(English) Music Hall HSV2002 amplifier

Music Hall Hi Fi Stereo Verstärker HSV2002
Made in South Korea
1978–1980
Nominal power: 60 W
400 x 140 x 290 mm, 10.5Kg, metal case
Price in first year of sale: aprox. 450 DM

 

 

 

          This device has appeared under several names, on several audio markets. The origin is Sherwood S-702CP, an amp manufactured in Korea and rebranded for European markets under different names: Frey 9303, Eagle A7600, Bayreuth Concerto HSV9165, Music Hall HSV2002.
          Why Sherwood did such a marketing effort? Did they think they had a device so good that they could start conquering the audio stores in Europe? Not likely. Rather, they tried to enter the audio niche opened by Japanese brands that has already penetrated European markets with lower prices and (advertised) superior technical specifications.

 

          I tried Music Hall HSV2002 with some of my favorite speakers: K+H Telewatt SL 35, Summit Box 270/1 and Philips 22RH426. The amplifier didn’t make justice to these speakers, no matter what audio sources I’ve tried, analog or digital. A better matching proved to be with some lesser known speakers, Transonic Life TL 400, that were also made in Asia for German market, during the same period. There was a controlled, muscular sound, not necessarily musical or with good resolution, but with enough body and substance.

          My impression is that Music Hall does not fit well with sensitive speakers and seems more suited to more difficult tasks. So give him speakers from the late 70s, not from the beginning of the decade. However, I would say that musicality and resolution are not the strong points of this amplifier.

          The phono preamp of Music Hall proved to be mediocre at best in the combinations I tried with Dual turntables: 1218, 1219, CS455.