Gammajo: Good to hear from you. I just spent several hours in a critical listening session of my rig; and I'm enjoying it even more; as I can simply listen to the music; and not focus on the gear anymore. As you know; I have had the MBL 8011's, and Bryston 28sst's running as monoblocks; and thought they made pretty good music. But when I had a chance to audition the Hegel H-30 in my rig; using the VAC phi beta as my current pre; my speakers created a whole new level of musicality...much more openness; detail, decay; nuance, control, sound stage, detail blended with warmth; not at all sterile as some 'hi-fi' rigs can be...I don't use the Ayon direct to amp; as I also blend this as a dedicated 2 channel and HT set up; and need the features of the VAC pre amp. I use the low setting; as I have plenty of power, and the Ayon also generates good signal. I just switched from a balanced IC from Ayon to a rca cable; and I've needed to increase gain a bit on the VAC for same sound pressure levels on low gain setting; but still never gets it above '10' on my VAC volume dial. I leave my Hegel on 24/7, and it never gets above 'slightly warm'. It's been extremely reliable, easy to set up and use; and I feel it compares with amps costing three times the price...running as a stereo unit; and not as mono-blocks; its been an amazing value for build quality and sonic improvement. I heard it also today at the dealer; he uses the matching Hegel preamp; which retails for $7k, but I prefer my VAC..I've not had any chance to compare the H-30 with other integrated Hegel amps; and believe I was one of the first 4 folks in the USA to purchase the H-30. No buyers remorse; great synergy with my Ayon; and my CD's spun on the Ayon sound fantastic, even better than thru my music server. I did try it with Ayon direct to amp; and it sounds just as good, but in my set up, I do need the functionality of a true preamp for source switching, HT by-pass, 12v triggers; and I also run a simultaneous set of output cables from the VAC into my JL Audio 113 sub, and one set of balanced ic's into the amp. Hope that answers your questions. Feel free to pm me if you need more info.
