HEGEL VIKING

Hegel Viking is the Norwegian brand's reference CD player, which boasts absolutely precise mechanics to rediscover every nuance from the CompactDisk collections and a high-quality DAC specific for the resolution of traditional Redbook CDs. It offers both digital and analogue outputs to be paired with any stand-alone DAC, preamplifier or HighEnd integrated

Description

Viking – the best CD player ever made by Hegel

Viking is Hegel's new reference CD player, designed to offer the most faithful sound reproduction possible and developed on the splendid mechanics of the previous model Mohican, the CD player that amazed with its extraordinary musical performance, launched in 2016 of which it was production stopped due to lack of components during the global pandemic.

Viking only plays traditional CompactDisks recorded with the 16 bit 44.1 kHz Redbook standard (CD-DA) offering uncompromising performance.

The name is named after the nature of the Norse ancestors in perfecting existing technology: the Vikings had perfected the design of boats so that they could sail both close to the coasts and cross open oceans.

CD technology is now several years old but is still considered today by Hegel as the best digital medium available.

The essential and minimalist design recalls the previous Mohican, but has been reworked to recall the lines of the reference analogues: P30A preamplifier and H30A power amplifier.

It also recalls the classic front panel format with a display in the center and two knobs to allow all playback controls. The front OLED display was specially selected for its low noise, thus not interfering with internal components and resulting in clearer, more detailed sound.

Enjoying music has never been so easy: the ritual of listening to CDs thus becomes extremely simple and pleasant.

“Viking is the best CD player Hegel has ever made, born from the ashes of the famous Mohican”

A bit of technology…

Viking is developed to play exclusively common Audio CDs, recorded according to the 16 bit 44.1 kHz Redbook standard, reaching unprecedented levels of fidelity. By developing the entire system around a specific resolution it was possible to obtain uncompromising performance.

Viking consists of only high-quality components designed specifically for the task, and that makes this CD player sound truly amazing.

Behind the CD loading slot, there is the laser reading mechanism optimized to ensure optimal reading of digital data.

The in-house designed DAC is based on the AKM 4493SEQ chip offers high-quality digital-to-analog conversion with minimal distortion. Unlike other high-end CD players, the Viking does not upsample or alter the signal in any way – a must for any audiophile who wants to experience music in its purest form.

The Servo circuit was developed from the ground up to offer sound reproduction extremely faithful to the original recording without introducing annoying readout errors.

The Servo circuit and the DAC are controlled directly by the powerful Master Clock system, designed in-house, ensuring perfect synchronization between the components: it uses a quartz crystal with very low phase noise and the patented SoundEngine technology to minimize the error of jitter.

The Viking's analog stage was developed specifically for this model: it includes a low-pass filter to eliminate the high-frequency noise generated by the conversion process and the proprietary Line Driver technology which guarantees very low impedance at the output connectors. Fully balanced signal management allows you to reduce distortion and preserve maximum audio resolution in terms of dynamic range and detail.

Reference system

The Viking CD player is perfectly combined with the design of the P30A preamplifier and H30A power amplifier, obtaining a very high level system, completely Made in Hegel.

The best for an audiophile, in any case, is to use a preamp in control of two power amplifiers in the Mono configuration.

It can also be the reference digital source for the exceptional H190, H390 and H590 integrated amplifiers – which boast all of Hegel's proprietary technologies, including SoundEngine 2 which reduces distortion at each amplification stage, achieving incredibly clean and transparent performance.

Naturally, infinite combinations are possible with other power amplifiers from other famous High Fidelity brands.

Viking can be used in combination with Chord Electronics to obtain the highest levels of sound transparency and detail, being able to constitute the digital source in the reference setup with Chord Dave DAC, Chord Ultima Pre 3 preamplifier and Chord Ultima 5 power amplifier.

Viking is the best CD player Hegel has ever made.

Connections

The Viking CD player can be connected to an external DAC or directly to the digital input section of an integrated amplifier via the 75 ohm digital BNC output; for example with the integrated H390 and H590.

Thanks to the high-level integrated DAC, it becomes the perfect partner for 100% analogue systems via the unbalanced RCA stereo and balanced XLR stereo connections: the ideal partners are the P20 and P30A preamplifiers of the same brand. Recommended cables in line with performance are Chord Company's Epic Analogue or the top-line Signature Analogue.

To complete the setup, Epic Power level input power cables are recommended, the ideal pairing is with the Chord T Power cables.

The Chord Company has created the GroundARAY, devices to be connected to the free sockets on the rear panel to reduce high frequency noise, increasing the quality of the sound output.

Viking is an excellent performance machine: it is designed to capture every single detail of the music you are listening to.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Supported Discs: 12 cm Redbook CDs

Line Level Output: 1 unbalanced fixed (RCA), 1 balanced fixed (XLR)

Output Voltage Analog: 2,5V RMS

Digital Output: 1 BNC true 75 Ohm

Frequency Response: 0Hz-22 kHz

Distortion: Less than 0.0015%

Finish: Black

Dimensions (HxWxD): 9,9 cm x 43 cm x 30,5 cm

Weight: 7,3 kg