The H400 is Hegel’s upper-tier streaming integrated amplifier, the replacement for the acclaimed H390, and it brings much of the flagship H600’s technology to a lower price. It amplifies, converts digital and streams over the network, with a dual-mono design and a DAC derived from the H600, so it functions as a complete, high-performance system needing only speakers. Unlike Hegel’s mid-range models, it does not include a phono stage; it is a digital-first amplifier for the streaming listener, with vinyl added through an external phono stage when wanted. It is close to an endgame integrated for many systems.

Brief product overview

A streaming integrated amplifier, DAC and network player of dual-mono construction, delivering 250 watts per channel into 8 ohms from a Class A/B output stage, stable into 2-ohm loads, with a damping factor above 4000 for a very firm grip on demanding speakers. The DAC is based on the H600’s, built on the ESS ES9038Q2M chipset with Hegel’s synchronised upsampling and Direct Master Clock to minimise jitter. The streaming platform is comprehensive, AirPlay, Chromecast, Roon Ready, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and UPnP, connected by wired Ethernet only, a deliberate choice to keep wi-fi’s radio interference out of the audio circuits. Connectivity includes one balanced XLR and two unbalanced RCA line inputs, two coaxial, three optical and USB digital inputs, a fixed and a variable RCA line output, and a coaxial BNC output for Hegel’s DAC Loop, which allows an external DAC to be added later while keeping the H400’s streaming and switching. There is no phono input and no headphone output. The chassis is Hegel’s minimalist design, and it is made in Norway.

How it sounds

The H400 has Hegel’s clean, neutral, honest character delivered with serious authority: 250 dual-mono watts, 2-ohm stability and a damping factor over 4000 give it complete control over demanding speakers, so it drives difficult loads without a hint of strain and stays composed at any level. The H600-derived DAC is a genuine highlight, smooth, precise, detailed and dynamic, well beyond the DAC stages of typical all-in-one amplifiers, and the dual-mono construction gives wide, precisely placed imaging and a very low noise floor. Reviewers have called it close to an endgame purchase, and much of the flagship’s performance at a considerably lower price. It is a digital-first amplifier, which is why the digital system below is complete on its own and the analogue system adds a turntable and phono stage as an extension.

What we’d partner it with

The H400 has streaming and a serious DAC built in, so a complete system needs only speakers. For speakers, we suggest the Amphion Argon 3LX, a slim two-way passive-radiator floorstander handmade in Finland, whose transparent, studio-derived character suits Hegel’s honesty; it is an 8-ohm speaker the H400’s 250 dual-mono watts drive with total ease and control. Good alternatives from brands we carry are floorstanders and stand-mounts from Focal, Dynaudio, KEF and Sonus faber.

For digital sources, nothing more is needed: the H400 streams over your network via Roon, Tidal, Spotify Connect, AirPlay and Chromecast, and its digital inputs take a TV or CD transport. To add vinyl, note the H400 has no phono stage, so a turntable connects through an external phono stage into one of its line inputs, an extension to the core system. We suggest the Clearaudio Performance DC, with its Satisfy Kardan tonearm and the moving-magnet Artist V2 cartridge, through a phono stage such as Hegel’s own V10, which matches the H400 in performance and design; a Pro-Ject or Rega deck and phono stage partner equally well.

On cabling, run the streamer and phono stage to the H400 on balanced or good RCA cables, and use a well-made speaker cable of appropriate gauge for the run; AudioQuest and Chord are the cable brands we stock.

Who shouldn’t buy it

If you want still more power and the flagship’s ultimate performance, the H600 is the next step up the range. If a phono stage built into the amplifier matters to you, the H200, H190V and H150 include one, where the H400 leaves phono to an external stage. And if you need a headphone output, note the H400, like the H600, does without one, where Hegel’s lesser models provide it.

Setup notes: The H400 is a heavy dual-mono component and wants ventilation above and around it. It connects to the network by wired Ethernet only, by design, so run a network cable to it; software updates arrive over the air, so keep it connected. Place the Amphion Argon 3LX with its passive-radiator design fairly free with placement, even near walls, and its 8-ohm load is an easy case for the H400. To add vinyl, connect the turntable to an external phono stage and that stage to one of the line inputs, since the H400 has no phono input. If you add an external DAC later, the BNC DAC-loop output keeps the H400’s streaming and switching. The variable pre-out can feed a subwoofer.

Warranty & service: Hegel products carry a manufacturer’s warranty when bought from an authorised dealer; service is handled through the UK distributor.