Hegel H120 amplifier review, is it better than the Hegel H190

Episode 4 of our Hegel integrated amplifier comparison series and the Hegel H120 has set a cat amongst then pigeons! Take a look at my views on this wonderful amplifier. If ever you needed an excuse to spend £2400, this is probably it.
Grab a cup of tea, settle down and have a watch of me mumbling on about this great integrated amplifier.
#Hegel #Dynaudio #Amphion
Hegel H120 - studioincar.co.uk/products/he...
Dynaudio Special Forty - studioincar.co.uk/products/dy...
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[@vpmm1832]

Hello Cari, thanks for your great review on this . I am considering a Hegel H amp , possibly a H120 or H190 . I would your advice on a suitable good DAC ( Rose ? or there ) and also I use a turntable, hence what options are there with out breaking my banks , are there available to use with with the non phone stage on Hegel Amps . Thanking you in advance

[@vpmm1832]

@@Studioincar OK, Just send you an email as requested- waiting for your advise - Thanks

[@jasonme3557]

I know its a year ago. But in this sound category, the H190 is good enough but if you want to step up the sound the Chord Qutest

[@stephenmiller501]

I always love your real world honest reviews. Another great one! Thank you Carl

[@andrewj6231]

Great review thanks

[@danu6718]

Great review 👍

[@senorgreenjeans]

Yes! You just sold me on this amp. If it drives the 40's, it will have no problem with the x14's.

[@adamhindle9215]

Great vid Carl, thanks. I have the H120, with Dynaudio Emit 20s, and love it. As you say, it works really well at low to medium listening levels, and acoustic/vocal music. I've also demoed it back-to-back with the H390, at my local dealer, and the sound was very similar but the 390 had more control, clarity and better separation of instruments, but it was pretty close. The next decision is whether to upgrade my speakers to maybe the Evoke 20s or Special40s... but that's for another time (and another one of your videos).

[@andreasmoller9798]

Emit are to entry level for an amplifier like Hegel h390 with speakers in the €2k or bigger the difference Will be big between Those 2 amps

[@GentielioGaming]

Great and informative as always. I see again the Dynaudio Confidence C2 speakers. Will you eventually do a comparison to the Heritage Special with these speakers?

[@charlesclifton1006]

Hey Carl ! ... just discovered your channel and I love your description of the Hegel amps. You paint a very clear picture of each amps characteristics...perhaps the best I've heard. You mention the 120's ability to play well at low volumes. I thought I wanted the 390 (and I do) but it is just not affordable. Having said that, I am going to own a Hegel and I now believe the 120 is the one. I am now clear but only so because of your review. Now, I have heard the Hegel sound so I do know much of what you are describing but the 120 has been totally unfamiliar as a reference. As far as speaker pairing? Well, that remains to be seen (known). I am leaning towards the Buchardt S400 mk2s but ?? I love (some) classical but basically my tastes are all over the sonic map. The 120 is affordable and leaves room (financially) for the right speaker. So, it is settled, the 120 it is and I shall look no further (3 years of research). Huge thank you Carl ... I'll be listening to your other reviews.🤙🇨🇦

[@dipacmr]

Hi Carl. Thanks for your excellent video review of the H120. One comment caught my attention that the H120 sounds great at low levels, perhaps better than its bigger sibling. After only one day the H120 (which I caught on sale saving $800.00), coupled with new KEF R3 speakers, I have a new sound system. It replaces a Rega Elicit integrated amp and small KEF speakers. I like music louder but my wife enjoys it at lower levels, playing Diana Krall, Eva Cassidy and Susan Boyle. It sounds great played at lower levels and with no detail missing. Thanks.

[@Studioincar]

No problem, glad you're enjoying it.

[@psyphonyxaudio]

Yoooooo...... Nice track! I subbscribed just because of the classic 90s jungle .. =)

[@jameslind7299]

A few years ago I invested in some kit, Dali Rubicon 5, Cambridge Audio CXA81, CXN V2 and have thoroughly enjoyed the listening experience so far and now hooked on hifi. Recently I have wondered if an amp upgrade could make it even better and was considering a Hegel, watched lots of reviews of H390, H190 and now the H120. I thought I had convinced myself the H190 was the way forward, however now having second thoughts after listening to you’re review, I think a listening session either at home or at a dealer is in order. Thanks for your insight.

[@dardunki]

Thank you Carl, great material, lots of useful knowledge. Could you please provide your opinion on the combination of the H120 with the ELAC Vela BS403 loudspeakers. If your opinion was positive, what kind of speaker cables would you recommend in this combination?

