HEGEL H400 Streamliner > Stereonet review

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.

THE LISTENING
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.

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.
- Paul Sechi, Stereonet, January 2025

Hegel H400
Stereonet