December 2024

Hegel Music Systems H400 Streamliner Review
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Review By Paul Schumann

   One of the rites of passage into adulthood for my generation was the purchasing of an audio system. You saved up enough scratch at some point, went down to the local fi-fi store, and picked out a system. The heart of this system would be the receiver. It had everything you needed: a phono preamp, tuner, tape loop, and power amp. All you needed was a turntable with a pre-mounted cartridge and a pair of speakers, and you were set. If you had some extra cash, you could pick up a cassette deck to record the "King Biscuit Flour Hour" on the radio. That sustained many of us until we were compelled to buy a multi-channel home entertainment system or go into high-end equipment and demote our receiver to the garage. Eventually, dust, humidity, and father time would take their toll and our stalwart would give up the ghost. While now considered a relic of the past, many of us think back fondly of its simple functionality and all of the great music we enjoyed through it.

Full disclosure here: I never owned a receiver. My dad gave me his Dynaco stuff because he didn't want to fiddle with it anymore, and I helped him buy the receiver to replace it. It was a nice Yamaha that he used and enjoyed for years. My son ended up acquiring it and using it until it died. He loved it, too. It was simple, functional, and sounded great.

For that reason, I was intrigued when I was allowed to review the new Hegel H400. The nickname for the H400 is Streamliner. I adore that name because it harkens back to the mid-twentieth century when companies would give trains or planes such names. But the name also evokes an aesthetic of simplicity. Leonardo da Vinci stated, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." As I've grown older, I have started to embrace that philosophy. The Hegel Music Systems H400 is a high-end integrated amplifier married to a high-end Hi-Res Audio DAC and Hi-Res Music streamer. In other words, everything you need to get started on your high-end journey.

Technical Details
Hegel Music Systems' H400 is a Class AB amplifier, delivering 250 Watts of power into 8 Ohms per channel (two channels / stereo). Internally, it has dual mono construction and a symmetrical layout. Instead of using negative feedback, the H400 employs Hegel's proprietary SoundEngine 2 technology that offers instant distortion correction during amplification. The bit-perfect DAC employs the ESS ES9038Q2M processor, which is the same as the H600. It also uses the same streaming platform as the H600.

I wasn't at home when the H400 arrived, so I received some complaints from my wife about having to drag it in without any help. I thought she was exaggerating until I tried to move it myself. The H400 weighs just over 44 pounds, which I consider a good sign. That means lots of iron inside. Its dimensions are  5.9" x 16.93" x 17.32" (HxWxD) which is a pretty substantial footprint. Luckily for me, the feet are set in quite a bit, so I could fit it easily in my stereo cabinet. To connect to my system, I used the BNC digital input to connect to the Linn Genki CD player and digital coaxial connection for the FiiO F9. Both connections were made with Kimber Kable D60 digital interconnects. These interconnects were provided to me by Kimber Kable for this review, so I'll discuss them separately. I used the unbalanced inputs to connect to the FiiO F9 and my vinyl setup. The H400's streamer doesn't have wireless capability, so you need to be able to make a hard connection to your internet.

I think Leonardo would have appreciated the look and feel of Hegel Music Systems' H400. The device is painted in a black satin finish that looks awesome. Instead of being flat, the front panel bows out slightly in the middle. Large input-selection and volume knobs are on either side of the white-on-black display that shows the input and volume level. This is as simple as it gets folks, and I never got tired of looking at it.

The streamer has an app for your phone. It was a snap to install and set up. Since the app acts as a fully functional remote, I ended up using it a lot more than the remote Hegel provides. My only disappointment with the functionality of the streamer is that it isn't set up to work directly with Qobuz, my streaming service of choice. To get around that, I streamed through the F9 and used the DAC on H400 to decode. Anders Erzied told me Qobuz direct play will be available soon.

Kimber Kable's Impressive D60 Digital Cable
Before I discuss the Hegel Music Systems H400, I wanted to spend some time on the Kimber Kable D60 digital interconnects. I got the two D60 digital interconnects a few weeks before the Hegel arrived. I had been using a generic digital cable before then, so I was floored when I heard the improvements they made right out of the box. Previously obscured details were revealed. Dynamics increased. Instruments had more vibrancy and color. When I used the D60 to connect the Linn Genki CD player to the FiiO F9, I was amazed at how much more music I was hearing from my extensive CD collection.

Listening to Vaughn Williams' Symphony No. 6 by the BBC Symphony Orchestra [Apex - 0927-49584-2], the sheer power of the orchestra in this recording was revealed. Written right after World War II, this piece swings wildly between anger and resignation. With the D60 in place, all of the moving parts of the most complex passages were well-illuminated. The entire final movement never gets louder than pp, which is a challenge for a system to reproduce. But this amazing digital cable allowed me to connect to the music until the final note died out.

Enjoying Music
Lately, I've been leaning hard into female indie artists. I guess what they have to say speaks to me right now. I know these are now what many would consider audiophile recordings, but I feel strongly that the system is there to serve the music, not vice versa. One of my favorite albums from this year is Lizzie McApline's Older [RCA 19658-84489-1]. I bought the vinyl when it first came out and have loved every groove in that clear plastic. A few weeks ago, I saw a new album listed on Lizzie's Qobuz feed. It turns out Lizzie and her band took time off from their tour to record a few songs at Electric Ladyland studios. These songs they added to the existing album and retitled it Older (and Wiser) [Indigo Blue - RCA]. It doesn't seem likely that they will ever be released physically. Like earlier recorded songs on this album, the production was kept to a minimum and sounded terrific through the H400.

