HEGEL - Is it really made in Norway ?

I am so disappointed, but glad, I happened to stumbe across this thread. I was all set and excited to plunk down $6000 dolllars on a Hegel H360 integrated amp this week.

Unfortunately my and many others experience with Chinese-made products on the whole is they are made with poor, if not any, quality control in their manufacturing plants. The Chinese products of many varieties I’ve owned have almost all ended up needing repairs or in in the dumpster in an inordinately short period of time due to this endemic issue.

For just a random non-audio example, how many more times am I going to have to replace the Chinese made carburetor on my ostensibly German manufactured Stihl weed-eater? The list off defective products acquired went on and on before I realized I needed to stop throwing away money on Chinese junk carrying formerly reputable brand names. I can’t afford to turn a blind eye to this ongoing issue and to potentially throw away $6000. I’ve been burned too many times before to do that. Maybe Hegel products are the exception to the rule, but I’m not going to chance it. 

I would have been terribly disturbed to have found out Hegels were Chinese manufactured after a purchase of this magnitude had been made. So thank you so much soniqmike for starting this thread.

And shame on Hegel for being deceptive. Their web site looks like an ad by the Norwegian tourist industry. I’m disgusted. And I'm not a big fan either of companies poorly compensating workers in China to keep prices down just because they can. That's another reason not to buy Chinese. I've got no problem with purchasing Japanese Toyotas and I have a Korean Kioti tractor, but China is a no-go until they clean up their act.

Mike

I don’t think you can categorize all Chinese made audio equipment into one basket full of rotten apples. I own the PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium preamp which is also made in China and with full disclosure about it from P-L. It is a superb product in all facets of sound and build quality and I would recommend it highly to anyone looking to add a great value to an already overpriced audio market as of late.
As always,it’s good to do your research and apply it to any purchase decision whether it be Chinese made or whom-ever made. I certainly do not agree with Hegel’s policy of hiding the fact that it manufactures in China,but to there defense,they do seem to have a decent track record.

One of my former work buddies, who is thinking of buying a stereo receiver in the $500-800 price range to drive his $500 pair of Elac stand mounts was horrified to see that all the brands he was considering (Marantz, NAD, Cambridge, Denon, etc.) were not made in the U.S.  I let him know that, in that price range, I didn't know of any brand assembled in the U.S., but that McIntosh may still have a MAC6700 receiver available for $6500!

Even though this is a three year old thread, I just stumbled on it. As an H300 owner, I am surprised to learn Hegel is Chinese-made.  No indication on the box, and the amp says “Hegel, Oslo Norway”. As others have stated, this is at the least misrepresentation. It is up to the purchaser to decide whether country of origin is improtant or not. They are entitled to transparency in marketing. Hegel has been disingenuous in its marketing which is a real shame. 

Now that I know the amp is Chinese-made, does it sound different? Of course not. Still sounds the same.  But a lot of us like to support our domestic manufacturing economies (which have struggled in the past decade or more because of increased Chinese dominance) when we make major purchases. Even if I am not Scandinavian (I am Canadian), I prefer to support progressive societies whenever I can. Sure, there are benefits to supporting homegrown engineers, but it is the folks on the factory floor who really need a break. Are Norwegians aware of the bait and switch when they purchase Hegel products? As echoed by others, disappointing.