I'm a hopeless soil ammender. I always want to add some nice black dirt and compost to almost every hole I plant, and bulb holes are so easy to ammend.

Amending individual planting holes is not a recommended practice.

"Clay soil" doesn't really describe the soil in much detail. I have hyacinths in heavy soil with no issues but I also have ample organic matter and plenty of winter and spring rain, so the bulbs are not growing in baked hard soil. They return every year.

Bulbs are not expensive. Plant a few and see how they do.

Yes, I am with Flora here - in order to learn your garden, you have to jump in and try things and hyacinths are not some priceless specimen rare tree. Just plant them.

Bulbs, by and large, are some of our most forgiving and amenable plants - self-sufficient unto themselves, they really are the gardeners friend.

In my northern Virginia red clay that stays sodden all winter hyacinths bloom nicely for a couple of seasons then peter out. I look for end of season clearance sales to buy cheap bulbs with the expectation of replacing them every few years.