Buying from China
Well, that link has a link that disputes the bioweapon claim: https://www.wired.com/story/wuhan-coronavirus-snake-flu-theory/ All the best, Nonoise |
Consipiracy theory THIS: https://jameslyonsweiler.com/2020/01/30/on-the-origins-of-the-2019-ncov-virus-wuhan-china/ |
I purchaseda cayin cd17 mark 1 player wayyyy back in 2004,,,Built to last , not 1 issue in 20 yrs,,sure has not seen much play past 10, still in nearly 15 yrs, performs perfect. Built likea tank and sounds incredible with 4 6922's. I'd put this Cayin up to Jadis's $20K CD player. and walk with the Cayin,. cayin has a new Mark 2, nearly same design, but addeda rectifier tube. It come out the shop next week with all new M caps, Bottom line, there are at least 3 top line chinese labs which perform flawless and all 3 are built with the highest standards,,,well actually i only know Cayin, but the other 2 appear to be built on same quality standards. China has some incredible engineers and have developed incredible sounding gear at wayyy less than 1/2 the price of Jadis. No lab can compete with china right now, with the top china labs battling it amongst each other out to stay alive in this dwindling stereo market share. There is a California dealer who imports Prima Luna, which is made in the Sparks Lab/Cayin. Read the reviews for yourself. I plan to purchase the Cayin SC6 Mark2 preamp later this year,,,with no hesitation nor fears. Post Note" China can not , nor ever will develope a speaker system that can come close to Demark, Last note, china can not make a great sounding pre amp tube. vs NOS. |
There are plenty of US electronics companies building nice stereo equipment here. ATI builds for many other companies. Atmasphere, Digital Amplifier Company. and a host of others. In the 50's Japanese products were considered a cheap clumsy electronic joke, by 1965 it was no longer true. Companies build in China to meet a price point. I do buy devices from China, preferable Hong Kong for political reasons, and having walked those streets during my time in the US Navy. I did buy 2 Crown made in CCP amps recently as a short term fix. Priced at 200 per amp with 200wpc 8 ohms was the reason and only for surround speakers. I like Magnepan's current adverts, "Sold in China Made in USA. US and Euro products tend to be more expensive. My father taught me to vote with my wallet. |
Politics and Cornoavirus aside. I would caution anyone from buying expensive gear (expensive as defined by your risk tolerance) directly from China with companies that have no US or Canadian distributors for the following reasons: If you have any problem the communication with China will be suboptimal. If you have to return something it will cost a fortune to send a decent sized and weighted box back to China. Also when you buy from China there will be the issue of import duties. Lastly, if you have an issue with the company and can’t get resolution with them, my next piece of advice is to always use an American Express card in buying directly from China. This is because in my experience Amex is far more cardholder-centric than other companies when entering a dispute. Now if you are buying some Chifi IEMs or IEM cables that don’t cost very much and from a reputable company like Linsoul, then you can be a little less cautious. Good luck. |
You can buy anything from anywhere and end up with the company going bust with no spare parts in the end. As others have said, either cancel your order and buy McIntosh (they seem to be keeping up, still), or relax and wait for what you ordered. It is just a piece of electronics you have lived without for years already. |
Another option is to buy the Chinese stuff after it's already here in some importers stock. Look on Amazon and you can find something that does not have to be shipped from China. Besides, there's a cruise ship now that's been quarantined and has to stay at sea for who knows how long due to the coronavirus. That could be your Chinese gear stuck on there and it might have to be burned. Buy some of it that's already here. ok |
You can place an order with any company and get stiffed, whether they are overseas or not. Just try to keep in touch with the seller and hope for the best. I hear no stories about people placing orders for Chinese audio and then not getting it, if that helps at all. But if it really bothers you, perhaps you would be better off cancelling the order and buying something from a local retailer or Music Direct? |
Personally I would not be concerned about manufacturing capacity or supply chain issues in China until I go to a Wal Mart and see a lot of empty shelves. The mass market for clothing or televisions or toys will reveal evidence of Chinese problems far in advance of any niche market such as "high end" Chinese audio gear. Relax. |
