Would love this. I have their flagship P30A pre and it's beautifully and simply fully analog. Not even a screen. I think they appreciate purpose driven designs, and a slightly cheaper H400 "pure" without the added features would be sweet.
Great review! Made even better when you mentioned Hugh Masekela. Being South African, I’m naturally biased ha ha. I’ve had the great fortune to have been in the presence of the mastro Masekela perform live twice in my lifetime - both times sublime and unforgettable. Next on the bucketlist is getting my paws on that Hegel 😊
Great review, thanks for this. What I am getting from this review is that I should not upgrade from my H390 to the H400 but rather buy an excellent external DAC to use with my H390. You’ve mentioned your Denafrips Pontus 2 improves the sound quality of the H400, I think I’ll try the LAiV Harmony DAC on my H390, or perhaps the PS Audio StellarGold DAC.
I have the H390 and it is the cleanest natural sounding amp at any volume I've ever owned. Even over the couple of Macintosh I've owned. I'm sure there are better if you want to pay the money, but for the price you can get a used Hegel it just can't be beat.
I’ve auditioned the H400 next to my H390 and as I use an external DAC I couldn’t hear the benefit of changing amp and I also have the Pontus 2, so I’m certainly in agreement with the review
Hi Michael. I really enjoy your reviews. Keep it up. I have listened to Hegels, and while I have found them to be pleasant, I have always struggled with their lack of PRAT. If it had a bit more get up and go it would definitely be too of my list. Hopefully the 400 comes closer to that PRAT. You do reference rhythmic drive, so hopefully that means the same thing 😄
Hegel seems to depreciate more than other Hifi brands. And there are a TON of h390 and h590 for sale on the used market. That always makes me a bit nervous. Regardless, fantastic review. I love your presentation style.
Don’t be nervous they’re amazing products, and I don’t think they depreciate any more than anything else. It’s probably more to do with owners wanting to upgrade to a new or better model….
Might be mine too. I’ve gone back and forth on if I want to stick with the matching Hegel P30 or P30A, or instead go with a balanced tube pre like a Primaluna or BAT. Fortunately I have time to save a bit and listen to some options out there.
Solid, punchy, deep & effortless? What are we doing here? Wine tasting? Compared to what? What does effortless sound like? What does effortful sound like?
@@pizzafrenzymanwell I also own a H390 and I agree with the description….it makes complete sense to me, and I could go on about how great the amp is but I won’t… So many Hegel haters….. they must be doing something right 🤔
I wish Hegel make their pricier amplifiers inside layout like OLD Sony ES, Yamaha, Luxman and Accuphase. Bracing, seperate chambers, and clean. W Also I agree today there are lots of DAC-Streamer options, all in one good but not better. Hegel could offer a powerful integrated without Digital section.
Owning briefly the H90 put me off Hegel forever (what a piece of s…). People seem to love the 390, so the brand must be doing something right, but I don’t trust someone who can’t build fit for purpose products across a price range, enough to consider anything from them (let alone someone who have previously marketed some of their products as “proudly not tuned by ear” 🙈🤯).
You can use the internal streamer of the H400 with the "DAC loop" function. Basically you run a BNC coax out from the Hegel to your DAC, then back from your DAC to the Hegel. You can also attach a standalone streamer to your DAC like normal.
owned this amp recently after paying the hegel idiot tax for Tidal direct.....in short, average amp at best, problem is not a ton of truly high end options in this all in one segment, for a lot less though I recommend the NADm10v3
5:00 Ethernet connection...................... This Hegel has a miss by not using the SFP Fiber Optic connection. LC to LC cables can go a kilometer & more with no degradation of Ethernet signal. Too bad. Acid Jazz, Funk & Brass🔈🔉🔊
The reason we don't is actually for sake of sound performance. Several high end streamers do the same. Antennas pull in a lot of high frequency noise to the internal circuitry and that can impact the sound negatively. I do understand that this is clumsy for some and personally I use a power line adaptor.
