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Hegel Music Systems amplifiers


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. They have a very focused range of products which include five integrated amplifiers, two pre-power amplifier combinations. All these amplification systems utilise their unique design “SoundEngine” which is a local error cancelling system preventing distortions in the audio amplifier circuit stages whilst preserving the fine details and the dynamic range of the original recorded music signal. The SoundEngine Technology cancels crossover distortion found in all types of class-AB amplifiers and the human ear is very sensitive to high frequency distortion components in the music signal. The result is a much cleaner, organic sound with a larger dynamic range and lower distortions.


Our listening tests confirm that the sound of Hegel amplification is quite distinct to many other mainstream brands. A significantly lower noise floor, more transparency that allows low level aural clues to be heard easily. Not at all bright or forward, with a natural, organic tone marginally on the warm side of neutral. The result is a less transistor-like sound. Large three-dimensional soundstages and fine detail are excellent as you would expect from a company that takes low distortion and low noise as its priority.


All Hegel integrated amplifiers incorporate sophisticated DAC designs that allow all digital sources to be played easily. These keep and plays the digital source in their original native format throughout for the best sound quality.


Their integrated amplifiers show marked improvements as you go up through the model range, from the Röst, the H190 and to the new H390. All offer a superb sound and value for money at their respective price points.


H390 integrated amplifier

The new H390 replaces the long standing H360, which for us was the value for money model in the range. This new integrated model has lot of trickle down technology from the flagship H590 and is a significant improvement in sound over the H360. It has an improved power supply with a large transformer, and a completely dual mono circuit layout. The inboard DAC is particularly impressive and superior to that in the outgoing H360. Very dynamic, fast and capable of delivering large sound stages.

H390 integrated amplifier, dual mono – 250 wpc/8 ohms £5250 

H390 Integrated Amplifier


 Hegel H600 Flagship Integrated Amplifier with DAC

The top of the range integrated amplifier from Hegel, the H600, has a minimalist and elegant design. It offers a sound that will compete very easily with many of the top brands in the high-end audio market at a substantially lower price. The H600 is designed to perform as closely as possible to a separate preamplifier and mono-blocks combination, in a single chassis. It also boasts a state-of-the-art preamplifier section, with the extremely precise volume attenuator found in their reference P30A stand-alone preamplifier.


The H600 is an innovative dual mono design, with its dedicated high-quality power supplies and advanced volume attenuator, to the massive output stage using 12 ultra-fast high power output transistors per channel. A healthy 303 watts at 8 ohms and 590 watts into 4 ohms, of Class A/B amplification means that this unit will drive any speaker with ease, including very difficult 2 Ohm loads. It also incorporates Hegel’s latest Sound Engine 2 technology to reduce distortion, especially crossover distortion between transistors.


The new DAC in the H600 is a step up from that found in the outgoing H590. In the past, AKM chips had been selected but the fire at the AKM facility forced them to look elsewhere and Hegel have now decided to go for a Sabre DAC chip, the superb 9038 Q2M. This is a remarkably good sounding DAC chip which does not use oversampling, and sounds much more natural than most. Whether you play CD format or high-resolution files as a source, they will all benefit from the sophisticated DAC incorporated. 

The H600 can be a digital hub with optical, coaxial and USB inputs. Using the USB input, the H600 will also support high end formats such as DSD. It also includes MQA decoding and rendering technology, which enables you to play back MQA audio files and streams. 


The updated streaming capability of the H600 includes support for: Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, UPnP/DLNA and Roon Ready certification (pending). Hegel says the H600’s new streaming platform allows for future upgrades such as Qubuz Connect. 

A truly innovative product for those wanting high-end sound at a realistic price. Whilst the price is not insignificant, it offers a true step forward in clarity, resolution of fine detail, over the outgoing H590.

  • Additional information on the H600

    Analog inputs: 2 x Balanced (XLR), 2 x Unbalanced (RCA)


    Digital outputs: 1 x Coaxial 


    Digital inputs:

    • 1 x Coaxial (BNC) S/PDIF - 24/192, DSD64 (DoP), MQA 8x
    • 1 x Coaxial (RCA) S/PDIF - 24/192, DSD64 (DoP), MQA 8x
    • 3 x Optical S/PDIF - 24/96, MQA 8x
    • 1 x USB - 32/384, DSD256 (DoP), MQA 8x
    • 1 x RJ45 Network - 24/192, DSD64, MQA 8x

    Line level outputs: 1 x Unbalanced fixed 

    (RCA), 1 x Unbalanced variable (RCA)


    Streaming: AirPlay 2, Roon Ready (pending), Tidal Connect, UPnP


    Streaming formats: MP3, WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, DSF, DFF, AAC, PCM, MQA, Ogg


    Frequency response: 5Hz-100kHz


    Signal-to-noise ratio: More than 100dB


    Crosstalk: Less than -100dB


    Distortion: Less than 0.005% @ 50W 8 Ohms 1kHz


    Intermodulation: Less than 0.01% (19kHz + 20kHz)


    Damping factor: More than 4000 (main power output stage)


H600 integrated amplifier in black - £10,500

H600 Integrated Amplifier

H600 Integrated Amplifier


NEW

H95 integrated amplifier

The new H95 which replaces the entry level H90 is now with us. The most significant change is with the highly upgraded DAC design. The streaming board is now the same as in the other integrated models. It will now incorporate Spotify Connect in addition to the the already excellent AirPlay integration.


Additional improvements in the amplifier section have resulted in a larger scale and level of extra detail perceived in the sound stage. The sound stage capability is very holographic and the authority delivered with high quality recordings is most impressive given the price point. Will easily outperform other branded amplifiers up to £2500. Most importantly, the price remains the same as the discontinued H90.

H95 integrated amplifier – 60 wpc/8 ohms £1700

H95 Integrated Amplifier


Other Hegel amplifiers

H95 integrated amplifier - 60 wpc/8 ohms £1700

H120 integrated amplifier – 75 wpc/8 ohms £2400
H190 integrated amplifier – 150 wpc/8 ohms £3400

H390 integrated amplifiers - 250 wpc/8 ohms £5250
H590 integrated amplifier, dual mono – 301 wpc/8 ohms £9500


P20 Balanced Pre-Amplifier £2350


H20 Power amplifier, dual mono – 200 wpc/8 ohms £5250

C53 3 channel power amplifier - 3 x 150wpc/8 ohms £5800

C54 4 channel power amplifier - 4 x 150wpc/8 ohms £6700

C55 5 channel power amplifier - 5 x 150wpc/8 ohms £7700

H190 integrated amplifier

H190 integrated amplifier 

H120 integrated amplifier

H120 integrated amplifier


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