Hegel Music Systems H400 Streaming Integrated Amplifier Review
September 27, 2024 Comments Off on Hegel Music Systems H400 Streaming Integrated Amplifier Review
Hegel says the most significant improvement the H400 has over its predecessor is precisely that new digital front end. It uses the same ESS ES9038Q2M converter employed by the H600, though the implementation is different. The new DAC, Hegel claims, offers better resolution and fluidity compared to the AKM AK4493SEQ DAC used in the H390.
Like the H390, the H400 offers more digital inputs than analog ones. These include two coaxial (RCA and BNC) and three optical (TosLink) S/PDIF inputs, a USB port, and an ethernet port. The optical inputs accept PCM audio up to 24-bit/96kHz, the coaxial and ethernet inputs can handle up to 24/192 PCM as well as DSD64 (DoP). The USB input accepts 32/384 PCM data and DSD256 (DoP). The H400 can also play MQA 8X (352.8kHz/384kHz). A single coaxial (BNC) S/PDIF digital output that delivers data at 24/192 is available for those wishing to bypass the built-in DAC altogether. The H400’s digital inputs, except for the USB one, are capable of input sensing, which allows the amplifier to automatically switch to the active source when an audio signal is detected.
The H400 offers the same suite of digital inputs as the H600 does, specified at the same bit depth and sample rate. The two amplifiers differ on the analog front, however: the H400 has one balanced (XLR) and two unbalanced (RCA) inputs, whereas the H600 offers two of each. The H400 also has a pair of unbalanced (RCA) outputs, one fixed and one variable, which are said to have greater gain than those of the H390.
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