The Hegel H600 is an exceptional integrated amplifier. Using the Bryston BDA-2 DAC I was able to compare the H600 and B135 strictly as integrated amplifiers and found the former superior—effortless and pristine at any volume. Remarkably, Hegel includes with this outstanding amplifier a topflight DAC that can easily rival external DACs costing thousands of dollars. This is the finest integrated amplifier-DAC combination I’ve heard in my time as a reviewer. At $12,500, the H600 isn’t cheap, but I suspect it would cost at least as much, probably more, to find another combination of integrated amplifier and DAC, whether as one or two units, that could outperform it.

Has the designer got what he was aiming for? Certainly. Here is the best-possible single-box integrated that Hegel can create given current technology. If this were a German product it would be at least £25,000 – and I can think of something comparable. Hats off to Hegel on another masterpiece. Such is the level of audio competence displayed by the H600, it is not only highly recommended but must be a strong contender for the Ear’s Product of the Year awards.

The H600 isn’t the type of component you rave about. Not because it doesn’t deserve it, but because it is above that. I respect the fact that it knows what it is and what it is supposed to do. I admire the absolutely incredible value it represents. I appreciate all that it can do and the fact that nothing seems to suffer to get it all done. I recognize that it may be the only product of its type in the price class it is in and that it represents a truly high-end component while sitting at a mid-level price point (compared to the $25k–$45k integrateds now filling the market). And, most importantly, I truly enjoyed my time with it.

There was very little wrong with the H590, but Hegel has still managed to create something even better. The resulting H600 is powerful on a scale you wouldn't expect from an integrated design, and has excellent streaming options and connectivity. This is a top performer, offering supreme control and an 'as-is' musical depiction that will let you savour everything your chosen loudspeakers have to offer.

Hegel blew us away with the launch of the H600, and we were equally surprised by how quickly we received it for testing. But that was nothing compared to the shock when we heard it.