2025 Solid State Integrated Amplifier of the Year: Hegel H600

$13,500

The Hegel H600 integrated amplifier is a virtual Swiss Army knife of features with incredible digital flexibility, including integral network streaming. Its aluminum enclosure is elegant, simple, rigid, and well designed. Inside is a dual-mono Class AB MOSFET amplifier producing 300Wpc into 8 ohms with a damping factor of 4000, doubling to 600Wpc into 4 ohms, and stable into a 2-ohm load. The preamp section utilizes several technologies from Hegel’s reference P30A preamplifier, and the amp section is based on principles implemented in Hegel’s well-regarded H30A reference amplifier. The built-in ESS 9038Q2M D/A converter is a bit-perfect design fed by an internal server with built-in Spotify, Tidal Connect, UPnP, Qobuz Connect, Chromecast, and Apple AirPlay. It is also Roon Ready. The H600 is clean, pleasant, and engaging in a way that most other equipment in this price range simply isn’t. The Hegel sound is neutral, airy, and refined without being overly dense or viscous. Staging and imaging are wide, deep, high, and well-focused. The H600 is a superstar at keeping you engaged in listening and delivering a performance that keeps you invested and intrigued. Never overbearing or overexuberant, the H600 delivers a sense of power under control, like drinking from a water fountain fed directly by the Hoover Dam. The Hegel H600 represents a terrific value, making it an easy choice for our Integrated Amplifier of the Year Award. (349)