Hegel’s reference power amplifiers, side by side. Here is the H20 alongside the flagship H30A and their specifications, showing what your money buys and where the designs differ.

The H20 is Hegel’s more attainable reference power amplifier, and it descends directly from the company’s statement designs: its core is based on the H30 reference amplifier, with the best implementation of Hegel’s patented, laser-trimmed SoundEngine modules. It is a pure power amplifier, no DAC, no preamplifier, no streaming, no display, just amplification, built to take a line-level signal and drive a pair of speakers with authority and control. It is the natural partner for Hegel’s P20 preamplifier, and the amplifier for a listener building a genuine separates system around the Hegel sound.

Brief product overview

A stereo power amplifier built around Hegel’s SoundEngine distortion-cancelling technology and derived from the H30 reference design, with a current capability of more than 130 amperes, so it keeps a firm grip on demanding and low-impedance speakers. It is a dedicated power amplifier: it has no DAC, no preamplifier stage, no network functions and no controls beyond power, which concentrates the whole design on amplification. Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs connect it to a preamplifier, and Hegel’s Solid Cinch-style binding posts take the speaker cables. The chassis follows the timeless Hegel look, matching the P20 preamplifier, and it is made in Norway.

How it sounds

The H20 has Hegel’s clean, neutral, honest character delivered with real muscle: extremely low distortion, a firm grip on the bass, and the current to drive difficult speakers without strain, so it sounds effortless and controlled rather than forced. Because it is a pure power amplifier, it adds as little as possible of its own, taking its tonal character from the preamplifier and sources in front of it and simply amplifying that signal faithfully. Against the flagship H30A it gives up outright power and the last degree of grip on the most demanding loads, in a smaller and more affordable chassis, but it shares the family character and the reference-derived engineering. It is the amplifier that lets a separates system built on the P20 realise its potential.

What we’d partner it with

The H20 needs a preamplifier in front of it, and the natural choice is the Hegel P20, its matched partner in price and design: a purely analogue, reference line preamplifier with a signal-to-noise ratio above 130dB. For speakers, we suggest the Amphion Argon 7LX, the flagship of Amphion’s Argon range, a sealed 2.5-way floorstander whose transparent, studio-derived Finnish character suits Hegel’s honesty; it is a 4-ohm, 91dB speaker the H20’s current drives with total ease. Good alternatives from brands we carry are floorstanders from Dynaudio, Focal, Sonus faber and KEF.

The P20 has no DAC or phono stage, so the source completes the system, and the two systems below differ there. For digital, we suggest the EverSolo DMP-A8 Master, a streamer and DAC that feeds the P20 through its analogue outputs; an Aurender or HiFi Rose streamer does the same. For vinyl, because neither the P20 nor the H20 has a phono stage, a turntable connects through the Hegel V10, Hegel’s own moving-magnet and moving-coil phono stage, and we suggest the Pro-Ject Debut Reference 10, whose factory-fitted Pick it PRO moving-magnet cartridge runs straight into the V10; a Clearaudio or another Pro-Ject deck partners equally well.

On cabling, run the preamplifier and sources on balanced cables where you can, 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 Hegel’s most powerful amplifier for the most demanding speakers or the largest rooms, the flagship H30A goes considerably further. If you would rather have everything in one box, a Hegel integrated such as the H400 or H600 combines preamplifier, power, DAC and streaming, at the cost of the flexibility separates bring. And if you have no separate preamplifier and no wish to run one, a power amplifier is the wrong starting point; an integrated is the amplifier for you.

Setup notes: The H20 is a pure power amplifier, so it needs a preamplifier to control it; run the P20 to the H20 on balanced XLR cables where you can, and give the amplifier ventilation. For digital, connect the EverSolo to a P20 line input and set its output to fixed so the P20 controls the volume. For vinyl, connect the turntable to the Hegel V10 phono stage and the V10 to a P20 line input; the Pro-Ject’s Pick it PRO is a moving-magnet cartridge, and the V10 handles both moving-magnet and moving-coil, so there is room to upgrade later. Place the Amphion Argon 7LX clear of the rear wall to suit its rear passive radiators.

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