet, incredibly smooth, and composed performances with astonishing dynamic presence. With its ability to project lifelike imagery against perfectly black backgrounds, the D50 facilitates a full appreciation of musical performances. It’s a DAC that steps out of the way of the music, delivering resolution and detail in a nonchalant manner.
The Raven eschews an airy, rarified, and chiselled sound, but instead provides a liquid, relaxed, and natural presentation that encourages deep listening. At US$4900, the Hegel D50 can’t be called affordable, but given its level of refinement, it could be considered a bargain compared to other high-end reference DACs. If you’re looking for an endgame DAC, you should audition the Raven and experience its mystical qualities for yourself.
. . . George de Sa
george@soundstage.com
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.
Associated Equipment
- Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Confidence C2 Signature
- Streaming preamplifier: Bryston BR-20
- Power amplifiers: Bryston 7B3 monoblocks
- Music server: Roon Nucleus
- CD player: Rega Apollo
- Rack: Quadraspire SV3T
- Cables: Audio Sensibility Statement speaker cables, interconnects, and power cables; Pangea AC-9 Mk 2 power cables; Furutech ADL Formula 2 USB cable
Hegel Music Systems D50 digital-to-analog converter
Price: $4900, CA$5900, £4250, €4895
Warranty: Two years, parts and labor
Hegel Music Systems
PB26, Blindern
0314 Oslo, Norway
Phone: +47 22-60-56-60
Fax: +47 22-69-91-56
Email: info@hegel.com
Website: www.hegel.com
Hegel America Inc.
Fairfield, IA
Phone: (413) 224-2480
Email: usa@hegel.com
