About The Hegel H600 Streaming Amplifier
H600 is Hegel's reference integrated amplifier. With its 303 watts into 8 Ohms, a damping factor of 4000, and 2 Ohms drive capability, 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 with the extremely precise volume attenuator found in Hegel's reference P30A preamplifier. All electronic circuitry is designed in-house, and Hegel only use the best-quality components. This gives them unprecedented control over the amplification process. When combined with Hegel's SoundEngine2 correction technology, you are left with 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 of your choice.
The H600's D/A 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 D/A 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 optimized 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 believe 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 UPnP streaming, Spotify Connect (pending), Airplay, Tidal Connect, and Roon Ready (pending). 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 customizable 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 up and set it to the right input. In addition, the volume can be limited so that it suits your max volume preference. With the 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 fixed high-level home theatre inputs, making it easy to combine the H600 with surround sound receivers or multi-room devices. As with streaming, 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 32/384 input (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 fits any interior style. The H600 is a hub for your digital music, a home for all your connected sources, with a sound suitable for mansions. H600 is a powerhouse.
Hegel H600 Review
"You may not think you need 300 watts per channel or will ever use 300 watts per channel. But the absolutely effortless way in which music is conveyed and expressed by this integrated makes a convincing case for "more power is better." While it was never overbearing or overly exuberant, there was always a presence of power and control, like drinking from a water fountain fed directly by the Hoover Dam. As a result, the power output combined with the massive damping factor gave the overall presentation a sense of gentle majesty that was there for both the quietest and most dynamic passages. With my Alexx Vs, the H600 controlled the woofers with ease and provided dynamics beyond my expectations, considering the price point. That damping factor cannot be under-credited. Hegel is known to make amplifiers and integrated amplifiers that can manhandle the most difficult speaker loads. That is why I have Hegel's powering my Maggies at the office. The texture and inherent complexity of low-frequency reproduction impressed me. Mid- and upper-bass performance added resolution and refinement to the fray. As we enter the midrange zone, things get more interesting. The H600 is remarkably clean—not analytical or overly resolving, but very clean. Yet, it provided musical integration between the speakers and the room that I usually garner from more expensive tube equipment. I found it pleasant and engaging in a way that most other equipment in this price range simply isn't. Is that the SoundEngine 2 filtering or just good engineering? No clue, and don't care. I liked it—a lot! The high-frequency extension was very Hegel, if you know what that means. If not, the Hegel sound is neutral, airy, and refined without being overly dense or viscous. Staging and imaging were wide, deep, high, and well focused.
The H600 isn't the type of component you rave about. Not because it doesn't deserve it, but because it is above that. I respect the fact that it knows what it is and what it is supposed to do. I admire the absolutely incredible value it represents. I appreciate all that it can do and the fact that nothing seems to suffer to get it all done. I recognize that it may be the only product of its type in the price class it is in and that it represents a truly high-end component while sitting at a mid-level price point (compared to the $40k–$70k integrateds now filling the market). And, most importantly, I truly enjoyed my time with it." The Absolute Sound
Our Take
We hope you're sitting down, and listening to music – kidding we'll get to the listening in a minute. This takes everything Hegel learnt from its previous flagship H595 and turns it up to 11, almost literally. Every nook and cranny has been explored in order to optimise the analogue, digital and power amp sections to offer impeccable performance that's almost off the scale of what's possible, except Hegel have done it. They have, incredibly, improved an integrated streaming amplifier that was considered to be one of the best in the world and they haven't just nudged ahead, they've soared ahead with performance which is simply spellbinding.
Getting our feet back on the ground for just a minute, as usual with Hegel, the fit and finish is very impressive indeed and the amplifier is both 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. The H600 has a healthy selection of digital and analogue inputs as well as variable & fixed pre outs. 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 & Tidal 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 H600 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.
But, the big story here is how it sounds. We bandy the term effortless around here at Audio Trends from time to time but it's not very often we get to hear jaw droppingly effortless, which is one way to describe the H600. Actually most of the time it seems like this amplifier isn't actually there, it gets so far out of the way and just lets the unbridled music through at full throttle. Of course, you can play it quietly and it's ever so relaxing and rewarding but we think it would be quite a shame if that's the only way you ever used it. At least from time to time, this is an amplifier you need to let off the leash to do its thing and remind your neighbours that your hi-fi system is no 90 pound weakling but rather a Charles Atlas enhanced menacing, rampaging hurricane of a thing that they had better not mess with, ever.
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: Stereo Streaming Amplifier
- Power Output: 2 x 303 Watts into 8 Ω
- Minimum Load: 2 Ω
- Dual Mono Amplifier
- Separate Transformer for DAC/Preamp
- Bit Perfect DAC
- Analogue Inputs: 2 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 H600 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 (Pending)
- Tidal Connect
- Apple AirPlay 2
- UPnP Streaming
- Roon Ready (Pending)
- Line level Output: 1 x Unbalanced variable (RCA), 1 x Unbalanced fixed (RCA)
- Please Note: No Headphone Output
- Frequency Response: 5 Hz - 100 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 a Premium Power Cable for better performance
- Finish: Black
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 430 x 171 x 445mm
- Weight: 22 kg
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 2 Years
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE.