Hegel H390 Streaming Amplifier

Hegel H390 Streaming Amplifier

The H390 is a Rebel by offering much of the performance of Hegel's Reference products, albeit at a lower price. A Rebel that in one integrated product offers the same as others do in two or three. A Rebel that provides world-class sound, jaw-dropping power and comes packed with convenient services.

Nicknaming the H390 "Robin Hood" is a bit bold, you may think. After all, it isn't pocket money and we are not giving it away to the poor. But it is a rebellion against the established. It is a rebellion because it offers extraordinary resolution and musical quality, typically found only in the most esoteric products, but at a reasonable price.

It is a rebellion against the establishment of "forcing" consumers into a user interface defined by the amplifier/streamer manufacturer. The H390 is very much at the tip of the spear in Hegel's pursuit of making mainstream sources sound their very best. Meaning the H390 is not just for the Audiophile. It is a product for the entire family to enjoy.

At the heart of the H390 is Hegel's patented SoundEngine 2 amplifier section. The SoundEngine 2, in many ways, works like a noise cancelling headphone. A computer inside will sample what comes into the amplifier and compares it to what comes out. The computer subtracts the difference (distortion) and then adds it into the music but in reverse phase. The result being that, without any time delay, the SoundEngine cancels out almost all errors made by the amplifier. Leaving you with the most musical and natural sound you ever have experienced.

Then there is digital. If not using a turntable, you are probably using digital connections. Hegel designs both the analogue and digital sections, from the ground up, in house. The digital section in the H390 is unique in that regardless of the signal type or input, the music signal remains unchanged and untampered with in the H390. Hegel call it a "bit perfect" DA-Converter. This is digital in its purest form. For those interested in deep tech, Hegel even design digital clocks that will follow the sampling frequency in the music and "down-clock" when receiving a low-resolution file. For the non-techie, the result is a far more natural and "analogue" sound as well as an unbelievable soundstage and realism.

Finally, let's talk about connectivity. The H390 has Apple Airplay and UPnP streaming. Hegel offer free updates with services like Spotify Connect, IP Control, and Control4. It supports most audio formats like DSD and MQA. All inputs are configurable for volume bypass, so you can integrate in a home theatre or, for example, a Bluesound or Sonos streamer. Almost whatever you want, you can do it with the H390.

The H390 is a complete product. Great care has been taken in every step of the design. From carefully selecting and matching components to using the best measurement equipment in the world, in combination with Hegel's own auditioning. Real people gave Hegel input on how they would want to use a stereo system. You can connect virtually anything you like. Hegel call it Robin Hood because it takes strengths from their reference products and offers them at a lower price.

Hegel Philosophy

"All Hegel products are based on a simple philosophy: Add as little as possible. We always aim to keep the music signal close to the original recording. We are constantly looking for ways to lower distortion and noise. By lowering noise, we unveil layers of music covered by noise. And by lowering the distortion we can have a better and more precise reproduction of the recording. We work hard to give you the best possible music experience. Our minimalistic Scandinavian design is styled to fit in with any interior. The products are easy to operate and manufactured according to the best quality principles." Bent Holter, Founder Hegel Music Systems

About Hegel

The Hegel story begins in 1988 when Bent Holter, a student at the Technical University in Trondheim, Norway, decided to do a thesis under the original design of the transistor used in amplifiers that would cure the problems of traditional hi-fi systems. Enemy number one was distortion and Holter somehow could not accept the fact that when we supply a simple signal to an amplifier, the output reproduces that signal plus something else; distortion produced by the electronics. Fighting distortion usually means deterioration of other parameters, including damping factor so Holter decided to break free from classic schematics and developed a project that became the basis of what we know today as SoundEngine Technology.

And where does the name of the company come from? Well, during his spare time Bent played in a rock-metal band called The Hegel Band. When they needed amplifiers for concerts, he suggested building them himself. His ideas took on real shape, but it took lots of money to refine the technology and help came from Telenor - one of the biggest players in the telecommunications industry.

The early 90s were a period of prosperity for the brand. First, they patented the SoundEngine technology and soon thereafter released a DAC and a CD Player. Over the next few years, the company steadily developed its product range including their burgeoning range of integrated amplifiers. Today Hegel is one of the best-established brands on the Hi-Fi market. They produce integrated, pre and power amplifiers as well as CD players and some of the most modern and sophisticated D/A converters. SoundEngine Technology was just a start. Today there are six more original technical solutions in Hegel's portfolio. The company has dealers in 63 countries and its products are sold all over the world. Awards and press reviews speak for themselves.

Our Take On The Hegel H390

Now we're talking. The H390 is so much more than a turbo charged H190 and more like a scaled down H600, for considerable less money. With a damping factor of over 4000 and a power rating of 250 Watts, the H390 is powerful enough to drive almost any loudspeaker currently on the market, especially the big ones.

As with all Hegel products, the fit and finish is impressive and the amplifier is very easy to setup and 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 H390 also supports Roon and I'm guessing that has got them more than a little excited. Also the DAC gets an upgrade to allow MQA & DSD playback, another boon for audiophiles.

The H390 has a healthy selection of digital and analogue inputs as well as variable & fixed pre outs. But, it's really when you start playing music that the H390 starts to impress, and in a big way. The effortlessness this machine exhibits is truly breathtaking. The H390 is so competent and so natural it makes listening to music truly relaxing and yet vividly engaging all at the same time. It's really quite a trick. This amplifier will easily power any speakers we have in the shop and will almost definitely bring a big smile to your face while doing so. Not to be underestimated.

Main Features & Specifications

• Design: Stereo Streaming Amplifier
• Power Output: 2 x 250 Watts into 8 Ω
• Minimum Load: 2 Ω
• Dual Mono Amplifier
• Separate Transformer for DAC/Preamp
• Bit Perfect DAC
• Analogue Inputs: 1 x Balanced (XLR), 2 x Unbalanced (RCA)
• Digital Inputs: 1 x Coaxial (BNC), 1 x Coaxial (RCA), 3 x Optical, 1 x USB-B
• Digital Outputs: 1 x Coaxial (BNC)
• Network: Ethernet – please note the H390 does not support Wi-Fi & needs to be hard wired to your network
• Supports up to MQA 8X (352.8kHz/384kHz)
• Supports DSD64, DSD128 & DSD256 via DoP
• Spotify Connect
• Apple AirPlay 2
• UPnP Streaming
• Roon Ready
• Line level Output: 1 x Unbalanced variable (RCA), 1 x Unbalanced fixed (RCA)
• Please Note: No Headphone Output
• Frequency Response: 5 Hz - 180 kHz
• Signal-To-Noise Ratio: More than 100 dB
• Crosstalk: Less than -100 dB
• Distortion: Less than 0.005% @ 50 W/8 Ω/1 kHz
• Intermodulation: Less than 0.01% (19 kHz + 20 kHz)
• Damping Factor: More than 4000 (main power output stage)
• Included Accessories: Remote Control, Power Cable, User Manual, Accessory Box
• Removable Power Cable: Upgrade to an IsoTek Power Cable for better performance
• Finish: Black
• Dimensions (WxHxD): 430 x 150 x 440mm
• Weight: 20kg
• Manufacturer's Warranty: 2 Years

Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE.