Hegel H400 Streaming Integrated Amplifier Review

Paul Sechi auditions this impressively versatile high-end integrated amplifier…
Hegel Music Systems
H400 Streaming Integrated Amplifier
USD $6,995 | EUR €6,995 | AUD $10,995 | SGD $10,500 | GBP £5,900
Hegel Music Systems has been around for over thirty years, yet somehow, it is still seen as a relatively new brand in many showrooms. The company’s website is not boastful but does provide insight into the engineering solutions across product ranges. Hegel’s integrated amplifier webpage highlights each product’s nickname or tagline – in this case, the H400 is termed the ‘Streamliner’ because of its connectivity options.
I was expecting a Norse god emblem or a horned helmet insignia on the Hegel H400 when I unpacked it, but nothing of the kind! Out of the box, the simplicity of this product is clear. It’s physically slender – the 430x150x440mm [WxHxD] dimensions disguise how hefty this 20kg amplifier is. Available in one colour only, it sports line level and digital inputs with built-in streaming functionality – all managed by the front fascia knobs and an easy-to-read monochrome display. Scandinavian minimalism at its best, then. The H400 offers high-quality engineering in a single chassis.
Sitting one rung down from the flagship H600 integrated amplifier, carrying much of its bigger brother’s design prowess and parts quality, the H400 boasts a claimed 250W per channel of Class AB power into 8 ohms. The company doesn’t quote power into lower speaker loads but insists that this amplifier can drive the majority of loudspeakers on sale comfortably. Its back panel layout is simple; the large speaker binding posts are mirrored at each end, and aligned with the binding posts are two pairs of single-ended RCA inputs, one pair of balanced connectors and two pairs of RCA outputs. Near the bottom of the rear panel sit the digital inputs and outputs.
The Hegel was recognised immediately when I plugged it into my network, and then any over-the-air (OTA) updates for software and firmware could be done. It supports a growing number of streaming services such as internet radio and podcasts, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Airplay and Google Cast, and is Roon ready. Hegel’s own Bit-Perfect DAC accepts USB and other such digital sources, decodes MQA and up to DSD256. Analogue outputs are available in both fixed and variable format, allowing the H400 to act as a preamp and drive another power amplifier.
The unit has two separate 230V AC mains transformers, one for amplification and the other for small signal circuits. There are separate windings for each channel. The H400 is said to implement much of Hegel’s DualPower circuitry, where separate gain stages focus either on optimal signal treatment or current drive to your loudspeakers. It sports a very high claimed damping factor of 4,000, which should make for a vice-like grip on the loudspeakers. Owners will need to provide clear space around the amp to allow for heat dissipation, although I found that it didn’t get particularly hot during normal use.
It’s easy enough to use and controllable from the fascia, the bundled remote, or Hegel’s excellent app. The latter is a pleasure, and certainly no afterthought. The remote control is machined from a single metal billet that sits easily in your palm and controls other Hegel components with ease. For this review, the H400 went into my reference system comprising Primare CD31 disc, Bluesound Vault 2i streamer front end, and Serhan+Swift Mu.2 Mk2 or ProAc Super Tablette speakers. Analogue cables were Tributaries Series 8, with Audioquest digital optical cables. Comparisons were done with my Primare i30 amplifier.
THE LISTENING
The H400 presents a uniform sound across all sources and formats – one which is absolutely rock-solid. With all that power on tap, you might expect some brutality in its delivery, but it’s a subtle and three-dimensional performer that fills the listening room with music without any appreciable loss in spatiality, timing and dynamics. Its involving sound even makes low-level listening a pleasure.
At my normal listening levels, the H400 never missed a beat, regardless of the speakers I used. I initially expected its high damping factor to make its bass region shine, but it was actually the treble performance that grabbed my initial attention. Cymbals, snare and violin had a pleasingly spatial quality, with notes hanging in space and time. As expected, I found the analogue XLR inputs had a little more detail than the RCAs in the lower midrange and upper bass.
