Oh boy this one made me create an account... I had to thank you !
At some point last year, I decided to update my audio gear.
Yeah it was about time... I had a "Yamaha RX V393" for very/too long, rca inputs were all producing a different sound... Not even sure which one were better or worst.
I watched all these 'audiophile' videos and have been amazed to see how pricey audio gear was, and the amount of subjectivity in reviews.
Finally settled on Hegel because of all the fantastic reviews and "affordable" price (for such quality)... Until I decided to dig in the specs and found your forum.
In the end, I went for a minidsp SHD and a Purifi amplifier.
By publishing these objective measurements, you allow us (consumers) to avoid spending thousands on crap. For most of us, buying an amplifier is a big investment and we don't want to mess up and regret it later.
At some point, I will replace the loudspeakers too... Still using my old "Infinity primus 150" (BTW I would love to see them reviewed at some point).
Looking at the price of speakers, I know I'll have to go "second hand" but honestly I don't know what to buy.
Here (France) some local brands with "innovative engineering" are appreciated by the audiophile community (JMR, PEL, Mulidine) but I don't believe these audiophile guys anymore, and these speakers are not reviewed properly like you do here... So I'm stuck
Coming back to Hegel, I think they have a (much cheaper) chinese clone which looks exactly the same (internal and external), without the "sound engine" blue chips... But can't find it anymore... I wonder how it measures.
Would love to see how the praised H590 (>10k$) performs too...
TLDR; Thank you, Thank you, Thank you !!