Hegel has taken its time adding a dedicated phono stage to its acclaimed series of amplifiers, but it's been worth the wait. The V10 is designed to service a wide range of moving-coil and moving-magnet cartridges, aided by its highly flexible gain, loading and subsonic filter settings that are selected via a matrix of DIP switches underneath the black case. Indeed, the elegant but functional Norwegian styling belies the scope of this vinyl-loving preamp. So it's worth taking the time to dial-up the optimum settings and realise a sound that's both smooth and gloriously insightful, and clearly 'voiced' to partner Hegel's other electronics.
