Hegel H120 Integrated Amplifier 2x 75 Watts

On the Shoulders of Giants

Standing on the shoulders of GIANTS, the H120 carries forward the proud history of HEGEL amplifiers. The multi award winning designs that over the years have dazzled listeners with their combination of raw dynamics and delicate naturality. The H120 carries that legacy with it, but in a smaller and more affordable package.

Key Features:
• 2 x 75 W/8 Ω
• 6 Digital & 2 Analogue Inputs
• SoundEngine 2 Technology
• DualAmp Technology
• DualPower Technology
• Apple AirPlay
• Spotify Connect
• Roon Ready
• Control4 Ready
• UPnP Streaming
• Headphone Output
• Software Upgradeable
• Available in Black or White Finish

On the Shoulders of Giants

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants" - said Isaac Newton in 1675. Without comparing themselves directly to Isaac, Hegel claim the same for the H120. It is a relatively affordable integrated amplifier that would not have been possible, were it not for its brothers leading up to its design.

The H120 is a small step up from entry level Hegel amplifiers in terms of price, but it is a solid step up in terms of features and performance. The significantly larger power supply creates a more dynamic sound and for combining with large loudspeakers presenting more challenging drive loads. The digital section is taken directly from its bigger siblings, and this is really the core of the H120. Hegel sees the typical user of the H120 as people who are into digital music streaming. For the money, they claim that the H120 does that better than anything else.

Crafted From the Ground Up by Hegel

The digital-to-analog conversion is of the highest quality in the H120, with technology crafted from the ground up by Hegel.

"We take full control of the digital data stream, using technology developed from our absolute reference products, ensuring digital music delivery in its purest form."

The result is perfectly natural sound, without any artefacts that make you want to turn the volume down. The H120 has Apple Airplay, Spotify Connect, IP Control, Control4 and UPnP streaming. More features are already in progress and will be offered at no cost, using the easy software update functionality. All inputs are configurable for volume bypass, so you can integrate in a home theatre or with a Bluesound or Sonos device for example. Whatever you want, you can do it with the H120.

SoundEngine2 Technology

The H120 uses the Hegel SoundEngine 2 amplifier platform allowing a damping factor higher than 2000 together with extremely low distortion levels. In many ways it works like a noise cancelling headphone. It compares the output of the amplifier with the input. It detects all the sound pollution (distortion), and plays this forward into the speaker output, but in reverse phase. Like 1 minus 1 equals 0. It cancels out all pollution in real time, leaving you with only the most natural sound.

The SoundEngine technology has been developed over more than 30 years, from conception to where it is now. Millions of dollars were invested in initial development. It is what makes possible the sound performance for the money in the H120.

DualAmp Technology

In normal audio amplifiers, the voltage gain stages and current gain stages are combined in the same amplifier module.

DualAmp Technology from Hegel separates the voltage gain stage and the current gain stage into two completely different stages. First, the music signal goes to the voltage gain stage, amplifying only the voltage level of the music signal. By doing only voltage gain in this first stage, we can use amplifier building blocks that are specially designed to do voltage amplification. After the separate voltage gain stage, we have the current gain stage, doing only current gain and nothing else.

The Hegel DualAmp technology gives lower total distortion and a higher dynamic range than normal audio amplifiers. The Hegel DualAmp technology is developed in-house by Hegel and is only found in Hegel products.

DualPower Technology

Hegel integrated amplifiers, power amplifiers, and sources are using completely separate DualPower power supplies for the input and voltage gain stages, and for the current output stages of the audio amplifier. The custom-designed Hegel power transformers have got separate DualPower windings feeding independent high-speed rectifiers and high capacity power supply capacitors.

By using the DualPower power supply technology Hegel amplifiers will prevent disturbances from the high currents flowing in the loudspeakers entering the sensitive input gain stages and voltage gain stages. The Hegel DualPower technology gives lower total distortion and a higher dynamic range than normal audio amplifiers. The Hegel DualPower technology is developed in-house by Hegel and is only found in Hegel products.

The Hegel Concept