Hegel is very nice. I understand dave_b's statement, although my experience is that as you go up the line, you get more midbass. The H80 is lovely, but light in the midbass. the reviews say there's not any frequency that 'stands out' (meaning it's neutral), but it is also not as dynamic in the midbass, which will influence the sound of orchestral music. Most pop music with 'thud away' merrily - and with pitch - with the user being none the wiser.
The bigger Hegel, the 360, is reputed to have none of these problems.
Parasound was good, but it's only $2450 and not as classy as Hegel. I'd suggest listening to Rowland (does he have anything for only 5k?? I mean, he used to, but now?!?) or Audio Research.
Also, it really does matter what kind of music you listen to. With classical and voice, you're going to want delicacy (as in the slightest demo-quaver that can break your heart), whereas with jazz you can be just slightly less concerned with that (except for vocalists, again).
What is the majority of your music? Vinyl? Digital? Country? Rock?
The bigger Hegel, the 360, is reputed to have none of these problems.
Parasound was good, but it's only $2450 and not as classy as Hegel. I'd suggest listening to Rowland (does he have anything for only 5k?? I mean, he used to, but now?!?) or Audio Research.
Also, it really does matter what kind of music you listen to. With classical and voice, you're going to want delicacy (as in the slightest demo-quaver that can break your heart), whereas with jazz you can be just slightly less concerned with that (except for vocalists, again).
What is the majority of your music? Vinyl? Digital? Country? Rock?