Hegel H600 Flagship Integrated Amplifier Released
Hegel's H600 “powerhouse” replaces the five-year-old H590 as the top of the brand's integrated amplifier offerings.
We are told that the new Hegel H600 integrated amp results from three years of development and benefits from a new chassis design, a new DAC, an improved amplifier section, and a “vastly superior” streaming engine. Moreover, there is more power with the H600 boasting 303 watts in 8 ohms, a damping factor of 4000, and 2 ohms drive capability.
The amplifier is a dual mono design featuring a “state-of-the-art preamplifier” and the same volume attenuator found in the Norweigan brand's reference P30A amplifier.
Thanks to all the electronic circuitry being designed in-house, Hegel states that this hands them unprecedented control over the amplification process. This is then further refined by the manufacturer's SoundEngine2 correction technology.
Also on board is a bit-perfect digital-to-analogue converter promising “pure audio fidelity without resampling or upsampling,” fed by a large, dedicated power supply ensuring uncontaminated and stable performance. Additionally, this is shielded by a thick steel plate, so there is no interference from other electronics inside the amplifier.
The H600 supports UPnP streaming, Spotify Connect, Airplay 2, Tidal Connect, and Roon Ready (pending), and we are promised more to follow.
The new chassis is of aluminium construction for better audio performance and sports 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.
The amplifier boasts a raft 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, you get 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.
Outputs are listed as a BNC fixed-level true 75-ohm digital and a pair each of RCA fixed-level and RCA variable analogue ports.
Finally, a remote-control feature enables you to program the amplifier to be commanded by standard TV remotes, eliminating the need for using two remotes and making it easier for all household members to get great TV sound.
The Hegel H600 integrated amplifier will be available in October, and will sell in Australia for $19,995 RRP.
Visit Hegel for more information
Jay Garrett
StereoNET’s resident rock star, bass player, and gadget junkie. His passion for gadgets and Hi-Fi is second only to being a touring musician.
Posted in:Hi-Fi
Tags: hegel advance audio
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