[@dardunki]

@@Studioincar Thanks a lot for your quick reply. I wanted to make sure you mean the Chord Epic X Speaker cable? Could you please share your opinion on the cooperation of the H120 with the ELAC Vela BS403, is it a good idea, or is it worth considering something else in this price range? I really care about your opinion and I make the decision regarding the choice of equipment dependent on it.

[@LeoRousseau]

I'm Hegel curious. Right now I have a Rogue Audio Sphinx v3 and I'm curious as to the Hegel sound.

[@funcionyforma]

Hi, thanks for your review! I know you said in other comment that your soon will be comparing this with the H95, but a quick insigh will help a lot. I got the chance to buy eather of this for a cut price in my country, the h95 for 1580 USD and the h120 for 2.290 USD, do you think that the h120 worth the extra money in this case? I would really appreciate your opinion. Thanks in advance

[@lbhibbert]

Any chance of your opinion of the Hegel H95?

[@iainrobertson6867]

Great video Carl. I’ve just discovered your videos and love the descriptive nature!😎 I’ve just tested an H190 at home with a pair if Contour S1.4s and really enjoyed it. Given the dealer is offering the 190 at the same price as a 120, what are your thoughts? Cheers! Iain

[@Studioincar]

I think you should buy it from us, Iain :D

[@manojdsouza725]

I had a Hegel H80 driving the SP40s & they seemed to work well together but the Primare i35 took it to another level and clearly bettered the Hegel H80 in many ways. I had actually bought the H80 to pair with KEF R300s and it did do a better job with the KEFs but then the Exposure 3510 beat the shit out of the H80 - was quite noticeable and so I finally sold off the Hegel. Its a decent amp but it def wasn't the best match for the Dyns.

[@davidfearn5651]

Would this be better than my Naim Uniti Atom?

[@nathancullen2429]

Great video. I have the H120. I run it with my Q Acoustics Concept 500. I heard you say in another Hegel review that there was a lack of synergy. And you’re right. What amp would you recommend for my speaker?

[@Studioincar]

Peachtree GAN and PreDac work incredibly well with the Concept 500. Let us know if you'd like a demo, we have them in stock.

[@burakoztimur8054]

Hi Cari, I'm from Turkey/Istanbul and currently i've found a Hegel H120 which has a special discount 2165 pounds actually it's 3000 pounds here vs H190 is 3700 pounds. I know H190 has more bass response but i haven't had the chance of listening both . My question is under this condition, is it worth spending extra 1545 pounds on Hegel H190 ? Currently i'm running my Kef R3 with Marantz Nr1200 which has 75 watts per channel but of course it's completely different level.

[@ud4034]

Hi Carl, what would you recommend for a center channel and amp to pair with a Hegel H120 and Dynaudio Special 40s? Definitely sold on this combo after watching this video. This would be mainly for home theater audio but maybe I will start actually listening to music if I have a decent setup! Your advice and opinions are much appreciated!

[@Studioincar]

I think I may be a little out of my depth with what you're asking here u d. Centre I would go with the Evoke centre but the amp I'm not sure how you would run it because if you were to run from the Hegel pre outs you won't get centre channel processing. If you were using a home theatre amp you can run the Hegel in HT mode and use the centre from your HT amplifier. In which case I can't recommend an HT amplifier as I haven't got much professional experience.

[@ud4034]

@@Studioincar I had a feeling this would be complicated haha. Would you use this simple stereo setup for home audio or do you feel like I would need a center channel and dedicated subwoofer?

[@hiluxjase6665]

Have you heard of the focal aria 948 speaker? I just bought them and after all my research today I’ve come to the conclusion that the Hegel amps, either h120 or h190 would be adequate to power them. Do you have an opinion Carl? It would be most appreciated. I’m new to all of this and your reviews are the best and most sincere I’ve come across today. Ps. You are also the only person Ive subscribed to and I don’t often subscribe. Many thanks in advance.

[@Studioincar]

Hiya, I've heard of the speaker but not heard it in person. There aren't many speakers that the H190 won't run, it has plenty of power. If they're notably power hungry it may be best to use the 190 over the 120 in my opinion. Thank you for the compliment on the review, it means a lot.

[@andreasmoller9798]

H190 is just better in every way, twice the power more controll, when i bought h190 the price difference was just €300 between h120 and h190 for that little price difference it would not make sense to buy h120, as h190 has so much more going for it a better value i would say by far with h190, now the price difference is much larger so now it could make sense to buy h120

[@beauboydave]

You want to try it with a chord cutest DAC..👌

[@davidbeck1696]

Hello cari, great review. Would you say the special 40s need a sub to extend the base?

[@davidbeck1696]

@@Studioincar hiya Carl - I’ve now watched all you posts on these amps. I’m so blown away with the results of your posts re the 390 190 and 120. I just can’t make my mind up which one to go for. My heart says the 390 as that’ll be the centre point of my forever system but after watching you post on the 120 I’m wondering if that’ll be better for me and spend the extra money on speakers! In your opinion is there worlds apart of difference with the two amps? It’s seems like not on what you’re saying. What would you do in my situation please buddy. David

[@unklecorky2181]

I'm looking for something small in my room to power a pair of bookshelves with decent bass Buchardts s400 maybe (I don't want a sub in my bedroom but I have realistic expectations) This was one of the Amps I'm considering. I listen to mostly Industrial and Electronic music in my room with some hard rock. I'm starting to think this amp may not be my best choice!

[@unklecorky2181]

@@Studioincar I guess my main concern would be it possibly being too warm in combination with the Buchardts. I still want some energy up top and be able to make the most of the Bass performance of the Buchardts from a quantity standpoint. The Hegel H190 is significantly discounted now, so that's something to consider too. If I went with the Hegel the Lumina 2 may make a better-balanced pairing.

[@bjwal6]

What level of dac would you say is a worthwhile upgrade for the h120?

[@connorduke4619]

Ladder Schumann dac is brilliant for the price.

[@MaxZappa1]

Its a real pity that no HEGEL amplifiers can be bought online anywhere in the UK. Why is this? I was hoping to buy a H120 but the nearest HEGEL dealer for me is Aberdeen, Scotland, a round trip of 380 miles. I will not be travelling such a distance, the cost is too much.

[@CinemaDemocratica]

I haven't seen your review of the 190 but I'm quite surprised to hear you say that the 190 deviates from the Hegel house sound. I haven't heard that from other reviewers -- is it possible that something else was going on? (No offense intended or implied.)

[@Studioincar]

No offence taken. Nothing wrong, everything was inline with the rest of the reviews, it just has a different sonic character. Maybe subtly, but it’s there.

[@CinemaDemocratica]

@@Studioincar A different review channel did a sort of flash-podcast in which they compared the H90 to the Naim Nait 5si and toward the end they said that the Hegel periodically shut itself down, presumably due to being overdriven. I was absolutely gob-smacked by this intelligence -- is it remotely possible that they just got a bad specimen or something? That's the last piece of news I would have expected, given everything else I've heard about the brand.

[@El_white_horse]

Do you think the h120 will be a good match with the sonus faber lumina II ? Speakers are 4ohms 30-150 watts .

[@andrewbrazier9664]

sounded good with Ophidian Argon 1 at Bristol Hi Fi Show which is a slightly warm sounding speaker with a premium wide dispersion tweeter

[@Studioincar]

Absolutely.

[@viincentfonkert2870]

Great review! And what about the difference between the H95 and H120?

[@viincentfonkert2870]

@@Studioincar Thats all I need to hear!👌🏻

[@claudedarveau447]

Hi Carl, I am in a dilemma...I have a Hegel h300, special forty speaker and a dac streamer LUMIN + D2 SBooster. Is it worth investing in a new amp like the h120 or the H 390? I love my h300 but I don't know if I'm missing out on something.

[@claudedarveau447]

@@Studioincar Thanks Carl, your opinion is important to me...you are my reference....you are the Dynaudio and Hegel expert on the Web.

[@saschaseibert4932]

I own an Hegel H120 and it is overdamping my speakers - therefore loosing bass and musicality .. anyone had same experience with?

[@Studioincar]

I've not had this experience but if you're speakers are designed in such a way to work with lower damping factors it could be the case and in which case all Hegel amplifiers will have the same affect on that speaker.

[@carmelovillena6174]

i have an h80 the remote is 3 inch by 1 inch

[@Studioincar]

lovely

[@andrewgorenc9160]

3:57 Calm down 😂

[@Studioincar]

:D

[@andrewbrazier9664]

🚆🚌 Are brands like Ophidian & Hegal aimed purely at vehicle drivers in UK ? Travelling to bricks & morter stores to demo equipment is understandable as premium specialist brands don't want Internet ordered returns just because the customer finds he/she doesn't personally like the sound. Carting speakers or amplifiers great distances on public transport is quite another !!! 🤔

[@Studioincar]

Hi Andrew. They are not our rules, Unfortunately.

[@andrewbrazier9664]

@@Studioincar I absolutely recognise they are not but it must impact manufacturer's sales. Especially for pairs of speakers. Great channel by the way, especially for these tomes when it's much more difficult to audition Hi Fi locally 👍