Let's chat about HEGEL! with Anders Ertzeid! 

Years back I heard the Hegel "sound" for the first time. It was in a little audio retailer in Vancouver. I was there to hear a particular Harbeth speaker and I knew nothing about the Hegel amp being used nor had I ever heard any Hegel amp. After 10 minutes of listening to Alice Sara Ott play a piece from Beethoven's Piano Concertos, I was stunned at the sheer beauty of the music. I was hearing something I had never heard before. I guess if the supreme being was an amplifier then a Hegel is what he would sound like. (with all due respect) This was a wonderful interview ... thanks guys!!!!!!

This is one of the best interviews i’ve seen in the hifi space. No bs, just an open & honest conversation. Love it!

History shows us the best designs/inventions are out of need... Not greed.. This is a great story. Much respect to Hegel.

Thank you for this, it was utterly fascinating and informative. I don’t own Hegel but my respect and admiration has grown by leaps and bounds. I hope to be able to listen someday. Also that phono amp sounds like the cats meow. For the record, let me state my findings with “modern” recordings put on vinyl. As you both stated, simply taking a hi-res file and cutting a lacquer does not result in a pleasing vinyl experience....BUT, there are modern recordings and artists who use other “artists” to mix and master them and they sound brilliant. Case in point the new Steven Wilson sounds incredible on vinyl. One size does not fit all. Thank you again for a wonderful channel and this program was a gem!!

Wow, wow, wow! How good is that guy at explaining things!! From my first time seeing an Hegel and wondering what was that nice looking amp at Darko’s place to the raving reviews about Hegel from Jay and many others, I’ve been dreaming of listening to one and having one. Ended up with Kef speakers for a good price and it seems to be the mariage either so I guess that one day… Thanks Ron.

Hello Ron and Anders! Thanks for the great interview. I really enjoyed it! I own both a Rost and H390, so looking forward to your impressions on the 390!

What an informative interview! Hegel's philosophy as to sound is a gentler version than ATC's philosophy as to sound of their amps. ATC's amp's sound is basically honest, so any inflection on the sound will totally depend on the recording.

This has solidified my understanding of Hegel and their products. A quality brand that I’m eager to check out. Thank you for this!

I bought the Hegel H390 about 6 months ago and love it. I own a pair of B&W 804D3's and have always had challenges driving them with quality clean power. Very happy with this combo. The H390 and 804D3's go together so well.

What an amazing interview! I had a blast watching it! And I've learned so much. There is only one big problem: now I want Hagel amp badly :))) Thank you so much Ron.

I just picked up the H190 too pair with a pair of 705s2. Figuring in the brightness on the high end of the B&W the 190 would work well with keeping the B&W sounding right were the should .the H190 was on sale for $3200 ,I thought that was a fair price.B&W also were on sale here in the states for $2635🎉.thanks again for the great showing on your end.

Just this week I got Hegel H360 amp, and with ProAc Response 1SC speakers. It is one fantastic pair.

Great video, thanks! I think Hegel came up short with the RCA jacks. I wish they were chassis mount for this price point. Also, the close proximity of them, it appears some interconnects with large ends won't work. I have Synergistic Research Atmosphere unbalanced cables and those connectors are large.

What a pleasant, coherent and civilized conversation. It was worth every moment. I am excited to receive in two days a pre-owned, one owner Hegel P30 [Silver] Line level analog preamplifier. I am returning to [analog-only amplification stage] separates in a two-channel vinyl/network streaming DAC/PC/Bluetooth etc system. I also find the industrial design theme of the Hegel line of products to be very attractive.

Big respect to Anders (and you, Ron) for his willingness to step-up for round two!

Got a H190 with bowers & wilkins 705. Had the speakers for a few years. Wow finally they sing.. with the built in airplay, works great. love Hegel!

I really enjoyed watching this chat. Got me interested of Hegel products when looking to buy next amplifier. When is Andrew Jones chat coming :)

The problem I have purchasing a Hegel is they do not support Tidal streaming but they do support Spotify which is not a CD quality service. I should not have to pay for a third party app to do so. Also you would expect for this money on an integrated amplifier to have a phono stage which it doesn't!

I splurged and bought the Hegel H590 the other day and breaking it in now with some Joseph Audio Pulsar 2 Graphene bookshelf speakers. I am planning if all goes well to consider a pair of Magnepan 20.7s down the road and with this amps capability will this be a good match with power and current drive? Love how fast this beast is, you can really appreciate the lightning fast damping factor in the bottom end. Thanks fellas.

Great interview and insight into the company. Thanks for doing this

A great review! I’d like to hear a review on just the power amplifier H20.

I purchased a Hegel H95 recently to update a small system I use in my basement 'Man Cave'. It immediately won me over and I added an H190 to my main living room system shortly thereafter. It's rare to find audio products that stand out in the marketplace these days but the Hegel's really are unique. Truly superb sound. It's worth seeking them out!

Great conversation. Love Hegel. I have the phone stage and it rocks.

awesome. fun fun

Am very close to picking up an H95 for 2 channel bookshelf. I think the pairing with Sonus faber Lumina 2 will be magic.

