My 2 cents: I compared my Parasound A21 with the Hegel H190 today.
Both fed by the RME ADI-2 DAC FS (used as a preamp for A21 and tried using it both as a DAC only and also as a preamp for Hegel)
Speakers: Focal 1038Be with twin REL S510 subs
Listening level: 70 dB SPL
Source material: Qobuz / Tidal (via Roon) upsampled to (1) 768 KHz, and also (2) DSD256 using HQ Player
No doubt, I preferred the A21. The A21 Class A sweetness (at <10W) is something else. Also, the Hegel sounds quite flat at lower listening levels. At high levels (>80dB SPL), the clarity is a bit better in Hegel. Though, I must say that the differences between the two is not night and day.
This puts a damper on my trying to acquire a H390.
Both fed by the RME ADI-2 DAC FS (used as a preamp for A21 and tried using it both as a DAC only and also as a preamp for Hegel)
Speakers: Focal 1038Be with twin REL S510 subs
Listening level: 70 dB SPL
Source material: Qobuz / Tidal (via Roon) upsampled to (1) 768 KHz, and also (2) DSD256 using HQ Player
No doubt, I preferred the A21. The A21 Class A sweetness (at <10W) is something else. Also, the Hegel sounds quite flat at lower listening levels. At high levels (>80dB SPL), the clarity is a bit better in Hegel. Though, I must say that the differences between the two is not night and day.
This puts a damper on my trying to acquire a H390.