I believe Lizzie McAlpine has one of the most evocative voices in popular music. She has amazing control and goes effortlessly between her head voice and her lower registers. In the song "Pushing It Down and Praying" she groans:

He gives what he can

But now I don't know what he's givin' for

There's a rasp to her voice that puts a lump in my throat. Listening to this recording with the Hegel Music Systems H400, every part of this tight arrangement was crystal clear. For a moment I could close my eyes and imagine Lizzie and her band in the cozy confines of that famous studio.

Another album that I have been listening to regularly is Ethel Cain's Preacher's Daughter [Daughters of Cain Records]. Ethel's first album is an exploration of intergenerational trauma. It is a dark and brooding collection of story songs. To give this music its "Southern Gothic" feel, much of the vocals and instruments are produced with heavy reverb and delay. Despite this, Ethel's vocals were strong and clear with the H400. The production techniques were used to great effect on "American Teenager" where the entire song sounded like it was recorded in a giant cathedral. During the chorus, I could hear a pipe organ buried in the mix to enhance this illusion. With the H400, this song sounded immense in my living room. The cut "House in Nebraska" opens with ominous repeated piano chords before Ethyl chimes in with her siren-song vocals. Every inflection of her voice was rendered true with the H400. I know this music is heavily processed and would never be considered audiophile, but who cares? For me, it's about the emotion. Listening to Preacher's Daughter with the H400 I was swept away.

I think my love for women-fronted indie bands started with The Sundays. Their 1990 debut album Reading, Writing And Arithmetic [Rough Trade - Rough CD 148] may be one of my most played CDs. The magic combination of Harriet Wheeler's soaring yet melancholy vocals with her hubby David Gavurin's harmonically rich guitars makes this music timeless for me. Certain tracks in this first album always pull at my heartstrings. The song "Can't Sure" highlights the musical alchemy between the two. As Harriet sings:

"But England’s as happy as England can be

Why cry?"

Her voice trails off in resignation which is a punch to the gut. Then she follows with.

"And did you know desire's a terrible thing?

The worst that I can find.

And did you know desire's a terrible thing? 

But I rely on mine" 

Her voice cuts through such conviction. Underneath these powerful vocals, David’s chromatic guitars add an aura of mystery. On the track "You’re Not The Only One I Know" Harriet croons: 

"You're not the only one that I know.

But I'm too proud to talk to you anyway.

You're, you're not the only one that I know.

But I'm far too proud to talk to you any day"

She goes into her upper register with a tone so pure as to melt your heart. The Hegel H400 rendered every single note of this music beautifully. The Sundays were a very intentional band. Listening to this CD with the HD400 gave me new insights into the musical choices they made over thirty years ago.

While most of my listening with the H400 was done using its built-in DAC, I did listen to some vinyl to get a better feel for the character of its amplifier module. Phoebe Go is an Australian artist who I stumbled across recently on Qobuz. I liked her music so much that I specially ordered the vinyl of her debut album Marmalade [Impressed Recordings IMP031]. In contrast to Preacher's Daughter, this album uses minimal production techniques. Listening to the guitar-driven track "Something You Were Trying" with the H400, Phoebe's vocals were intimate and gave me the illusion that she was in the room with me. The slightly distorted guitars were clean, yet rich with harmonics. Listening to this album with the H400 was a toe-tapping experience. If you enjoy throwback-style pop-rock, you need to check her out.

Overall Impressions
So what are my overall impressions of the sound? I normally don't review solid-state amps, so first off I was impressed with the tonality of the H400. I listened to Vaughn Williams' Third Symphony by Richard Hickox and the London Symphony Orchestra [Chandos], and I was surprised by the richness of the orchestra. The strings had an amazing amount of air and the horns had a warm burned glow. While the Hegel H400 did an excellent job retrieving detail from the music, it never sounded etched or hard. Dynamically, the H400 is a little reserved compared to the SET amps I'm used to. It's extremely quiet, which lets a lot of inner detail through. With the Super Pensil 12 speakers, the H400 projected an impressive soundstage.

I enjoyed the time the H400 was in my system. It is a beautifully designed integrated amplifier with a superb DAC. Everything about it is of the highest quality. If you want to make your first step into high-end audio, or yearning to go back to a simpler time in your life, the H400 Streamliner might be the integrated amplifier for you.

Specifications
Type: Solid-state integrated music streaming amplifier
Frequency Response: 5 Hz to 180 kHz
Power Output: Two channels, 250 Watt @ 8 Ohms each
Analog Inputs: XLR balanced and two unbalanced RCA
Digital Outputs: BNC and S/PIDIF coaxial 24-bit/192kHz
Digital Inputs: Coaxial (BNC, S/PDIF 24/192, DSD64 (DoP), MQA 8x), 1 x coaxial (RCA, S/PDIF 24/192, DSD64 (DoP), MQA 8x), 3 x optical (S/PDIF 24/96, MQA 8x), 1 x USB (32/384, DSD256 (DoP), MQA 8x, 1 x Network (24/192, DSD64 (DoP), MQA 8x)

Line level Output: Unbalanced fixed RCA and variable RCA
Streaming: Spotify Connect, Roon Ready, Tidal Connect, Google Cast, AirPlay, airable Internet Radio and Podcast, UPnP

Streaming formats: MP3, WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, DSF, DFF, AAC, PCM, MQA, Ogg
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)
Dimensions: 5.9" x 16.93" x 17.32" (HxWxD)
Weight: 44.1 lbs. 
Price: $6,996

Company Information
Hegel Music Systems AS
PO Box 2, Torshov
NO-0412 Oslo
Norway

Voice: +47 22-60-56-60
Fax: +47 22-69-91-56
E-mail: info@hegel.com 
Website: www.Hegel.com