While I love the Hegel sound and think their products are phenomenal I would love to see more research done on the journalist's side and have some tougher questions that the company can answer. As it is, this all sounds like a puff piece where Ron was just saying "Wooow", "Amazing" "It is powerful AND engaging!".

A good take on Hegel and what they stand for. Well done.

I have a H390 paired with TAD speakers. Pretty nice amp for my needs

I find that Hegel amps are not easily available for purchase in the US. Where can I buy one?

With the USB being limited to 24 bit 96hz (on H95, H120 and H190) and other Inputs being bale to receive 24 bit 192 Hz: which inout is the best to use when connecting to PC and other digital sources?

Excellent questions. Interesting answers.

Hm. So what Anders is saying is that the airiness and top end that I think that I'm missing with my H90 is, thanks to SoundEngine, actually discarded distortion that I hear on other amps. Interesting. Though how much of that is due to the circuit budget will come down to how the H390 sounds like. Looking forward to the review Ron! Even though it would probably take a kidney or two to afford it...

cool interview, still have never heard a Hegel, but would love to one day!

Great and valued interview with Mr. Anders one of the key men in Hegel. Very proud to own an H120 which I’ll soon connect to a brand new Harbeth HL5. Many thanks!

Really enjoyed this. Thanks.

I'm no fan boy, never have been one for anything either. Bought a Hegel H160 and it's a high current silent monster powering some Martin Logan's. Just in case someone is interested in the pairing; Anders had commented in a Hegel video's comment section to me, that they use to test their amps with Martin Logan's. Sounds nice, I must say, gets me really excited and makes me smile all the time when I'm alone and listening to something new and surprising. I don't have much experience but it feels great, and in the end; I guess that's what's important. Edit: Thanks for this interview Ron, hearing from the makers is gold!

Great interview! Any idea what's the difference between Sound Engine 2 and the original one? Is it worth buying a used H20 with Sound engine 1 for the same or less than a new sound engine 2 H190 if I don’t need the streamer/Dac part in the H190?

I've been quite cynical about HiFi gear, because I haven't found anything that would move me emotionally. Have been been auditioning a lot of gear, but nothing seemed to work. It was about 3 years ago, when I went to a local store and they hook up Hegel H300 amp with Amphion One18 speakers. My jaw dropped! I had previous experience with the Amphion speakers, but the Hegel added something to the sound that I have been missing all those years. First time in a long time I was emotionally attached to the music. Great products!

1)Do you think the high damping factor in the h190 and above hinders in any way the bass ? And if so has this been addressed? 2) does additional circuitry or software come into the way of the original recording even if they try to reduce distortion themselves? Isnt it a no ending circle? 3)Also which amp from your range would you recommend for ls50 metas? Thank you!

I currently own an H90 and an H390. I never had anything else in the price range of the H390 but I have had many amplifier in the price range the the H90. I think the H90/95 is an exceptional value in its price category when you consider it is a really good amp, streamer, DAC in one box that will drive many hard to drive speakers. I like this amp so much I have zero reservations buying an H390 blind.

I have the hegel h390 in my dreams...it sounds sooo smooth

A good engineering delivers! Love my little H120!

Hi Ron, do you have an update when you might have the 390 review complete?

With a Cxa-61 amp, add a Denafrip dac or upgrade to H95?

anyone has experience with the hegel h70 ? is that still a valid budget amp ?

Good idea on the Hegel interview. I heard their spiel at RMAF's last show. Very interesting company.

I just wander how much this company invested in marketing and promotion :) Listened to H390 and H590. Another decent solid state amplifiers and that is all. Have not found anything extraordinary. There are thousands of the same style decent solid state amplifiers that have decent sound as well. Anyway I like that the hype again is back to powerful current capable amps :) Because this is the area that I like.

of course remember that some early CDs from record clubs were actually mastered from cassettes.

Do any Hegel still have a record out?

Have the H5 90 and really think it’s outstanding. Gonna love to hear your review of the 390. Also Hegel customer service is outstanding. I’ve emailed them multiple times and I’ve gotten this gentleman here more than once and he has helped me to debug things

That's it! I'm buying a Hegel H120 to drive some Spatial M4's! WoooHooo!

Love my H190! It has such a black background and the networking capability is just what I need and nothing else.

anyone have experience with hegel paired with tannoy? i have the new cheviots

Buckle in and get the popcorn fellas and lady... I have the H160 and thank you for not allowing the cost cutting parts to make the final product.

Good interview. Love this brand, the simplicity and non austerity and vfm. Also that hifi isn’t austere with people at Hegel.

My 390 is the best piece of gear I've bought so far, by a large margin....except maybe my Dynaudio Heritage Specials which will be here in a month...Can't wait to hear the two together

I once auditioned H590 and liked it very much but couldn't afford. I may consider H390 instead. I looked at the back side but couldn't find where it's made in, does anyone know? Thanks.

