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Oct 14, 2024

Hegel announces H190v streaming amplifier w/ MM phono stage | Darko.Audio

byJohn DarkoFebruary 19, 2024, 10:54 Hegel has today announced the H190v streaming amplifier, an upgraded take on the Norwegian company’s most popular model, the H190. It starts with a solid steel

byJohn DarkoFebruary 19, 2024, 10:54

Hegel has today announced the H190v streaming amplifier, an upgraded take on the Norwegian company’s most popular model, the H190.

It starts with a solid steel chassis that’s fronted by a thick aluminium plate with a pair of aluminium rotaries – one volume control, one source selector – straddling an OLED display screen. Inside that chassis sits a large toroidal transformer that feeds the power supply to give us 150wpc into 8 Ohms of Class A/B loudspeaker drive. The power supplies that feed the H190v’s pre-amplifier and DAC sections have reportedly been upgraded for the new model.

The H190v’s streaming smarts remain accessible via Ethernet only (no wi-fi!) and include Apple AirPlay, Roon Ready, Spotify Connect and UPnP. The hard-wired digital sockets on the back panel remain unchanged – coaxial, 3 x TOSLINK and USB – and for line-level analogue sources, we still get two single-ended RCA inputs and a balanced XLR input.

However, the biggest improvement over the original H190 is the inclusion of an MM phono stage which, according to Hegel, is “a scaled-down version of our highly acclaimed V10 phono preamplifier.”

The H190v’s front panel headphone socket and TV remote control learning capabilities round out the feature set.

Shipping begins in May in a choice of black or white finishes. Pricing says hello at €3795 orUS$4200.

Further information: Hegel Music Systems

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John currently lives in Berlin where he creates videos and podcasts for Darko.Audio. He has previously contributed to 6moons, TONEAudio, AudioStream and Stereophile.

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