Description
Meet the H600. Hegel’s new reference integrated amplifier
Hegel launched the H590 five years ago. They had never made an integrated amplifier at this level before and were slightly apprehensive about the reaction from customers. However, the combination of stellar performance and convenience made it an instant success. The reception from reviewers and customers was overwhelming. Finally, after three years of development, Hegel is ready to present the H600, the heir to the H590’s throne.
With a host of new features, a new chassis design, a new DAC, an improved amplifier section and a vastly superior streaming engine, the Hegel H600 is a true powerhouse that should cover all audiophile needs and wants. Oh, and they also added a couple of extra watts, just to keep the competition on their toes.
Features
- 303 W per channel (8 Ω) with exceptional scaling and current handling for “drive anything” ability.
- Vanishingly low noise floor and huge dynamic range.
- Dual mono architecture.
- SoundEngine 2 to eliminate distortion.
- Versatile mix of analogue and digital inputs and outputs, including a built-in music streamer.
- Bit perfect DAC.
- Stream using DLNA/UPnP, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Apple AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast or Roon (pending Roon Ready certification).
Powerhouse
H600 is Hegel’s reference integrated amplifier. With 303 watts into 8 ohms, a damping factor of 4,000 and the ability to drive loads as low as 2 ohms, this powerhouse of an amplifier can drive any speaker with confidence and ease. The amplifier is a dual mono design, bringing it as close as possible to the performance of two mono amps in a single box. It also boasts a state-of-the-art preamplifier section with the extremely precise volume attenuator found in Hegel’s reference P30A preamplifier. All electronic circuitry is designed in-house, and Hegel only uses the best quality components. This gives them unprecedented control over the amplification process. This is combined with Hegel’s SoundEngine2 correction technology to leave an audio signal that is as close to the original recording as possible. The result is an immensely wide and deep soundstage with incredible dynamic range and tremendous bass control. This amplifier reveals all the details and nuances in the music. All you have to do is connect a pair of really good speakers.
The Hegel H600’s digital-to-analogue converter is a bit perfect design, offering pure audio fidelity without any resampling or upsampling. The DAC has a large, dedicated power supply that ensures uncontaminated and stable performance, and it is shielded by a thick steel plate so there is no interference from other electronics inside the amplifier. The result is a cutting-edge digital-to-analogue converter with incredible resolution and smoothness.
The chassis is made of aluminium for better audio performance. It includes a solid bottom chassis and top cover with vents milled in two layers for added rigidity and airflow. Big aluminium feet with an anti-scratch design ensure excellent stability and reduced vibrations, while high quality RCA connectors and optimised positioning of the analogue and digital connectors provide less noise and better channel separation. The large control knobs are equipped with touch control, making this amplifier effortless and intuitive to operate. They also have a very nice tactile feel, making every adjustment a delight.
Hegel believes that great audio should not come at the expense of ease of use. That is why the H600 features a comprehensive list of streaming options. It supports DLNA/UPnP streaming, Spotify Connect, Airplay 2, Tidal Connect and Roon Ready. This is however only the beginning. This highly advanced streaming engine will ensure the amplifier is always up to date with the latest options for you to stream your music.
The H600 is also highly customisable to ensure it suits any environment. All digital inputs except USB have signal sense. This means that any device connected to these inputs can wake the amplifier and set it to the right input. In addition, the volume can be limited so that it suits your max volume preference. With our remote control feature, you can program the amplifier to be commanded by common TV remotes, eliminating the need for using two remotes and making it easier for all members of the household to get great TV sound. Most inputs can also be set as a fixed high-level home theatre input, making it easy to combine the H600 with surround receivers or multi-room devices. As with streaming services, more features will be available in the future. These firmware updates are of course always free and the amplifier will install them automatically when they are launched, ensuring your H600 is always up to date.
The amplifier boasts a large array of analogue and digital connections to accommodate various audio sources. There are two pairs of true balanced XLR inputs and two pairs of RCA inputs. On the digital front, it features a LAN network port, a USB 32 bit / 384 kHz input (also supporting DSD256 / DoP), three optical inputs, a coaxial input, and a BNC true 75 ohm input. For analogue outputs, it offers a pair of RCA fixed level outputs and a pair of RCA variable-level outputs. Additionally, it provides a BNC fixed level true 75 ohm digital output.
The H600 is an extremely capable and great sounding amplifier. It is highly versatile and delivers high end sound and ease of use, all in a high quality and minimalistic housing that can fit any interior style. The H600 is the perfect hub for your digital music. A home for all your connected sources, with a sound suitable for mansions.
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