Hegel’s streaming integrated amplifiers, side by side. Here is the H150 between the entry H95 and the H200 and their specifications, showing what your money buys at each step.

The H150 is Hegel’s newest streaming integrated amplifier, the replacement for the popular H120, and the company nicknames it the Prodigy for good reason: it brings much of the technology and versatility of Hegel’s far more expensive models to a lower price. It amplifies, converts digital, streams over the network, and, unlike the entry H95, includes a phono stage, so it is a genuine single-box hub for streaming, digital and vinyl alike. It needs only a pair of speakers to make a complete system, with a turntable an easy addition rather than a project.

Brief product overview

A streaming integrated amplifier, DAC, network player and phono stage delivering 75 watts per channel into 8 ohms from a Class A/B output stage, stable into 2-ohm loads, with a damping factor above 2000 that gives it firm control over difficult speakers. The DAC is Hegel’s newest four-layer design, derived from the flagship Viking CD player and shared platform with the H400 and H600, handling up to 24-bit/192kHz over network, USB and coaxial. The streaming platform is comprehensive: Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz Connect, Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, UPnP and internet radio, all kept current by over-the-air updates, and it plays directly from a USB drive, a first for Hegel. Connectivity includes balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA line inputs, a moving-magnet phono input, two optical, one coaxial, USB-B and network digital inputs, a coaxial digital output and DAC loop, a headphone output, and a variable pre-out for a subwoofer. SoundEngine2 keeps distortion low. The chassis is Hegel’s minimalist design with an OLED display, and it is made in Norway.

How it sounds

The H150 has Hegel’s clean, neutral, honest character, recreating the recording without adding a signature of its own, and it sounds considerably more powerful than 75 watts suggests thanks to the very high damping factor and 2-ohm stability, which give it a firm grip on demanding speakers. The new DAC, drawn from Hegel’s reference players, is smooth, precise and dynamic, and the built-in moving-magnet phono stage means vinyl is properly catered for rather than left to an outboard box. It is a complete, source-first amplifier that handles streaming, digital and vinyl with the same even hand, which is why the two systems below start from a complete digital core and add a turntable as an extension.

What we’d partner it with

The H150 has streaming, a DAC and a phono stage built in, so a complete system needs only speakers. We pair it with the KEF R3 Meta, a three-way Uni-Q stand-mount whose insight and neutrality suit Hegel’s honest character; it is a 4-ohm speaker that dips to 3.2 ohms and rewards an amplifier with real current and control, exactly what the H150’s high damping factor and 2-ohm stability provide, so its 75 watts drive the R3 with authority beyond the number. Good alternatives from brands we carry are stand-mounts and floorstanders from Dynaudio, Focal, Amphion and Monitor Audio.

For digital sources, nothing more is needed: the H150 streams over your network via Spotify, Tidal or Qobuz Connect, AirPlay and Google Cast, its digital inputs take a TV or CD transport, and it plays from a USB drive. To add vinyl, the built-in moving-magnet phono stage means a turntable connects directly, no external phono stage required, a genuine “just add a turntable” extension. We suggest the Rega Planar 3 RS Edition, supplied with a factory-fitted cartridge; a Pro-Ject or another Rega deck partners equally well.

On cabling, use a well-made speaker cable of appropriate gauge for the run, terminated properly at the binding posts; AudioQuest and Chord are the cable brands we stock.

Who shouldn’t buy it

If you want more power and outputs for larger or more demanding speakers, the H190 and the amplifiers above it step up the range. If you run a low-output moving-coil cartridge, note the H150’s phono stage is moving-magnet only, so an external step-up or moving-coil stage would be needed. And if you want tone controls or a warmer, coloured sound, that is not Hegel’s approach; the H150 is deliberately neutral.

Setup notes: The H150 is a full-width but shallow component, so it fits most shelves and media units easily, and it runs cool. For streaming, a wired network connection is more robust than wi-fi where you can run one, and software updates arrive over the air, so keep it connected. Place the KEF R3 Meta on solid stands clear of walls, with a little toe-in; its 4-ohm load is well within the H150’s abilities. To add vinyl, connect the turntable to the moving-magnet phono input and its ground to the phono earth post. The variable pre-out can feed a subwoofer, and the OLED display can be dimmed or turned off.