Hegel H150 streaming amplifier
The 75W Hegel H150 integrated streaming amp replaces the brand’s popular H120 but with a world of difference. The timing is also apt because my long-in-the-tooth original H190 has had a hard life over the past six years and has been surpassed by Hegel’s latest circuitry; not least the option of Qobuz Connect for high-quality streaming.
Hegel have been busy over the past few years working to establish a new level of features and performance in the higher end of its integrated range, including the power house H600 which I would not live without. The new H150 is an attempt to make all of that plus as much of the performance as possible, available at a much lower price point.
Design
Internally, the H150 is known as Prodigy by the Oslo-based manufacturer which has aimed to create it best-value proposition to date. While it’s an ‘entry-level’ product in the growing Hegel range, the H150 displays a level of performance and versatility the brand usually reserves for far more expensive models. The H150 draws inspiration from the Hegel reference products while majoring on user experience through an abundance of connectivity options to create what can only be described as an all-in-one music solution.
One thing of particular note to me is that the H150 is said to tolerate low-impedance loudspeaker loads, claiming that it can drive loads as low as 2 ohms; something my H190 always struggled with. An immediate standout for everyone will be the unit’s depth (just 35cm) and diminutive height, making it easy to house on shelving as well as traditional hi-fi cabinets. I am also pleased to see it available in a choice of either black or white, whereas, when launched, my H190 was either white or white, and the H600 only black. In fact the black here is more a dark grey in some light conditions; it looks rather good.
Design remains typically Scandinavian with a clean, understated aesthetic, but it’s robust thanks to a solid, precision-milled aluminium front panel and control knobs, with a steel top cover perforated with heat vents. Thankfully Hegel haven’t gone the way of Apple who now produce their iMac desktop to emulate ‘My First Computer’ rather than a professional IT tool.
Central to the H150’s fascia is an OLED display that provides clear information from a distance; this can be dimmed or turned off entirely. To each side is a single dial control (one for source select, the other for volume) and that’s the front panel; no other knobs or buttons. At the heart of the circuitry, Bent Holter has incorporated a custom Class A/B amplifier circuit featuring Hegel’s patented SoundEngine 2 technology to produce the 75W power rating which will be ample for most situations.
As we expect from this brand, the H150 features a class-leading damping factor of 2,000 with the unit powered by a large, ultra-low-noise toroidal transformer and high-speed capacitors, supplying instantaneous current. The higher the damping factor, and 2,000 is extraordinarily high, the better the electronics can control the loudspeaker cone/motor. Inside the sturdy case is a custom-designed, four-layered digital-to-analogue converter inspired by the recently-launched Viking CD player and based on an AKM chip, although at this price point it is unlikely to be an exact replica.
Set-up and operation
Connecting mains power and an ethernet lead (those needing wi-fi can use one of a myriad of adaptors available), the H150 offers a wide selection of inputs. All the Connects; Spotify, Qobuz, Tidal as well as Google Cast, Apple Airplay and UPnP all inbuilt. This list is likely to expand with automatic firmware updates allowing additional services as they become available. Hegel’s own app is now a cinch to use and makes control of musical selection a doddle, not to mention access to simply thousands of internet radio stations from around the globe.
Those needing to connect external sources are offered a pair of 24-bit/96kHz optical inputs (one TV optimised), a 24/192 coaxial input, USB-B plus a network port to accommodate everything from TVs, streamers, and game consoles, to laptops and network nodes. A plug-and-play USB-A socket allows connection of a flash drive or powered hard disk (and even meant I could charge my phone!).
One feature Hegel mention is to use the coaxial digital output to forward signals from the digital inputs to active speakers, a second system, or an external DAC (such as their new D50) in a DAC-loop mode, upgrading the digital stage without losing the H150’s functionality.
Analogue users haven’t been forgotten by any means, the H150 has an unbalanced RCA input and an electronically-balanced XLR input. Plus, yes, there’s more, the H150 includes a moving magnet phono input which not even my H600 has. Thankfully there is a headphone output which, I must confess, I thought Hegel might omit as they did with the H400. Occasionally it’s useful to listen via cans, perhaps to hear minute detail or when others in the building are trying to sleep. A nice quirk is that the H150 has separate volume settings for speaker and headphone listening, albeit using the same controls to set them.
