HICORE H2 AMPLIFIER FROM QLEARSOUL REVIEW

A small-footprint integrated amplifier with built-in Bluetooth, Paul Rigby roams around his house with it in tow

Why the roaming? Because of that small footprint of 127 × 170 × 41mm plus 823g weight. Although the size does increase rather when the rear-mounted Bluetooth aerial is added and positioned vertically. But that aerial can be moved around. This amplifier promises installation within a host of room sizes and situations, finding an ideal location will be part of this review.

Speaking of the Bluetooth aerial, Bluetooth itself is at version 5.4 here with a 10m range although I could only find an AAC (and SBC) codecs during use. I was hoping for addition codecs but considering the budget, maybe that was too much to hope for…

Using a TI TPA3255 Class D amplifier chip inside a vented chassis, Qlearsoul talked about 300W × 2 of maximum output power but this one is actually rated at 100W and even that is at 4 Ohms. There are no published 8 Ohm figures but I would guesstimate a maximum of 50W, maybe less. Probably less. 

On the front is a power toggle switch, a multi-function volume rotary knob that selected inputs when pressed in: namely, RCA, Bluetooth and auxiliary. Those sockets are around the rear along with a barrel plug for an external switch-mode power brick. 

There is a 60-day returns policy attached to this amplifier plus a three-year warranty. There are email and phone contacts for support issues. 

SET UP

I wanted to establish the spine of this mini HiFi system which meant pairing this little box with a suitable pair of speakers. Looking at the size and specification of the HiCore H2, I don’t think floorstanding speakers are relevant. This is a tiny box for at tiny HiFi systems. Surely the idea here is to exploit the small footprint of this amplifier? So stand mounted/bookshelf speakers are what you’re looking for here.

But even within that category, I would avoid stand mounts that are tall, bulky and might outpace the HiCore H2 in performance terms. Hooking up a pair of Spendor A1 speakers to the HiCore H2, for example, might just fit in size terms but the Spendors are just too good for this box. 

So what I was looking for was a pair of speakers that performed well, didn’t break the bank in general HiFi terms and allowed the HiCore H2 perform at its very best. 

The Dali Kupids are an ideal fit, therefore. They are compact in size terms, in price terms and sound great no matter what they’re hooked to. Well, I say that, there’s always a first time, eh?

But the Dali speakers were in the chair on this test. 

So I did a quick first impression test, hooking up my Audiolab 6000CDT and Benchmark DAC as a source. Yes, the source is high quality but I selected it because I wanted to remove the source as a variable. This test is all about the amp. 

SOUND QUALITY

To begin, I turned to the self-titled CD album from Seal for a dynamic test in music terms and tested the amp in my main listening room. 

LISTENING ROOM TEST 

First up? Tthe amplifier is underpowered for a main listening room. I had to push the amp hard to fill my room and then upper mids and treble lost control in the upper extremes, producing a hardening effect right across the upper frequency area. 

VINTAGE COMPARISON

Moving on, looking at the price, for HiFi fans a good sonic comparison isn’t so much another budget amplifier of this ilk. Instead, a vintage amplifier is a better target for comparison. There are bargains to be had on eBay. So I brought in an old Rega Mira of a similar-ish power spec which can be had for around £200 or a bit more on eBay. I tested the Mira against the HiCore 2 in my listening room.

I played my highly-recommended Sarah Vaughan vinyl album devoted to Beatles covers, Songs of the Beatles. The result? Despite its age, despite being well used and worn and despite being possibly off the pace compared with the best designs of today, bass was back via the Mira with real bass bounce, instrumental separation was good, upper mids might have lacked a certain clarity but there was plenty of detail on offer here, subtle treble information may have been a little rolled off but there was enough performance to induce severe head nodding and toe tapping. 

The HiCore H2 did none of these things. So no, I would not use the HiCore H2 in a standard HiFi listening room or even in a living room space for that matter. Instead? I looked for smaller spaces. 

AV IN AN OFFICE SPACE

I hooked the HiCore 2 up to my office AV system, a basic 2.0 arrangement with a Samsung 4K 55” TV. For the AV set up, I listened around seven to eight foot from the speakers hooking up a Topping DX5 II DAC. 

For the AV system, I used a typical lifestyle media source. In this case YouTube Music playing When Loves Breaks Down via Prefab Sprout and Children Say via Level 42. 

For the AV system, situated in a smaller room, the HiCore 2 did sound much more confident. Imagery could have been better, the lead vocal felt a little lost in the mix, bass was solid without impressing while the mids offered an appealing spacious presentation. Treble was competent. The upper frequencies provided more control in this smaller space. 

OFFICE DESK PLAY

Switching to Bluetooth now with my Astell&Kern Kann Alpha as a source and playing a selection from Miles Davis, Nick Drake and Bob Marley. I lowered the gain still further and listened close in, on my desk via my iMac.

I was more impressed with the overall level of detail and clarity in this configuration. The presentation was better balanced because the amplifier didn’t have to try too hard. Also, despite the basic codec offering, bass also offered a more active role in near field mode.

CONCLUSION

I must add an addendum to say that, despite my aversion to tone controls per se, I really don’t like the false EQ noise they produce, I would encourage their use on this amplifier to boost frequencies to taste. The HiCore H2 needs all the help it can get. 

I wouldn’t recommend this amplifier for general HiFi use in a large or small room, nor would I turn to it for AV use. Saying that, the HiCore H2 is ideal for desktop use when connected to a computer. If you keep the gain relatively low, and the speakers up close then computer users will find a lot to like from the HiCore H2.

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QLEARSOUL HICORE H2 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER  

Price: £120/€120/£120

Website: https://qlearsoul.com 

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GOOD: near-field use, footprint, price, easy to use

BAD: bass, frequency control, midrange clarity, Bluetooth, power base

RATING: 6

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