I wish they were cheaper. Hopefully they have discounted sales .. will keep checking

Hegel and Revel speakers love others. Amphion IS good with Hegel too.

This was awesome!!!!!!, I hope to afford to buy an Hegel one day

When will Hegel have a distributor in Malta? How do I go about getting a Hegel, either the CD or amplifier living in Malta?

I worked the berry fields and the canaries as a kid....I wouldn't have exvhanged the experience for anything! My work ethic was molded by it!!!! Child labor and working as a kid, I would argue, are two separate things.

why would any audiophile buy and integrated with a built in DAC or Streamer? i am old school

Well at least the audio crapped out at the end!

But hey....isn't distortion a way of colorration for a specific amp? I heard somewere, that u in fact NEEDS some distortion, but it seems that in the hifi community, it's all about lowering that distortion, as much as possible, so i',m confused on this matter? Some of the best amps iv'e heard, measurement poorly, so what's going on here? Cheers from Denmark

“Straight wire with gain” should always be the goal. Flat response, high current, fast slew rate, high damping and low THD and IMD. Done. No BS. You want change? Change speakers or cartridge. If you like the tube sound, fine, but there is no standard there. You’re on your own.

do u still have the rogue st100 with the 99 super magnum?

Recently heard about that new phono stage, trouble is the nearest dealer is 100 miles away.

vinyl to me is just more enjoyable but obviously less convenient.

These amps need balance control otherwise they will never get my cash. There are plenty of people out there that have a hearing deficit on one side and / or can’t be sitting in the sweet spot.

I love Hegel

I know this video is a tad old. But a question for Anders. If Hegel has such a great story and history. Why such a crap warranty ????? This is literally why I chose a Rega.... Sounds like they have no faith in there product.

Hegel are one of the best European brands producing amplifiers.They sound great.

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Cosy chat.

Why is Hegel manufacturing their products in China?

This New Record day guy sounds like AI narrator voice.And it looks like the other guy hates pronouncing "Z"😅

Engine 2 cool innovation... groundbreaking product...

Anders looks a bit like actor Dave Foley.

So here's the problem I have with all this stuff. Disclaimer: For too many years now perhaps, I am an audiophile second and a musicophile first. Anders, and other constructors, talk about and agree with the concept that, even though components such as capacitors, transformers and other parts have the same spec'd values, blind listening will reveal sonic differences. Look folks, there is no magic at work here, but pure physics. This is science, not mumbo jumbo. What accounts for these differences electronically?. It has to be explained based on electronic physical science. So why do reviewers not ask these tough questions??? What is everyone in the electronics industry so afraid of? Why do electronic component parts that measure identically from different manufacturers sound different? All the R&D in the world to produce better amps, preamps and DACS doesn't amount to a hill of beans unless this can be understood and explained. Swapping parts for parts blindly and randomly and then asking which ones sounds better is a fool's errand. But no, we the endearing enthusiasts are left in the dark as usual. this is why I am more and more disgusted with this hobby and the industry supporting it.

[The Most Disappointing Audio Manufacturer = Hegel ] I have owned the H360 since 2017 and I really like the amp, but if you live in a region where there isn’t a distributor w/facility to repair the amp, you are out of luck in getting parts to repair it. They advise you to send it to their repair facility in the states or Europe to have their product repaired. If you have a later or discontinued model depending where you live, it can cost more to have it shipped+repair+parts compare to the value of the amp in the used market. They have very little consideration for the end-users of their products. If I had known Hegel will not assist end-users where there isn’t an official distributor in a region, I would’ve never purchased their product. Why in the world would a consumer invest $$$ thousands on a amp if there isn’t any REASONABLE support down the road? I’m pretty sure there are other audio manufacturers that will find a way to help and assist their customer find a way to repair a product the manufacturer sole heartedly built for their customers to enjoy. There should be some type of pride in wanting to assist in repairing a product they have built, but for some reason, this company does not have a clue or just don’t care about their customers. A lesson I’ve learned is that, when purchasing audio especially something costing $ thousands, we should also look into the reputation of a manufacturer of the company before purchasing their product. And Hegel is a manufacturer so disappointing that you should think NOT twice, but consider their company’s policy, reputation to the end-user even before considering their product. There are just many other brands to choose from than Hegel. I hope your reviews are for the end-users and not for the manufacturers.

He doesn't like music. He likes digital. Hence why Hegel sounds so soulless

If you value the lowest signal loss, recovery of very fine detail, transparency, sounding natural and colourless hegel is not the answer or the right amplifier. They are a poor contender, and at the bottom of the pack in these respects. They are just more average performing amplification and that's all they are, they are definitely nothing special in terms of the best quality performance, and less loss signal retrieval. I would like to know why they are getting so much hype and attention, just like kef ls50 hype, which are not that good or special performers either.

sales guy that is not EE engineer , try to explain DAC for another guy that is not even engineer , very funny , irony

hegel is meh..better bang per buck is David Belles amps in this price range. they ahve more robust power and better quality parts. More detail and more slam and made in America instead of China but just have an incredible everything good about them. Audio connection sells them.