The Hegel’s bottom end is well extended, nicely weighted and taut, with a hint of warmth in the upper bass and lower midband that drew me in. Otherwise, the amplifier presented a largely neutral palette, which allowed it to get out of the way of the music. The H400’s ability to accurately convey complex musical pieces was especially impressive, with each song picked apart and reassembled in front of my very ears – with life-like energy and urgency to both instruments and vocals.
Hey Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut by the Peter Green Splinter Group off their Soho Live At Ronnie Scotts album is a challenging test of any amplifier’s mettle. From the opening few bars, the cohesiveness of the music was evident, skipping and jumping in focus from the drumming, to organ, bass or guitar. The painted soundstage was broad, but more impressive was the stage depth and image placement. The bottom end was taut, timing was spot-on and bass notes had texture and feel. Cymbals were snappy and delivered as if hanging in my listening room.
Tonally, the H400 exhibits no undue forwardness across the midband, as Stay Here and Joyful Sun by Kayhan Kaihor and Toumani Diabeté from their The Sky Is The Same Colour Everywhere album showed. The H400 got to work providing an engaging and authentic rendition of the two instruments being played. Notes, whether plucked or from a bow, were clean and crisp. The amp also replicated the tempo perfectly, as each musician played off one another, exacerbated by the darkness and depth of the bowing, plucking or tapping.
Sister Starling from Aoife O’Donovan’s latest album Age of Apathy is a test for all amplifiers. The former’s voice was front and centre, with the H400 presenting all of the desired emotion and tenderness. The song has a fair amount of low drum and bass notes, and this integrated controlled the low-frequency traffic very well. Bass lines were clear and distinct, and the drumming extended down without boom. The Hegel presented a broad soundstage with great spatial distancing throughout the track.
The Reaper by Fable has a lot of low-frequency energy that can easily fall apart on amplifiers without decent power reserves. The H400 stepped up and hit its straps, giving a clear, well weighted and taut bassline that combined well with the vocals and keyboards to deliver a large and complex wall of sound in front of the listener. The soundstage showed a great sense of atmosphere, enhanced by the fine top-end presence. Of all the songs I listened to, this one was where the Hegel really pulled things together.
Hooking up a digital source to the H400’s optical digital input, and its built-in DAC sounded impressively open and detailed in the midband and treble, and offered a more textured bass compared to my Primare CD31 and Bluesound Vault. It was so good that I have only ever heard better via digital from an Ayre CX-8 CD player, which costs almost as much as the Hegel itself. It’s a most capable number cruncher, then.
The H400 also clearly bettered my Primare i30.1 amplifier in terms of information retrieval and musical engagement. Compared to the more expensive Perreaux 200iX and the Mark Levinson 5805, it was less convincing but still held its head high. The similarly priced Perreaux exhibited a tonal neutrality that the H400 could not match – and nor could the 5805, for that matter – but in every other sonic respect, the Hegel equalled or bettered it. The race between the 5805 and the H400 proved very close, and came down more to personal preferences than outright ability. In my own listening room and with my music tastes, I could happily live with the Hegel and add a phono amp to match the 5805’s capabilities.
THE VERDICT
Hegel’s H400 provided a faultless user experience during the review period. Its combination of visual appeal and well-thought-out ergonomics is unusual. Sonically, it’s very special, too, sounding controlled without being brutal, while delicate without being limp - and always musically engaging. A fully immersive sonic experience, this is an amplifier that you can listen to for days on end – fatigue-free yet highly engaging; it’s always friendly and fun.
Factor in its ability to cram so much functionality and power into a relatively compact space, and this integrated is hard to argue against. So if you’re looking for a serious ‘do it all’ stereo amplifier with excellent connectivity, you had better hot-foot it to your nearest Hegel showroom for a demo. The ‘Streamliner’ could turn out to be your dreamliner.
For more information visit Hegel

Paul Sechi
Paul is a music appreciation fan of both live and produced music from diverse genres and cultures. Paul was interested in audio at school, did a thesis in acoustics and by day works as a technology strategist including smart environment standards and integration.
Posted in: Amplifiers | Integrated Amplifier | Applause Awards | 2025 | Hi-Fi
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