HEGEL - Is it really made in Norway ?

Excellent points of view- sabai.

Generally, I agree with Sabai but honestly I think many audiophiles will go with the sound and not where the products are made. With that said, no high-end audio company wants to be associated with products made in China (many reasons....but they do want to max their profits with creating the best image and branding), where for years, products made in China have been known to have quality issues and simply, poorly manufactured. Thus, the no "Made in China" label due to the bad rep, but to your point that's changing. In regards to other choices, the main issue if you ask me is discovery of these great and new products, for example I only found about about Atma Sphere not too long ago, but many so called audiophiles don’t even bother to research/listen and will just go with what’s recommended in Stereophile or some other better known online reviewers. The truth is that Hegel makes great amps and they sound great. I think the issue is about corporate honestly. As people realize that China is no longer a country that just makes tinker toys, companies will become more honest about it. I’m however concerned about how you were treated by Hegel’s corporate. That is just not acceptable. For many reasons, I like products made in the US and I will stay with US made products. Both Rogue and Ayre make great products with terrific service. I own all Ayre products and are exceptional both in quality and service. If you’re in the market for an amp, I would wait for the new Ayre AX-8 coming this fall and give that a listen.

nycjlee,

Regarding the China issue, it is true that China still makes some shoddy products. But, as has been noted, this is changing. And they are making great advances in developing and producing many high tech products in emerging industries. This is underreported, especially in the area of robotics. China also manufactures some very high quality audio products. While some audio companies may not want their products associated with "Made in China" the fact is that many do have their products manufactured in China and are not afraid to say so on their products. IMO, it is worse to mislead customers than to admit "Made in China". The stigma attached to all products that are manufactured in China no longer applies, although some US companies would understandably like to see it stick for a while longer, I imagine.

You stated, "I think the issue is about corporate honestly ... I’m however concerned about how you were treated by Hegel’s corporate [sic]. That is just not acceptable." This is exactly the point I am making. Aside from the China issue, this is essentially an issue concerning corporate culture, IMO. There are a couple of Norwegian companies -- Hegel included -- that are known in the business to have a poor corporate culture. This came to me during a conversation about Hegel and Scandinavian audio companies in general, via the CEO of one of the largest audio companies in Singapore, with which I have a good relationship. Certain things are known on the "inside" that are kept from wider public view.

Personally, no matter how good the sound, I prefer to deal with competing companies that produce great sounding products and that have a reputation for good corporate culture. This can make a big difference in many ways including customer service, problems that may arise, upgrading, etc. The examples in my earlier post -- Atma-Sphere, Audio Horizons, Raidho (Scandinavian), Shunyata, Synergistic Research and PS Audio -- are companies I have dealt with in the past that have the highest integrity and never have disappointed in any way. These are the kinds of audio companies I will always choose to do business with -- while always shying away from the "weak sisters". There is no need to choose a "weak sister" when there are so many "strong sisters" out there.

"when made in Japan meant cheaply made" - Japan solved that by instituting rigorous controls and testing.  For cameras at least, there were J.I.S. stickers on them.  Today, japan rules the camera industry (tho Leica and Zeiss are still there and making high end lenses for Japanese cameras... and some items are made in China or Thailand for japanese manf.s)

BTW, the US used to be a high volume manf. of cheap, shoddy goods - in the mid to late 1800s, for both furniture and cloth or clothing.