Hegel H120 or H190

Try the Hegel H360 used

no, it would make zero sense

The H190 is overkill for the room - but if you ever plan to move the system to a larger space it would be the smarter purchase.  Looking at a couple of sites - the used H190 sells for $600 to $1000 more than the H120.  There are many more H190s available.  I would spend an extra $6 to $700 to get the H190 now.  I wouldn't spend $1000 more, however.  Put that towards your CM1 replacements.  If you want a small room system now,  I'd get the H95 or H120 and a pair of used canton reference 9k, dynaudio specials or even larger fyne F502's I saw online for sale.  Good luck !

Thanks everyone for your recommendations!

I'm not planning to move anytime soon - so power should be enough with either amps for now. I'm more concerned about the overall sound quality of the two amps, for now given the fact that a future speaker upgrade could reveal more sound qualities than the CM1 are doing now.

So the H190 is overkill for the room and maybe the H120 is too but what about their sound? I can't find any significant information about a design change from one amp to the other that could "objectify" a step forward in SQ.

I know that listening by oneself is the rule of thumb but after several tests I'm beginning to be a little confused so other people opinions could help.

The H190 sounds a little better to me with some tracks but it may as well be placebo effect...

Or maybe the way to go is to upgrade the speakers first, then find the right amp!

The advice on figuring out your potential speaker upgrade, what your preferences are and picking a new amp based on how it meets the potential new speakers needs along with synergy is key.  How an amp sounds paired with speakers is heavily impacted by the synergy between the two.  Even if you aren’t streaming currently, might be a good idea to buy an amp that offers the capability, opens up an entirely new world of accessibility.  Hegel is highly regarded and specifically for their integrated units, you won’t go wrong with them.  They also should be able to drive most speakers.  I’d lean into the 190 or 360 used, Hegel has a great reputation for their integrated amps digital streaming / DAC capabilities, you’ll get a slightly better amp / pre and gain the all in one package needed to stream should you ever get the itch.  Bang for buck, Music Fidelity makes some great integrated amps, used some models should fall within your price range, same with Peach Tree Audio.  I think PS audio also makes a Class D integrated that can be found at a good value used.  Schitt has built their brand off of delivering high performance and reasonable prices, would look at their gear, integrated units as well. 
 

Good Luck,

@boozendormi

I think you should buy the H120. Even the H90 would be fine, but the H120 would be a no brainer.

I tried 7 integrated amps in two months in search of my next best amp. What I found was that they matter the least. The source and the speaker make a much bigger difference.

Don’t buy the speakers first. You need to match the speakers TO THE AMP, not the other way. In your room size, the Hegel will do everything you need. Any 2-3K bookshelf speaker from Dynaudio or Wharfedale or alike would be a huge upgrade to the B&Ws