Hegel H390 Integrated Amplifier

This Hegel H390 is a very highly rated combination power amp, preamp, DAC and Streamer. I purchased the unit from my dealer a few months ago and must sell now due to financial constraiints. It should be rated a 9.5/10 since I've used it only a few months and it is functionally and cosmetically perfect. It will be shipped in its original factory carton with remote, power cable, and manual. It can be picked up at my residence in the Dallas/FT Worth metroplex. At my asking price it should easily be a Best Buy for all-in-one integrated amplifiers. Just add speakers.

From the Hegel Website:

The H390 offers the performance of our Reference products, albeit at a lower price. It is a A REBEL in that in one integrated product itoffers the same as others do in two or three. A REBEL that provides world-class sound, jaw-dropping power and comes packed with convenient services.

Nicknaming the H390 "Robin Hood" is a bit bold, you may think. After all, it isn't pocket money and we are not giving it away to the poor. But it is a rebellion against the established. It is a rebellion because it offers extraordinary resolution and musical quality, typically found only in the most esoteric products, but at a reasonable price.

It is a rebellion against the establishment of "forcing" consumers into a user interface defined by the amplifier/streamer manufacturer. The H390 is very much at the tip of the spear in Hegel's pursuit of making mainstream sources sound their very best. Meaning the H390 is not just for the Audiophile. It is a product for the entire family to enjoy.

At the heart of the H390 is Hegel's patented SoundEngine 2 amplifier section. The SoundEngine 2, in many ways, works like a noise canceling headphone. A computer inside will sample what comes into the amplifier and compares it to what comes out. The computer subtracts the difference (distortion) and then add it into the music but in reverse phase. The result being that, without any time delay, the SoundEngine cancels out almost all errors made by the amplifier. Leaving you with the most musical and natural sound you ever have experienced.

Then there is digital. If not using a turntable, you are probably using digital connections. Hegel designs both the analog and digital sections from, the ground up and in house. The digital section in the H390 is unique in that regardless of the signal type or input, the music signal remains unchanged and untampered with in the H390. We call it a "bit perfect" DA-Converter. This is digital in its purest form. For those interested in deep tech, we even design digital clocks that will follow the sampling frequency in the music and "down-clock" when receiving a low-resolution file. For the non-techie, the result is a far more natural and "analog" sound as well as an unbelievable soundstage and realism.

Finally, let's talk about connectivity. The H390 has Apple Airplay and UPnP streaming. We offer free updates with services like Spotify Connect, IP Control, and Control4. It supports most audio formats like DSD and MQA. All inputs are configurable for volume bypass, so you can integrate in a home theater or with a Bluesound or Sonos. Almost whatever you want, you can do it with the H390.

The H390 is a complete product. Great care has been taken in every step of the design. From carefully selecting and matching components to using the best measurement equipment in the world, in combination with our own ears. Real people gave us input on how they would want to use a stereo system. You can connect virtually anything you like. We call it Robin Hood because it takes strengths from our reference products and offers at a lower price.

Technical Specifications

Power output: 2 x 250 W into 8 Ω, Dual Mono

Minimum load: 2 Ω

Analog Inputs: 1 x balanced (XLR), 2 x unbalanced (RCA)

Digital Outputs: 1 x coaxial (BNC)

Digital Inputs: 1 x coaxial (BNC), 1 x coaxial (RCA), 3 x optical, 1 x USB, 1 x Network

Line level Output: 1 x unbalanced fixed (RCA), 1 x unbalanced variable (RCA)

MQA supported inputs: USB, BNC, Optical and Coaxial

Frequency response: 5 Hz - 180 kHz

Signal-to-noise ratio: More than 100 dB

Crosstalk: Less than -100 dB

Distortion: Less than 0.005% @ 50 W/8 Ω/1 kHz

Intermodulation: Less than 0.01% (19 kHz + 20 kHz)

Damping factor: More than 4000 (main power output stage)

Dimensions incl feet: 14,5 cm x 43 cm x 44 cm (HxWxD), 20 kg unit weight

Dimensions (US): 5.71" x 16.93" x 17.32" (HxWxD), 44 lbs unit weight

Special features: Set Startup volume | Set max volume | Software upgradable | Configure all inputs as fixed level inputs | IP control

2 x 250 W/8 Ω

Dual Mono

SoundEngine 2

Bit-Perfect DAC

Apple AirPlay

Spotify Connect

Control4 Ready

UPnP Streaming

from Soundstage HiFe:

After living with the Hegel H390, I think it’s a worthy successor to their H360 -- not only for its smoother, cleaner, more resolving sound, but also because its combination of price, power, and sound quality make it the sweet spot of Hegel’s current line of integrated amplifier-DACs. If I were in the market to buy a Hegel integrated-DAC -- regardless of how much I had to spend -- the H390 would be my first choice.

From IBtech reviews

"I’m left with the impression that the H390 has almost everything I liked about its big brother, the H590. That’s saying something, because I’ve barely ever heard a better amplifier for under 10,000 euro. It wiped the floor with the McIntosh MA7000 that we still have in the testing studio. I dare say that the H390 would too. There’s something special about the dynamics and the power, combined with the vivid mid-range where the singing voices stand out from it all. The SoundEngine 2 technology they both share, which acts as a kind of active noise cancellation for the amplifier circuits, must be awarded much of the credit."

Buyer should add $150 to help defer my shipping costs and fees.