About The Hegel H120 Streaming Amplifier
Standing on the shoulders of Giants, the H120 carries forward the proud history of HEGEL amplifiers. The multi award winning designs that over the years have dazzled listeners with their combination of raw dynamics and delicate naturality. The H120 carries that legacy with it, but in a smaller and more affordable package.
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants" - said Isaac Newton in 1675. Without comparing themselves to Isaac, Hegel claim the same for the H120. It is a relatively affordable integrated amplifier that would not have been possible, were it not for its brothers leading up to its design. The Hegel H120 is a small step up from the entry level amplifiers in terms of price, but it is a solid step up in features and performance. The significantly larger power supply creates a more dynamic sound, ideal for combining with large loudspeakers presenting more challenging loads. The digital section is taken directly from its bigger siblings, and this is really the core of the H120. Hegel see the typical user of the H120 as people who are into digital music streaming. For the money Hegel claim that the H120 does that better than anything else.
The digital-to-analogue conversion is of the highest quality in the H120, with technology crafted from the ground up by Hegel. The H120 takes full control of the digital data stream, using technology developed from Hegel's reference products, ensuring digital music delivery in its purest form. The result for you is perfectly natural sound, without any artifacts that make you want to turn the volume down. The H120 has Apple Airplay, Spotify Connect, IP Control, Control4 and UPnP streaming. More features are already in progress and will be offered at no cost, using the easy software update functionality. All inputs are configurable for volume bypass, so you can integrate in a home theatre or, for example, a Bluesound or Sonos streamer. Whatever you want, you can do it with the H120.
The H120 uses the Hegel SoundEngine 2 amplifier platform allowing a damping factor higher than 2000 together with extremely low distortion levels. In many ways it works like a noise cancelling headphone. It compares the output of the amplifier with the input. It detects all the sound pollution (distortion), and plays this forward into the speaker output, but in reverse phase. Like 1 minus 1 equals 0. It cancels out all pollution in real time, leaving you with only the most natural sound. The SoundEngine technology has been developed over more than 30 years, from conception to where it is now. Millions of dollars were invested in initial development. It is what makes possible the sound performance for the money in the H120.
Hegel H120 Review
"I've said it before about Hegel amps, but it's worth saying again; the H120's gives the music and the loudspeakers what they want. And it does it better than many by doing less, rather than more. It doesn't buff up the sound or soften the blow; it plays music honestly and lets the loudspeakers do their job unconstrained by the electronics. Yes, of course there are amplifier s that do that job better (many of them come from the same stable), but few do so with the balance of price and performance the H120 delivers. Better costs more and cheaper cuts corners.
So, we're scratching our collective heads to find something to criticise. OK, it's not a H390 or a H590, but that's like criticising a BMW 3-Series for not being a BMW 7-Series. And yes, if you aren't a fan of Hegel's clean, upfront, leading-edge focussed sound, the H120 is probably not the amplifier for you, but that's more an observation than a criticism. I guess the closest to a criticism is the product design doesn't deviate from Hegel's well-trodden path of two knobs, a central display and a power button under the front panel. That's it!
There's a simple economics lesson here. People often want it all; the most up-to-date digital platform, with the best possible sound quality, designed and built in the West, and all at a good price. In reality, the best products can only pick any three out of four of these elements, while many of the middling products out there can only muster one or two of these factors. There is no pejorative at play here; pick the three you are most comfortable with, and if you picked the first, second, and fourth criteria, the Hegel is one of the front-runners to go for.
Replacing Röst was always going to be an interesting act for Hegel. It broke new ground for the company, and with many ground-breaking products, that meant it didn't sell quite as well as it deserved to. The H120 is different, as it retains everything good the Röst brought to the party and also continues and extends Hegel's 'giant-killer' range of amps. This is the kind of amplifier that works well in context and can support some surprisingly high-end speakers. While that sounds like the stuff of absurd review kit-bashing, what it means in reality is you can build and upgrade a system around the H120 far further than usual at this price. You don't have to use it with esoteric audio equipment, but it won't mask their effects if you do. In short, it's an all-round goody." Hi-Fi Plus
Our Take
The H120 is the first Hegel amplifier we got to audition at Audio Trends and we were immediately impressed by the fit and finish and how nice it was to use. Every control operates smoothly and you very quickly get the impression you are dealing with a professionally designed piece of kit. Streaming is quite simple using third party apps like mconnect which supports streaming from Tidal & Qobuz as well as your Android or iOS mobile device or a NAS drive on your network. You also natively get Spotify Connect which is handy as well as AirPlay 2 to allow streaming direct from Apple devices. Of course, the serious streaming folk will have noticed that the H120 also supports Roon and I'm guessing that has got them more than a little excited.
The H120 has a nice selection of digital and analogue inputs as well as a variable pre out for subwoofers or an amplifier. But it's when you start playing music that the H120 really gets your attention. The H120 sounds neutral and musical, so much so that you just want to sit down and listen. It will work with most speakers anywhere near its price point and might even surprise you with a few that are a lot more expensive like our Harbeth range.
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: Stereo Streaming Amplifier
- Power Output: 2 x 75 Watts into 8 Ω
- Minimum Load: 2 Ω
- Analogue Inputs: 1 x Balanced (XLR), 2 x Unbalanced (RCA)
- Digital Inputs: 1 x Coaxial (RCA), 3 x Optical, 1 x USB-B
- Network: Ethernet – please note the H120 does not support Wi-Fi & needs to be hard wired to your network
- Spotify Connect
- Apple AirPlay 2
- UPnP Streaming
- Roon Ready
- Line level Output: 1 x Unbalanced variable (RCA)
- Headphone Output: 6.35 mm Jack (front)
- Frequency Response: 5 Hz - 100 kHz
- Signal-To-Noise Ratio: More than 100 dB
- Crosstalk: Less than -100 dB
- Distortion: Less than 0.01% @ 25 W/8 Ω/1 kHz
- Intermodulation: Less than 0.01% (19 kHz + 20 kHz)
- Damping Factor: More than 2000 (main power output stage)
- Included Accessories: Remote Control, Power Cable, User Manual, Accessory Box
- Removable Power Cable: Upgrade to a Premium Power Cable for better performance
- Available Finishes: Black or White
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 430 x 100 x 350mm
- Weight: 10.6 kg
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 2 Years
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE.