Aliexpress no longer an option

Such nonsense my 401k is up over  40%.

Never bought a thing from AliExpress zero loss. 

@gkelly Do you really believe any country’s ability to sell cheaper goods is a form of economic weaponization to destroy other societies?  History defines a cycle of economic growth and inflation that starts with mass unemployment in underdeveloped countries, industrialization with employment of the masses at low compensation producing low quality goods.  As industrialization progresses together with modernization, quality improves increasing international competitiveness.  Just use as an example Japanese transistor radios and cars from the 1970s to now, and the parallel development of Japan’s society and economy, including fair wages.  Unemployment decreases and there is a gradual shift towards fairer compensation and a more developed labor market. Prices increase.  We experienced this in our Industrial Revolution.   We facilitated Japan, then South Korea, where this cycle is very evident.  In China, the cycle is moving forward.  India will become the next China, maybe even more of a competitor since they are focusing on service industries as well as manufacturing.  Our own US companies have fallen short in retooling to be competitive, with less efficient processes increasing manufacturing costs.  Our own US companies as true capitalist moved manufacturing off shores.   Tariffs will not address the issues but rather increase  cost of goods for us (inflation).   The intrinsic issues need to be addressed.   To me reciprocal tariffs is a fair principle (treat others as they treat you), weaponization of tariffs is not.  

How long would it take to honestly assess whether the tariffs are more good than bad or the other way around?  Many/most/all countries have had tariffs for a long time.  If they're bad why are they doing it?  People who think they know what trump is thinking but doesn't say are the most absurd.  You are not a mind reader.  

As an American, I hope the tariff policies work to our benefit. The problem is,  that is the triumph of Hope over experience. The tariffs we tried in the first term didn’t work. According to conservative groups, those tariffs cost us tens of thousands of jobs and diminished the GDP.
 

our best hope is that we will negotiate some meaningless deals that won’t actually accomplish anything, but our leaders will be able to declare victory and extricate themselves from the corner they are in.

if we don’t do that, we are going to be in real trouble when China starts dumping treasuries. I also think this will hit American audio manufacturers, hard as well because foreign consumers are simply not going to buy from our folks. Our new friends, Russia And North Korea probably don’t buy nearly as much high end Audio equipment as our former friends.

hopefully, this will end soon with as little damage as possible. It’s not politics, it’s the iron laws of economics.

At the end of the road, after all of the tariff carnage is complete, Fat Donnie is going to say that he had no part of it and that all of it was President Biden's doing.  The maga base will fall right in line with that.

He's already done that. Earlier today he tweeted that this was all Biden's fault and that it's all a hangover from his policies. He also claimed credit for the four new EV plants that Ford is building in two different states that Biden started back in 2021-2022. 

How long would it take to honestly assess whether the tariffs are more good than bad or the other way around?  Many/most/all countries have had tariffs for a long time.  If they're bad why are they doing it?  People who think they know what trump is thinking but doesn't say are the most absurd.  You are not a mind reader.  

It took this long to figure out he's severely damaged the economy and made America the laughing stock of the world. Less than 100 days. As for mind reading that talent is not needed.

 All the best,
Nonoise

@wswright20 so far he is proven so right and I am sooo tired of winning. 

People who think they know what trump is thinking

Right, I consider myself a relatively intelligent human being, I never ever pretend I know what he is thinking. Even AI resigns when he is tasked with figuring out if there is anything in his head.

Too bad the rest of have to suffer with them.

You can say that again.  

TDS is a made-up disease.  If not liking a self-serving, incompetent, narcissistic buffoon is called TDS , it is not.  It is called being a decent and caring human being who believes in the same rights for any US citizen, regardless of where they came from or where their ancestors came from..

@gano , +100

Is Audiogone owned by the New York Times?

TDS is just another way to blame others. Too bad people actually repeat such propoganda and give it life. 