I did fear that a mere three digital inputs would be too few but then realised that I could dispense with both the internet tuner and my streamer used with my H190 because those features are built into the H150. I was also delighted to find that an improved, more robust version of the RC10 handset has been included, the RC11, rather than the much heavier (and more expensive) RC8 which I find difficult to use because all the buttons are the same shape and size: tiny for those of us with fat fingers.
Those wanting to add a subwoofer can make use of the H150’s variable line output which would also allow the unit to be used as a preamp to drive additional power amplifiers by way of an easy upgrade without losing any functionality.
Ease of use
As part of Hegel’s drive towards user-friendliness, input-sensing on the H150’s digital inputs and streaming wakes the amp and selects the correct source automatically, while the [to my mind really annoying] adjustable auto-standby can be set to save energy after you finish listening. Popular TV-remote codes are pre-loaded for seamless volume and power control with your TV remote.
Any input can be fixed at a high output level, allowing you to control the volume with any connected device, such as your home cinema receiver or multi-room streamer. Multi-room is of course also offered directly in the amplifier, either via Airplay, Google Cast, or Roon, and voice commands via Google Home or Apple Home are just a phrase away. Control is also available from the elegant aluminium remote or the free Hegel Control app, which offers full input and volume management, plus built-in internet radio and podcasts powered by Airable.
First impressions
For an extended, private assessment before the listening panel assembled, I enjoyed all that the H150 had to offer over several days of intensive auditioning. To begin with, I was wondering how close to the H190 this newcomer would be, an amplifier which at the time cost slightly more than the H150. In the end I was forced to compare the new sibling to the mighty H600 for it left the ageing H190 completely behind. It was so much more vibrant, with increased energy, improved dynamics and a greater ability to handle transient attack. In fact, the H150 gave my Revival Atalante 3 loudspeakers a new lease of life; there was more and better controlled bass, increased detail and better transparency with this amplifier in circuit.
Admittedly, the electrolytic capacitors in my ageing H190 won’t be as they were when it was new, and it’s had a hard life, a very hard life in the hands of a reviewer. Nevertheless, the fact that it’s blown out of the water by the lower-priced H150 says a lot for the value-for-money package the new design offers.
As with the H600, I enjoyed the Hegel app’s ability to stream endless podcasts and allow me to explore what seems a never-ending selection of radio stations. The headphone socket offered good quality audio and is far from an afterthought add-on. I am only sorry that I could not source a turntable with suitable (MM) cartridge to try the onboard phono stage which Hegel say they are very happy with.
I must admit to still using Apple’s Airplay more than I probably should (given its quality compromises), but I have years of private recordings stored on iCloud, many transferred from ¼-inch tape. Hegel has always implemented Airplay in a more acceptable way than many of its competitors. In fact, this is how I came to discover what, at the time, was a fledgling Norwegian manufacturer taking its first steps into the UK. In those early days Hegel worked with Apple in a collaborative way and the results were pretty sensational. Other brands may have caught up now but I still think Hegel’s Airplay is hard to beat.
Hegel included an external hard drive with FLAC files to test the USB input and, I must say, the results were very interesting. The music had been purchased from Qobuz so it was easy to compare tracks against live streams of the same material. That HDD somehow seemed more complete, more rounded; at least on the half dozen or so tracks I listened to which included Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side; She’s Gone from Hall and Oates; plus John Rutter’s Requiem (Turtle Creek Chorale Choir/Seelig).
This was not a scientific test but, suffice to say, the files played via the USB input sounded very slightly more realistic (as if the performers were closer), with extra low-frequency detail (some bigger, bolder bass notes), a hint of improved transparency and slightly more ‘air’ around the vocalists and instruments. The differences are subtle but show how locally-stored material can be used to advantage over streaming. In this case it may be down to the care Hegel has taken in refining the power supply and overall quality of its first USB drive input for direct playback.
To prevent this becoming a eulogy, I need to say there are some shortcomings in the H150; isn’t there always? The central display is, by today’s standards, still woefully inadequate. Rivals have touch screens and manage to display album covers, radio station name and current song, while Hegel stick to their minimalist roots. I am also frustrated that what on the H190 was an on/off switch is now merely a standby function on the H150 while the new model also lacks the ability to remember its settings at power down so that, each morning, I now have to select the desired input and choose the radio station via the app.
The likes of Atoll, Cambridge and Gold Note manage to include some memory retention and more comprehensive display information, so it can’t be that hard? Hegel always say, however, that they do not wish to do anything that could compromise sound quality; it’s for this reason they eschew the temptation to add an HDMI interface, Bluetooth convenience or wi-fi connectivity, useful though they may be in this digital era. Hegel aims squarely at the purist market while adding ‘essential’ conveniences.
I also wish it were possible to name inputs, so rather than ‘Optical 1’ it said ‘DVD’; and how convenient it would be to hide unused inputs rather than being faced with a long list of redundant ones to scroll through. To be fair, in the manual that accompanies the amplifier, Hegel do say that their app is required to “enable all the features” on this device.
Panel excitement
The panel wanted to listen to the H150 connected to the new Triangle BR04s which they had liked so much when driven by the mighty (and mighty expensive) H600. Anything to oblige since I’d already proved the new amplifier’s credentials with my regular Revival loudspeakers.
Top of the panel’s comments were those relating to the H150’s bass handling, referring to it as solid, extremely well-controlled, tight and detailed. Low frequency control is something that Hegel has become noted for, so this was a good start. To my mind, too many modern-sounding amplifiers go for an over-blown or exaggerated bass, all in the name of creating excitement when auditioning in the dealership and helping to cement a sale. Thankfully Hegel avoids this trait and gives you precision and dynamics in abundance when it’s on the source material, combined with natural sounding weight and punch to the lower registers.
It is Hegel’s treatment of midrange neutrality which appeals to me as a listener of heavily speech-orientated material. Here, again, we are spared any effort by the electronics’ wizards to try and stamp their own mark on the recording, so we are greeted with a precise and transparent presentation. A few specifics from what became a protracted listening session as the panel enjoyed the sound so much, they were not eager to leave; saying probably as much about the H150’s musical prowess as anything else.
Keen to hear a track they enjoyed so much before on the budget Triangle boxes, we began with Manfred Mann’s Blinded by the Light (the 1976 cover of Bruce Springsteen’s flop) and were entertained with phenomenal impact and amazing stereo imaging. The bass lines were now transformed with the Hegel H150 in circuit and our feet tapped along to the rhythm. The overall weight and punch of this upbeat tune from what is a fairly modest system was phenomenal and the realism epic.
Wanting to show how good the new H150 was on classical repertoire I invited the panel to hear Poulenc’s Les biches (Philharmonia/Prêtre) in all its splendour. We were presented with a vast soundstage with the musicians set before us but each in an identifiable space. The overall control and speed of this racy piece was handled with aplomb with the rhythm well maintained. The piece, entitled ‘the female deers’ is full of elegance, charm and tenderness which can be lost on lesser systems. But not here. We were entertained with the unfolding richness of the composition and its sparkling mischief.
After a mammoth session, involving several coffee breaks, we ended with an up-to-date tune in Mika’s Run (Anders Enger Jensen) from 2023 which reminded me of Kraftwerk compositions oft played at hi-fi events. The track not only confirmed the H150s ability with speed and agility but also bass handling as we were thrown back into our seats by the full force of the hard-hitting 16th note bass sequence, paired with big drums, set against reverberant and spacious synth. The various audio layers were clearly separated in razor-sharp precision to create something of an addictive sound. The H150 produced a solid, punchy bass while the instruments’ resonances were beautifully preserved to increase the sense of being at the recording venue. The panel left with smiles on their faces.
Conclusion
Hegel refer to the new H150 as an ‘all-in-one audio solution’ and that’s certainly proven to be the case. The fact that it’s less money than my H190 was six years ago is testimony to the real value-for-money on offer, not least they have added functions and facilities such as Airable radio and podcasts plus Qobuz Connect which my ageing model lacks.
Sonically, the H150 is far superior to the old H190 and is clearly a slimmed down version of the mighty H600, albeit at a third the price of the monster amp but still offering all the convenience and 75W/ch which will be enough to satisfy most needs – who listens at anything over 100dB or has space akin to a sports hall for a listening room?
I need to negotiate a trade-in which will also be an almighty trade-up to new pinnacle of Hegel electronics. Another Bent Holter masterpiece which offers a lot of audiophile electronics for the money. A clear Best Buy if ever there was.