Hegel V10 Phono Amp - Where Made?
There's a very positive review in the latest HFN (which dropped through the letterbox today) by Adam. It does look like a great product, at a fair price. One thing puzzles and irritates me, though - Hegel only design in Norway but there is no indication on the case to say where it is manufactured, just 'Hegel Oslo Norway'. I've read articles about Hegel that state quite clearly that they manufacture in China, so why do they seem to avoid saying so on the casework? Or have they started to manufacture in Oslo?
There's nothing wrong with Chinese manufacture if the product performs well, is good quality, well made and fair priced. I have a Denafrips Ares II DAC here which has 'Made in China' emblazoned on every part of its packaging, so Denafrips are clearly proud to be wholly Chinese. The Ares II DAC is indeed an excellent product that I can wholeheartedly recommend, even though I have no connection with them other than being a happy customer. Similarly, my excellent KEF LS50s are clearly labelled as being made in China, and so too are the lower end speakers from Klipsch. Lyngdorf make all their amplifiers and AV processors in Denmark, but some of the lower end speakers are made in Thailand, but clearly labelled as such.
Are there not regulations requiring manufacturers to state clearly and honestly where products are actually made? If not, there should be.
Much as I like and admire Hegel for what they produce, they need to exhibit some openness about where they choose to manufacture. If KEF, IAG, Prima Luna and God Knows how many other companies manufacturing in China can do it, then Hegel can too.