Since Admin has seen fit to allow this CRAP to continue I just want to say to EVERY SINGLE DEMONcrat LOSER here,YOUR A BUNCH OF PEDOPHILE,RAPIST,DRUG SMUGGLING,MURDERER,ILLEGAL ALIEN,CORRUPT JUDGE,THIEVING POLITICIAN SUPPORTERS!

DT is the worst thing that has happened to America and democracy in my lifetime. I have eyes, ears and a mind to witness it. But what is far worse is the psychological operation campaign he has waged on the MAGA crowd. They have enabled him and as an effect of this..the demise of a great nation. It’s only a matter of time before America becomes a full blown oligarchy. His followers can’t see it.

During the next 4 years, there will be a major realignment of trading partners via various trade agreements.  New suppliers will be found to replace the U.S.   After substantial investment in infrastructure such as ports, trucking terminals, warehousing, etc.; former U.S. trading partners will not simply crawl back because there’s a new POTUS.  That isn’t going to happen.  They won’t trust the U.S. anymore as a good faith partner.

In the meantime, tens of thousands of jobs at U.S. ports, U.S. terminals, U.S. warehousing will vanish.  

Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedgefund in the U.S. says that there is danger ahead.

Maybe we have entered The Twilight Zone and there is a cornfield out there somewhere with our name on it. 

@gano 

You start with a ridiculous accusation of 100's of lies told daily, then want to argue.  Argue, not discuss is your desire. You can't possibly make that kind of accusation unless you are at the man's side 24/7.  There is no place to go with your disconnect from reality.  

I did an AI search that said Trump averaged 13 lies or misleading statements a day during his first term. 

Correction:  21 actually 

======

Ranking U.S. presidents by the number of lies told per day while in office reveals significant differences, particularly highlighting Donald Trump's presidency. Here’s a summary based on available data:

1. **Donald Trump**: 
   - During his first term, Trump made an average of **21 false or misleading claims per day**, totaling **30,573 claims** according to The Washington Post. Other sources, like the Toronto Star, reported an average of **6 false claims per day** from January 2017 to June 2019, but the higher figure from The Washington Post is more widely cited as indicative of his overall presidency [[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_or_misleading_statements_by_Donald_Trump).

2. **Other Presidents**: 
   - While the search results did not provide specific daily averages for other presidents, it is noted that Trump's lying has been characterized as unprecedented in American politics. Historians and political analysts have described him as the most prolific liar in the history of the presidency, with no close second [[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_or_misleading_statements_by_Donald_Trump).

3. **Comparison with Previous Presidents**: 
   - Historically, other presidents have been known to stretch the truth or mislead, but none have been documented to the extent of Trump. For example, previous presidents have occasionally lied, but Trump's approach has been described as a systematic and strategic use of falsehoods [[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_or_misleading_statements_by_Donald_Trump).

In summary, Donald Trump stands out significantly in terms of the number of lies told per day while in office, with no other president coming close to his documented figures.

---
Learn more:
1. [False or misleading statements by Donald Trump - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_or_misleading_statements_by_Donald_Trump)

well, it will take time short term pain for long term gain we NEED to be able to get to a point where we CAN make all the essential goods ourselves . china IS an enemy ( we sure are to them ) and their plan is to take over world  invade taiwan etc wake up! communists and socialism is the hand maid, precursor  of communism! 
we CAN get all minerals we need in USA yes they exist in sufficient quantities we need to get over the NIMBY of developing mines and making what we need here yup they do sometimes polute ! too bad we can try to use tech and be careful today we signed the agreement w/ ukraine to develop mineral extraction lucky those mines are largely in territory Russia wants peace actually so thousands of US miners engineers in way will be deterrent ! even PUTIN wants peace as they are and have been hurting ! i get exotic car parts made in Russia ! they have every grade of titanium ever made and skilled engineers who are tired of working , making military parts! .it is a PIA to pay them! have to use a neutral 3rd country or bitcoin!   90K factories closed in USA due to stupid NAFTA and similar over past decades some are coming back w/rising wages and transportation,shipping cost it is not such a big gap if we make things HERE we are almost competitive ! anyone remember when wall mart USED to brag everything sold  was made in USA ? it can be again yes we will pay more it's worth it 
look ahead, give this all a chance you short sighted anti Mr T folks he means well is doing has done MORE right than any other ever did FACT ! it just needs to reach tipping point then we will succeed as manufacturer no matter who is president ! ( as long as we do not become socialist/ communist ! ) we USED to be there we will again 

US will have trade surplus with every country, we will be entirely self sufficient, full employment with livable wages for every worker, no inflation, not going to touch SS or Medicare, US no longer runs deficits, debt being paid down rapidly, Canada 51st state, US owns Greenland, Panama Canal, now Gulf of America, no income taxes for those making under $200,000, Trump is the Pope, Trump is running the world. Now tell me who is deranged!

Is Audiogone owned by the New York Times?

Check with Ron Vara on that.

For all this "efficiency" Rump spent $258 Billion more in government spending in his first 100 days than Biden did in his. Elmo saved nothing but fired thousands of necessary government jobs and cancelled contracts almost over or not even started yet. 

What Elmo did get was all of our private information to make a security state that will rival Chinas. The only upside is we'll never have to read another thread about how bad a world actor China is anymore and to buy American. 

See... there's a silver lining to this black cloud. 

All the best,
Nonoise

Since Admin has seen fit to allow this CRAP to continue I just want to say to EVERY SINGLE DEMONcrat LOSER here,YOUR A BUNCH OF PEDOPHILE,RAPIST,DRUG SMUGGLING,MURDERER,ILLEGAL ALIEN,CORRUPT JUDGE,THIEVING POLITICIAN SUPPORTERS!

@freediver , I see you still have not found an effective treatment for your Tourette's syndrome.

I can't give you an easier opportunity than pick to one thing he said and prove it's true. The fact that you haven't done it is pathetic and alarming in the same time. 

The gon hifi crew probably has thicker wallets than the avg dude out there...not the right crowd for a proper assessment.

But, a vast chunk of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Watch the ClusterF when they hit their favorite Walmarts for all their necessities soon enough. Don’t feel bad for anyone though. They got what they wanted..

On a different note, the sum total of all Chinese exports to the US equates to the GDP of one mid-sized Chinese metro area probably. Do "THEY" need us more than we need "THEM"?....nope

Are all the BRICS+, partner nations and others going to rally behind them, dedollarize some more, whatever? probably...Hang on to your pants

Someone who thinks "TDS" -- unknown to the DSM and to all professional literature of the subject -- is a genuine pathology, and who meanwhile accuses people with IQs in the 140 - 160 range of not only suffering from it, but of intellectual deficiency [!!], is too self-refutational to merit reply. But just in case anyone doesn't know, "TDS" is a political slogan whose purpose is to normalize the psychiatric diagnoses of sociopathology and malignant narcissism, which philosophically translate to solipsism and politically translate to authoritarianism. 

Great point about the nursing home situation. I've read that 80% of patients in nursing homes are 100% on Medicaid. Nothing else covers them. These are someone's parents. About 60% of them are in some type of memory care facility due to their dementia. Happens to a lot of us as we age. 

If Medicaid is taken away, the majority will end up at their kids homes. Over 30 states have familial law that mandates kids take care of their parents even if they are estranged. They will garnish your wages if necessary. Memory care runs around $12-$15K a month. Let that sink in. All of this is so the super wealthy can get another round of unneeded tax breaks. 