Doing away bass and treble controls from audiophile components is one of the dumbest things that has ever happened in audio. Don't like them in the circuit?... most include a defeat switch. The frequency response of most amps is ruler flat... but over your speakers in your room it will be all over the map.
@@CarlVanDoren61 There are no review fees. There are approximately 1500 audio manufacturers making about 15000 products, so we overlook some products (you might be surprised how many companies have a low profile). So we do the products that seem interesting or where we have a good listening experience or which consumers recommend. We also work with companies that have US distribution, answer emails, and can supply review product. We’ll check out Coda. We did a W4S amp a few years ago, but maybe it is time for another look.
I think Hegel should give the choice of purchasing the amp without its streaming and Dac capability
Would love this. I have their flagship P30A pre and it's beautifully and simply fully analog. Not even a screen. I think they appreciate purpose driven designs, and a slightly cheaper H400 "pure" without the added features would be sweet.
Great review! Made even better when you mentioned Hugh Masekela. Being South African, I’m naturally biased ha ha. I’ve had the great fortune to have been in the presence of the mastro Masekela perform live twice in my lifetime - both times sublime and unforgettable. Next on the bucketlist is getting my paws on that Hegel 😊
Great review, thanks for this. What I am getting from this review is that I should not upgrade from my H390 to the H400 but rather buy an excellent external DAC to use with my H390. You’ve mentioned your Denafrips Pontus 2 improves the sound quality of the H400, I think I’ll try the LAiV Harmony DAC on my H390, or perhaps the PS Audio StellarGold DAC.
I have the H390 and it is the cleanest natural sounding amp at any volume I've ever owned. Even over the couple of Macintosh I've owned. I'm sure there are better if you want to pay the money, but for the price you can get a used Hegel it just can't be beat.
Well thought out and articulated. Sounds like a good deal for the price.
I’ve auditioned the H400 next to my H390 and as I use an external DAC I couldn’t hear the benefit of changing amp and I also have the Pontus 2, so I’m certainly in agreement with the review
Hi Michael. I really enjoy your reviews. Keep it up. I have listened to Hegels, and while I have found them to be pleasant, I have always struggled with their lack of PRAT. If it had a bit more get up and go it would definitely be too of my list. Hopefully the 400 comes closer to that PRAT. You do reference rhythmic drive, so hopefully that means the same thing 😄
Thank you so much for the effort and the review
This is a very well executed review! Cheers
Great review as always...
Great review
Use Hegel h390 the best amp i ever owned, i dont need anything else for many years
Great review Michael. Absolute Sound has really stepped up in their reviews. Impressively done. Thanks
It would play perfect with a HiFi Rose
Hegel seems to depreciate more than other Hifi brands. And there are a TON of h390 and h590 for sale on the used market. That always makes me a bit nervous. Regardless, fantastic review. I love your presentation style.
Hagel overrated overpriced overhyped
Especially the warm laidback dead dull sound, prefer focal super anyltical
Buy used if resale value is the issue. Hegels tend to be dependable.
@@RozeRosy-f3l You're making an objective claim about subjective preference. Hegel hits a comfy sweet spot for a huge audience.
@@RozeRosy-f3l And many people think Hegel is an excellent match with Focal.
Don’t be nervous they’re amazing products, and I don’t think they depreciate any more than anything else. It’s probably more to do with owners wanting to upgrade to a new or better model….
As always awesome review, Michael. A Hegel preamp is my goal for this year.
Might be mine too. I’ve gone back and forth on if I want to stick with the matching Hegel P30 or P30A, or instead go with a balanced tube pre like a Primaluna or BAT. Fortunately I have time to save a bit and listen to some options out there.
The h390 has been a gem for analog playback. Solid, punchy, deep & effortless. I still haven’t used it for streaming at all.
Nice presentation Michael
Solid, punchy, deep & effortless? What are we doing here? Wine tasting? Compared to what? What does effortless sound like? What does effortful sound like?
