Hegel CD players

This Norwegian electronics company has been around since the mid-1990s but in recent years has become much better known in the higher end of the audio market for their very focused range of products.

Focused solely on CD playback

Most CD players today try to incorporate many additional facilities to enable other digital sources and formats to be played, for example supporting DSD, etc. The problem is that these additional functionalities not only drive up the cost, but in our experience, significantly reduce the sound quality when playing CDs. The Viking does nothing but play CDs, rare in today’s market, and plays them exceedingly well. There is no digital input interface available. 

A dedicated CD player, using the very latest in bit-perfect digital processing, developed, adapted and focussed for CD only. The results are incredible. Hegel believe, as we do at The Audio Consultants, that CD is the best digital media source for the discerning listener offering the highest quality of sound for digital replay. This is not a repackaged Mohican (their previous CD Player) as it is a complete redesign which includes:

• A new CD dedicated slot drive and laser mechanism to maximise both CD resolution and long-term reliability, ensuring trouble free playback.
  
• A much-improved DAC section, interestingly using a brand new AKM chip, the AKM 4493SEQ. This is produced in AKM’s new facility since their old one was destroyed by fire.
• The drive and the DAC are directly controlled by Hegel’s unique Master Clock system, ensuring perfect timing between the two. Using a quartz crystal with very low phase noise and Hegel’s patented SoundEngine technology, the in-house designed discrete clock in the Viking, reduces jitter to an absolute minimum. 
• The analogue output stage in Viking has been developed specifically for this model. It incorporates both Hegel’s analogue low pass filter and Line Driver technology, ensuring fully balanced and noise-free handling of the signal all the way to your amplifier.
• Improved build quality with styling to match their new amplifiers (H600 integrated or their P30A Pre / H30A Power option)
• New low noise OLED display
  

Hegel Viking Reference CD player