Just bought a Hegel H390 Integrated


     At 65 years old and have had systems since 1972. I just settled my divorce, went from her wanting $220,000 to her getting $2,500 and a thank you from the judge for not getting alimony and part of her pension which I could of. 
     All my receivers and amps have been in the $1000.00 range. Don't laugh, I'm poor. After 20 years with an Adcom 555 running Infinity Kappa 8's I bought a pair of Bryston A2 wired speakers. My local dealer recommended replacing the 20 year old Adcom to avoid failure and damaging my new speakers. So he kept me in the same price range and sold me a Emotiva XPA Gen III. I loved the sound but I did have to add a sub to give me the punch that the Infinity's did. 
      So, with the money I saved it was time to buy a Mac which I have loved the looks since the 70's.  My dealer set up my Brystons for an audition with the Mac MA352, but told me to keep an open mind. I was going with the Mac before I got there as I have a lot of art on my walls which gives me a great listening environment. The Hegel was $500.00 less than the Mac at $6500.00. Finally realized it's the sound and not the looks. The Hegel is amazing. I've been lucky as my listening room was great with the old system. 
     I have to move into a new house and even if the new system sounds great I asked my dealer to recommend room treatments. He has a guy that can come out and do that. I don't want to miss out on the possibilities of the best sound.
      After setting up the Hegel I couldn't find the headphone jack. There is none, and then I thought, I don't need one as I'm single and staying that way. The remote is even made of metal with 4 screws to remove to change the batteries. Never seen a metal remote before this one.
     My other components are:
          Thorens TD160 that I bought back in 1973. Sat for 20 years until I got back into vinyl 2 years ago.
           Pro Ject Tube box S2 tube phono amp
            Nad 546 BEE CD player
            Isotek power conditioner
            All power cords in the $100.00 range along with all the other cables
            Audio Quest speaker wires. (here is a funny one. the manual for the Infinity's from the 80's recommended using               standard lamp cord) 
      
             Please remember I don't have money and now being retired with no pension it's a struggle, but I have my music.
             Any thoughts from you guys?

golden210
I'm not sure I understand all the congratulations for getting divorced. I got divorced, and while I know it was the best thing for both of us, I still don't celebrate it. I consider it a failure on my part. I'm reminded of Kris Kristofferson's observation: "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." I wish nothing but the best for anyone who goes through this ordeal, and hope it works out for the OP, but to me it's sad.

As for the Hegel, congratulations. I've been thinking of acquiring that integrated for some time now.
@cal91  I agree.  Divorce is not funny.  But the OP's experience is his to share and I respect him for that.  Self deprecating humor is OK for me, so I don't take offense.  I am happily married but also know how hard it is to be married to someone.  I feel very lucky to have had someone to love and love me back for 23 years now.  I don't ever anticipate us getting divorced, and it is my priority to make sure she is happy.  She also works very hard to make me happy.  We don't agree on everything, of course, but we do our best to find middle ground on the things we don't.  Even though I have a serious audiophile habit, I always make my family my priority in my spending and my time.  It's hard sometimes, especially when I get a new piece of gear and want to spend hours listening to it while domestic chores and responsibilities are calling.  It used to cause arguments, but after some years and a growing maturity, I've realized that the music time can wait until the other important things are satisfied.  
I don't mean to preach here.  Just sharing my thoughts and experiences.  Getting married has been one of the best decisions I've made.  I would not trade her for my audio obsession or anything else.  I consider myself extremely blessed.  Thanks for listening and sorry for going off topic.  Happy listening!
@cal91 

i can't speak for others, but as far as i am concerned my congrats to the op pertaining to his divorce is for what he reports as a successful (from his view) settlement of it
I agree with @gochurchgo that marriage is an outdated concept. If you think about it the only difference between marriage and two people sharing their lives together is a piece of paper from the State. I don't need the State involved with my relationship decisions. I am married and each of us were previously married. If this one ever ends (which I doubt) I will never be married again. Like the OP I was thrilled when my divorce was final from my first wife.


As for the Hegel, I have been following this amp for a while now and would love to give one a try.