HEGEL - Is it really made in Norway ?

Possibly related to Trejla's comment....
I did not know of a (possible? actual?) Hegel/Consonance connection. Had no idea until reading this thread. I bought my used Consonance Cyber 800 amps and demo Ref 50 pre-amp a good few years back. Subsequently, bought a used Hegel H200 simply based on good reviews and to have a solid state back up. As an owner I'd always wondered about the significance of the Cyber and Hegel remotes being identical (which they are, apart from the word Hegel on one and Consonance on the other). Guess I know now. Does any of this diminish my enjoyment of the Hegel? Not at all. For any prone to China-bashing. I remember a day when "Made in Japan" was synonymous with the word "junk". How long has that NOT been true? To any prone to automatically associate Made in China with low quality, I'd encourage them to take a look inside a Ref 50 pre-amp. I'm not an EE but even to my untrained eye, it is a thing of beauty. And it sounds pretty good too. Not connected to either company (or China!)...just a happy owner enjoying music through equipment from both these companies.

"09-07-15: Knghifi

The pattern I see is too many dealers and manufactures treat their customers like crap. And in this case, Hegel is to blame.

You're getting one side of the story, how do you know it's not customer to blame?"

I don't. I took Sabi at his word. I guess he could be lying.

"Hegel has excellent customer service. I own a Hegel H30 and speaking from PERSONAL experience. Have you ever dealt with Hegel customer service or speaking out of your &^* again?"

If you want to look at the situation from a perspective of winning an argument, you make a good point. But that now leaves you open for a counter. How can you be sure that you weren't the exception? Maybe you're good experience was a rare exception. If you were less concerned about winning a silly argument, you may not have missed this comment from just a few lines up.

"I know you are not in the US Sabai, but that's a good example of why its so important to use a reputable dealer. This may come as a surprise, but I wouldn't really have an issue buying a Hegel product if it looked like the best solution for my needs. And the reason for this is simply, my dealer sells Hegel. I can tell you for a fact he wouldn't let that happen to me."

What part of that don't you understand?

And now this. Every time I don't put an unnecessary disclaimer in for something obvious, someone always tries to exploit it in an attempt to try and win a silly argument.

"Name one company that has 100% customer satisfaction. There are bad companies and bad customers!
Knghifi (Threads | Answers | This Thread)"

DISCLAIMER: Nothing in business is ever 100%. Even the best businesses have an occasional situation that may, or may not, be their fault. ***Please apply this disclaimer to any relevant comment in the past, as well as any relevant future comments.***

Sabi,

"Zd542,

You stated, "The pattern I see is too many dealers and manufactures [sic] treat their customers like crap. And in this case, Hegel is to blame ... If Hegel was doing a better job, this thread probably wouldn't exist."

Personally, I have had very few problems with high end audio manufacturers. I guess I have been lucky -- up till now. But, in this case, I agree with you completely. If Hegel had simply used common sense and seen that they had everything to gain by standing behind their product and, on the contrary, a lot to lose if they did not do so then we would not be talking about this here. To me it shows there is something very wrong with how they run their company -- where company pride takes the front seat and customer care takes the back seat. Very odd."

I didn't mean that to be a blanket statement. Some companies are excellent, while others are not. If you look at some of Hegel's peers (other companies that make products of similar function and cost), you can see a vast difference in how they do business. Here's a few examples: Oppo, Rogue, Magnepan, Quicksilver, Vandersteen, Wyred 4 Sound. I could list many more, if needed. My comment was directed towards manufactures and dealers that don't have the same standards.

PS - the Hegel remote works the Consonance pre volume control (the only remote-controlled thing on the Consonance). Haven't tried the other way around. The Hegel is not hooked up right now.

I too wish to comment on outstanding customer service I received from both my local Hegel dealer, as well as corp service. I experienced a minor intermittent sound quality issue from one channel, and my dealer confirmed the problem, and had a return authorization quickly from Hegel. They paid shipping to and from, and upon return of my amp, its worked better than ever...extremely quiet and great detail. I could not ask for more from both my dealer, and US service center. Whether its made in China, or not, I am very satisfied with my H-30 amp. Its too bad that one person's negative experience is the focus of this thread bashing a company that I feel makes quality gear with great sound, and for me anyway awesome customer service. I realize that Sabai will quickly attack my post, but I wanted to share my accurate and honest assessment of how I was treated.