Hegel V10 – Phono Preamplifier

The Hegel V10 is a brand-new take on an old technology. With 30 years’ experience designing state-of-the-art discrete transistor circuits, we have built a phono preamplifier like no other. It is neutral, dynamic, and exceptionally revealing. We have used all our knowledge in amplification and applied it to one goal – To reach down into the record and reveal every bit of information. The V10 is designed to capture the sound. To get you closer to the music. To get you into the groove.

Listening to vinyl is a tactile experience. You carefully open the album jacket, remove the record from the inner sleeve, inspect for dust or scratches, place it on the platter, and slowly let the needle drop to let the sound out. It is all about you and your music, selected for exactly this moment. With the V10 we aim to make this special experience even better. Developed from the ground up and utilizing truly clever and unique technologies, the V10 will give you an unprecedented transparency and soundscape – Making the music you hear as tangible and real as the record it is pressed into.

We achieve this because everything on the V10 is designed with the sole purpose of making your music sound as good as possible. The chassis is divided into two compartments, physically separating the power supplies from the sensitive amplification circuitry. There is simply no detectable interference between the two parts. For the best possible connection, we have fitted the V10 with gold-plated terminals, balanced XLR outputs, and a solid custom grounding screw. On the all-important input stage, we have used ultra-low-noise discrete JFET transistors for both the Moving Magnet (MM) and Moving Coil (MC) input. Eliminating external noise is especially important when using sensitive low output MC cartridges. That is why we have fitted the MC input with four such transistors connected in parallel. Making the input completely silent and stopping any bias current feedback to the cartridge coil.

The input signal feeds into equally silent amplifier circuits, where both the MM and the MC gain stages use ultra-low-noise power supplies built with discrete bipolar transistors to keep the signal noise at a minimum. This ensures an extremely accurate amplification of the input signal coming from the turntable. And to make sure the V10 gets the best operating conditions, it is supplied with a linear, low noise, analog AC-power supply. This features a large, custom design, E-core transformer, placed in its own housing to eliminate all possibility of interference. For us it has been particularly important that all vinyl enthusiasts get to enjoy the V10. So, out of the box it is configured as an excellent plug and play MM preamplifier. For many, this is exactly what they want and need, but some want even more. That is why we made the V10 highly optimizable, catering to individual preferences and requirements in set up, the V10 can be adjusted for any MM and MC cartridge.

When using a MM cartridge, you can freely increase the Capacitance between 100 and 467 pF and when using a MC cartridge, the impedance can be set freely between 33 and 550 ohms or fixed at 47 kohm. On both MM and MC, the gain can be increased by 5, 10 or 12 dB, matching the output of your other sources, the V10 even has a Subsonic Filter to remove unwanted low frequency noise. And at the end of the night, when the listening session takes you way past bedtime and you forget to turn off the V10, the adjustable auto standby function does that for you. All this makes the V10 the perfect companion for your vinyl setup. Finding the perfect synergy between your system and your listening preferences. Transporting you into the groove.

Technical Specifications

Amplifier Typology: Ultra low noise discrete JFET transistor input stage for both MC and MM
Gain XLR Out MM: 40dB / 45dB / 50dB / 52dB
Gain XLR Out MC: 60dB / 65dB / 70dB / 72dB
Gain RCA Out MM: 34dB / 39dB / 44dB / 46dB
Gain RCA Out MC: 54dB / 59dB / 64dB / 66dB
MC Load Impedance: Freely adjustable between 33 and 550 ohm / 47 kohm
MM Load Capacitance: 47pF / 100pF / 147pF / 220pF / 267pF / 320pF / 367pF @ 47 kohm
Subsonic Filter: Switchable on / off, -3dB at 20Hz, -18dB octave
RIAA Accuracy: +/- 0,2dB / 20Hz – 20kHz
Output Noise*: -84dB/MM (“A” weighted ref: 0dBV), -81dB/MC (“A” weighted ref: 0dBV)
Output Impedance XLR / RCA: 200 ohm
Channel Crosstalk: -84dB @1kHz 0dBV
Frequency Response: 2Hz – 20kHz
Distortion (THD) MM: < 0.005% @1kHz 0dBV
Distortion (THD) MC: < 0.009% @1kHz 0dBV
Inputs: 1 x unbalanced (RCA) MM, 1 x unbalanced (RCA) MC
Outputs: 1 x unbalanced fixed (RCA), 1 x balanced fixed (XLR)
Power Adapter: Hegel Power Adapter M30103
Dimensions with Feet: 6cm x 21cm x 28cm, 2.4″ x 8,3″ x 11″ (H x W x D)
Weight: 2,2kg / 4,9lbs unit weight