@@pizzafrenzymanwell I also own a H390 and I agree with the description….it makes complete sense to me, and I could go on about how great the amp is but I won’t…
So many Hegel haters….. they must be doing something right 🤔
I wish Hegel make their pricier amplifiers inside layout like OLD Sony ES, Yamaha, Luxman and Accuphase. Bracing, seperate chambers, and clean. W Also I agree today there are lots of DAC-Streamer options, all in one good but not better. Hegel could offer a powerful integrated without Digital section.
Garbag pos Hagel ov😂pos
The Hegels internal layout looks messy and combustible.
@ronmiller6344 no, becuse it has built in Dac and further 200kva transformer and 4700uf caps, damping factors
The improved DAC still isn't good enough to justify not getting a separate DAC and integrated amp.
Okay, so am I buying a Naim Nova PE or the Hegel H400?
It's great to live in a time that you have to split hairs to best a $7k (relative to inflation) single box.
Owning briefly the H90 put me off Hegel forever (what a piece of s…). People seem to love the 390, so the brand must be doing something right, but I don’t trust someone who can’t build fit for purpose products across a price range, enough to consider anything from them (let alone someone who have previously marketed some of their products as “proudly not tuned by ear” 🙈🤯).
How do you stream through the h400 whilst using an external DAC?
You can use the internal streamer of the H400 with the "DAC loop" function. Basically you run a BNC coax out from the Hegel to your DAC, then back from your DAC to the Hegel. You can also attach a standalone streamer to your DAC like normal.
Versus supernait 3?.
owned this amp recently after paying the hegel idiot tax for Tidal direct.....in short, average amp at best, problem is not a ton of truly high end options in this all in one segment, for a lot less though I recommend the NADm10v3
5:00 Ethernet connection......................
This Hegel has a miss by not using the SFP Fiber Optic connection. LC to LC cables can go a kilometer & more with no degradation of Ethernet signal. Too bad.
Acid Jazz, Funk & Brass🔈🔉🔊
The reason we don't is actually for sake of sound performance. Several high end streamers do the same. Antennas pull in a lot of high frequency noise to the internal circuitry and that can impact the sound negatively. I do understand that this is clumsy for some and personally I use a power line adaptor.
Made in China is a no go for me. Do something from Denmark.
Except the device you are typing this from? Thats okay??
For the money i rather buy a Circle Labs A200 from Novus Audio looks better and has tubes.
That chassi looks terrible for the prise. That bent sheet of metal just makes it look cheap.
😂 ok….. have you ever actually seen one in person? They definitely don’t look cheap
Doing away bass and treble controls from audiophile components is one of the dumbest things that has ever happened in audio. Don't like them in the circuit?... most include a defeat switch. The frequency response of most amps is ruler flat... but over your speakers in your room it will be all over the map.
At this price point, just get a used Devialet Expert pro.
It's not neutral , it's on the warm. Side. Like Macintosh .
This is no way like Pmc Focal BW MA proac bright neutral sound , but garbge warm.sound.
No thanks, if I ever buy a Hegel, I'll never get an integrated.
Never promote Coda or W4S amps?
They won't pay your review fees 😮
Coda amps are excellent and even at their prices, great value.
@@CarlVanDoren61 There are no review fees. There are approximately 1500 audio manufacturers making about 15000 products, so we overlook some products (you might be surprised how many companies have a low profile). So we do the products that seem interesting or where we have a good listening experience or which consumers recommend. We also work with companies that have US distribution, answer emails, and can supply review product. We’ll check out Coda. We did a W4S amp a few years ago, but maybe it is time for another look.
Garbge 10000uf 65v and single 800kva transformer
£6k shoukd come with twin 1000kva and 27000uf 65v x12 cap
Epic fail
Do you feel alright😂
Overrated overpriced overhyped warm.dead dull soft laidback garbge Macintosh sound
Hagel overrated
Difficult to follow a response. As I need to work through your appalling grammar. Bon chance.
Says the person who doesn't know the difference between subjective opinion and objective fact.
bla bla bla
all crap