Hegel V10 Phono Preamplifier

REVIEW
Jason Kennedy
Jul 27, 2021

Timing is the key here, it’s what vinyl does so well but not all phono stages manage to exploit. If the timing is right then the most complex passages make sense, I played a variety of records from jazz and rock genres and failed to trip it up, there is a slight forwardness in the balance but this doesn’t get in the way of the music. For completeness a Goldring 1042 moving magnet was installed in the P10 and the V10’s dipswitches changed to suit. This reduced the detail level but retained a lot of the musicality experienced with the MCs, the result being warmer and slightly coarser but not as dull as some stages can make MMs sound. Whether anyone will spend this sort of money for an MM is another question, but there are a few who feel that this technology has a lot to offer so it’s good to have a phono stage that can do it justice.

HEGEL V10 PHONO PREAMPLIFIER

The Hegel V10 is a very capable and strongly featured phono stage, build quality is excellent too, I particularly like the chunky earthing point between the inputs. It’s great to see that Hegel haven’t produced a ‘me too’ product to fill a hole in the range, there has clearly been a lot of thought put into the V10 and it pays off with a dynamic and revealing sound that will suit the more relaxed turntables and cartridges on the market down to a tee.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Type: Solid-state, MM/MC phono stage
Phono inputs: Two pairs single-ended (via RCA jacks)
Analogue outputs: One pair single-ended (via RCA jacks), one pair balanced (via XLR connectors)
Input Sensitivity: Not specified
Input impedance: 33 Ohm–47kOhm
Input capacitance: 100pF / 147pF / 200pF / 220pF / 247pF / 320pF / 420pF / 467pF @ 47 kohm
Output impedance: 200 Ohms
Output level: Not specified
RIAA linearity: +/- 0.2dB, 20Hz–20kHz
Distortion: MM < 0.005%, MC < 0.009%
Signal to Noise Ratio: MM 84dB, MC 81dB
Dimensions (H×W×D): 60 × 210 × 280mm
Weight: 2.2kg
Price: £1,250