Hegel H20 Amplifier

The Hegel H20

When I began to listen to the Hegel H20, I smiled -- this was going to be fun. I’d listened to amps that I’d borrowed or reviewed that cost several times the H20’s price but couldn’t touch it in terms of overall performance. I was becoming jaded by the escalating costs of audio gear.

But here is a real-world component at an honest price that seems to offer a level of performance that exceeds what you expect to get at the price. This was so refreshing. In the time it spent in my system the H20 gave me no trouble, and was well behaved and completely reliable. There was no humming, no ticks or pops or turn-on/off thumps. Its build quality and finish have understated elegance. And its 200Wpc drew the very best from my speakers without breaking a sweat.

It’s refreshing to come across a company that makes affordable gear that competes head-to-head with the expensive offerings from better-known names. I recommend it as highly as almost anything else I’ve ever reviewed.

. . . Michael Wright

Specifications

Output power: More than 200 W + 200 W in 8 ohms, Dual mono

Inputs: RCA unbalanced and XLR balanced

Speaker outputs: Two pairs of heavy-duty gold plated terminals

Input Impedance: Balanced 10 kohm, unbalanced 50 kohm

Frequency response: Less than +/- 0.2 dB deviation 20 Hz - 20 kHz

Phase response: Less than 2 degrees deviation 20 Hz - 20 kHz

Signal to noise ratio: More than 100 dB

Crosstalk: Less than -100 dB

Distortion: Less than 0.006% at 100 W8 ohm

Intermodulation: Less than 0.01% (19 kHz + 20 kHz)

Damping factor: More than 1000

Power supply: 1000 VA dual mono, 90,000 μF capacitors

Output stage: 20 pcs 15 A 200 W high speed, ultra-low distortion bipolar transistors

Power consumption: 60 W in standby switched on

Finish: Black

Dimensions/weight: 14,5 cm x 43 cm x 37 cm (HxWxD), weight 18 kg

Dimensions/weight US: 5.7" x 17" x 15" (HxBxD), weight 39,7 lbs