All the best,
Nonoise

@secretguy  +1

Happy to get to chime in before the thread is closed; I always show up too late to offend anyone!  Thanks to the OP for the heads up on the reality of buying an affordable and cheap component from China. 
I recall when Japanese made goods were really crappy, and a Honda Civic was small enough to get around a traffic jam on a sidewalk. It also got over 40 mpg…

My current Honda pilot was made in Canada, the US and Mexico. The result of a collaborative trade relationship has helped many nations, not just a few. 
i am interested in components irrespective of where they were built. Having a global economy means being able to buy a McIntosh component built in the US, or a Moon Audio amplifier made in Canada, or a Laiv Audio DAC from Singapore. 
Singapore does not impose a tariff on US goods under the US-Singapore free trade agreement, yet a ten percent tariff has been imposed on them in direct violation of that treaty. 
As the US goes back on its word, it demonstrates it cannot be trusted. I think this will have long term repercussions. 
And my retirement will be fine. I moved most of it into treasury bonds in early November, and into gold and cash more recently. The economy is headed downhill with the king of bankruptcies at the helm. Time to buckle up. 
and I’ll be listening to music on a great Singaporean system. 
Tim

@freediver 

Perhaps you shouldn't jump up and down while you are typing. 

You ended up with a bunch of misspelled words and terrible punctuation.

Nothing more dangerous than an ignorant man who thinks he is a genius.

Nothing more dangerous than an ignorant man who thinks he is a genius.

@vicdior Funny you posted this twice and your point is?

"Nothing more dangerous than an ignorant man who thinks he is a genius."

My suggestion would be to buy your banana connectors from somewhere else.

Pretty simple.

I think this thread might be the final straw for my tenure here.

Yes, I posted twice to make sure my point gets across. I find it sad how the launch of this tarif war will affect our hobby and general everyday life globally because of one man’s egoistic agenda.This will set limitations and experiences as whatever our hobby has to offer globally.Time for me to settle and just enjoy the music, looking it from a more positive outlook.

I see DENAFRIPS PRODUCTS AND HAVE NOT HAD 1 issue 

the wording dac- computers  DENAFRIPS has absorbed the small tax on their end 

which has been good with deliveries yesterday in the U.S NO CHARGES.

@thecarpathian They laughed because it was a joke. I do hope your post was a joke. TDS is real. 

It’s terrible, the sky has fallen. The end has come. We had a smooth running machine until this past January. Everything was going well with international relations, our streets were safe, and we had a sharp leader at the helm. 
 

Haha, just kidding. 
 

I’m headed out to play pickleball with my friends, ta ta.  

During first Trump term the US economy was booming, lowest inflation in decades, and no US involvement in new Wars.  They lying media and Democrats claimed the world would end if Trump was elected.  Didn't happen.

Lying media and Democrats claimed Biden was sharp as a tack.  Anybody with more than 2 brain cells could see that was not true.  

The media, Democrats, and Trump haters have a long record of being wrong.  Y"all keep believing the media liars and waste your time with AI searches.  Normal people with common sense will get on with life and enjoy the clown show you all provide.  

There are those here who get their reality from Fox News.

Enough said.

I had lunch with Steve and Ray Leung of VAS yesterday.

They told me they cannot get parts, the sellers don't know, so they might charge a ridiculous price, or only charge $2.40 for some set screws and $120. for shipping, it is a mess.

Some scary stuff going on in your country since Trump took power. One of your Senators breaks it down.

Last one hundred days

Maybe we have entered The Twilight Zone and there is a cornfield out there somewhere with our name on it. 

It’s a good life, episode 73: Twilight Zone. 

See if you can recognize which character is Dromp and which are the GOP. 

BTW, he is already sending people to the “cornfield”. Hey MAGA crowd, be very careful what you wish for.

@newfzx7 

Maybe us losers can follow your country to success. Where are you?

Y"all keep believing the media liars and waste your time with AI searches
 

@texbychoice then who should we get our information from? What news sources do you consume? 

@jsalerno277 if you wanted to use that argument 30 years ago about China being a developing country and needs to produce low quality items to develop, would have been acceptable. China has shown that they can produce quality products the same as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan. 
It is totally our fault that we find ourselves in this environment. how can you fault an enemy who shoots at soldiers who don’t build fox holes?  
I would be willing to bet a nickel that without any research into the subject. That there are countries on this globe that Temu or Sheen are not allowed in their country because of the quality of the items. This is an example of our poor negotiating skills.