Inna:
Can't get the link to work but knowing you from your posts, it had to be good and/or thought provoking.
Can't get the link to work but knowing you from your posts, it had to be good and/or thought provoking.
259 responses Add your response
I think Canada will survive without Classe' as after all, they're Canadians...supposedly part of the British Empire (and some of 'em speak FRENCH!). Also, not that it's a bad thing, but America is by far the most dangerous country out there...to other countries anyway. Biggest arms dealer (by FAR), we blow stuff and people up daily (aren't drones just adorable?)...invade places for no apparent reason...we even nuked somebody! And weirdly, the "global market" is exactly what keeps another world war from happening...you think China wants to blow up Walmart and Kohl's? No way. Remember, the USA is ALL IMMIGRANTS (except the pesky Natives who shall remain marginalized, and the previously "imported" Africans who built the South), and I have the right as an American to enjoy my Chinese preamp and my BMW because I like 'em better. Ahh...freedom! |
It's unfortunate but the way of the land now. So many companies in the same boat. I had $10k to spend on a pre/pro and I require a combined stereo/ht rig. I auditioned several and to me nothing matched the sound of the Classe SSP-800. It has been such an awesome addition to my set-up. Nine months in and no quality issues. I could spend time worrying about Country of Origin for my purchases or try to relax and buy what sounds the best in my budget. The made in China SSP-800 won. In fact because of this quality piece I wound consider any of their products in the future be it amps pre/amp etc. I work for a major Company and many of our products are JDM in China. I guess I have learned to chill about it. I just twang the best I can buy for me and sound quality is the only consideration and quality at time of purchase. Classe is excellent. Rick |
Assembled in China. And I am defending nothing and wish everything was made/assembled in the USA but I will share with you about how it is handled at my company. All Program Managers, Product Managers, Service, Software Engineers etc reside in the U.S. We have an iron fist over the assembly in China. I personally am a Release Operations Manager and my team is responsible for all BOMs and Engineering Change Orders to our products. I deal with these JDMs daily. I can tell you that they cannot even substitute a same value component as a second source part without an ECO being written approved in U.S and implemented in our ERP system and communicated back. There is not one single change that goes undocumented and approved. We are in total control despite Country Of Origin. I know this is heated discussion but I live this stuff for a career. I am sure other companies like Classe manage their products with the same iron fist and there will be no change to product down to the bag it's wrapped in without an ECO and Engineering and Quality approval. I would worry more about Penang wink wink Rick |
Dyn, I've worked semiconductor manufacturing for decades....in the fab. I've helped make enough ICs and Discrete components to sink a ship. All changes to procedures are vetted and go thru a sign off loop, with the exception of the 'temporary' change which has a few special provisions and has a 24 hour time limit and is used only as an emergency containment or if a specific piece of equipment is down. But, the REAL question is one of training and quality management system. For example, is the facility in question ISO audited? Are all employees trained and certified in the operations they perform? Are quality records kept? Rework procedures approved and certified? and on and on. |
"I would hope they do something to save one of our largest exporters from suicide. South Carolina is one of the top illiterate states, among others from Appalachia." That is such an ignorant statement it's laughable. The five counties mentioned in the article referenced by Hifihvn are not in the manufacturing districts of S.C. and in fact, they are all very poor, black communities. Sure, illiteracy is high in these counties, but that's like saying the rest of S.C. is like these five counties just like the rest of Michigan is like the inner-city of Detroit. Here's a classic example of a little knowledge gleaned from the internet being dangerous - and also prejudicial sounding at the same time. I am sure that BMW and Boeing and the many international companies with manufacturing plants in South Carolina didn't do their due diligence on the workforce before they invested billions (with a B) into their plants in S.C. Not to mention the fact that S.C. was the center of textile manufacturing in the country before the industry evaporated to China due to slave labor wages in China. Hard to believe the illiterates in S.C. were once responsible for the success of textile manufacturing in the U.S. "General Motors decided to hire people without even a high school diploma. It backfired on them. They had to pay their employees to get rid of them! A lot of them went back to Appalachia, with their money, spent it, and are looking for other big paying jobs now. There are not anymore big paying easy handouts for them, except now, maybe Boeing?" Once again - stupid remarks on their face. Appalachia didn't run to Detroit in great numbers at all. And the Wiki article that Hifihvn references doesn't even support his stupid conclusions. It's the unions that have killed General Motors and the rest of Detroit. General Motors problems are home grown! Hey Hifihvn, it's amazing, huh, that many car companies have located in the South, including east Tennessee (Appalachia), but yet the labor force is entirely illiterate and uncapable (yeah right). Who would have ever thought that these mega companies would risk billions of dollars in manufacturing infrastructure only to find out there are no workers capable of doing the work. I guess they forgot to first ask Hifihvn about the labor pool before they wasted all of their money. I have lived all over the country, including S.C. Are there stupid and uneducated people there? Sure, but have you ever been to an automotive plant in Detroit during shift change. Yeah, that's my idea of literacy. |
I have lived all over the country, including S.C. Are there stupid and uneducated people there? Sure, but have you ever been to an automotive plant in Detroit during shift change. Yeah, that's my idea of literacy. "have you ever been to an automotive plant in Detroit during shift change. Yeah, that's my idea of literacy." What is the above statement referring to? Basically, spoken like a true Fidder! Prove the Wikipedia article wrong. Just stating facts. More links for Y'all [http://www.detroitblog.org/?p=1475][http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/6790/102200.html][http://lexington-sc.patch.com/articles/s-c-superintendent-38-percent-of-students-functionally-illiterate] |
I've already proven you wrong, Hifihvn. Can you read? I explained to you the condition of the 5 counties in S.C. that your article referenced. S.C. has a huge minority population and it is an unfortunate reality that minorities haven't done very well on literacy tests. But you made the huge leap from one article you read to assert that the whole of S.C. is illiterate. That is simply stupid. I also proved you wrong by logically exposing the naked truth that the huge corporations who have moved to S.C. would have done their due diligence on the potential workforce before investing billions of dollars in the state. Their actions speak far louder than your mere words taken completely out of context. If you took the time to even read the second round of articles that you just posted, they destroy your own argument. Never once do they say how many people moved from Appalachia - it is entirely anecdotal in the article. Secondly, it appears that your assertion that they were functionally illiterate is blatantly wrong as the articles described how the Southerners stayed in the Detroit area and apparently thrived. Your last article hangs you out to dry again. Here are the test scores from the article you referenced. Apparently you did nothing more than read the headline. The test scores show how close S.C. scores are to the national average. "In reading, South CarolinaÂ’s fourth-graders had an average score of 215 in 2011, a decline of one point from 2009. The nationÂ’s average score was 220 in 2011. South CarolinaÂ’s eighth-graders had average score 260, an increase of three points from 2009, while the national average score increased by two points to 264. In mathematics, South CarolinaÂ’s fourth-graders had an average score of 237, an increase of one point, and the national average was 240. Eighth-gradersÂ’ mathematics scores increased one point to an average score of 281, and the national average was 283." Maybe you should just quit while you are behind. You continue to needlessly embarrass yourself. |
How many of you who would never consider buying Chinese made hi-end audio gear shop at Wal-Mart regularly? Macrojack, I will not purchase anything at Walmart for exactly the reasons you listed. Their slogan "Save Money, Live Better" should read, "Save Money, Live Better Maybe, Screw your neighbor, Screw your country". |
Illiteracy is a point well taken by the automotive industry. Workers here needed color coded manuals to aid in following directions as opposed to the Canadians who didn't. What won out were the guarantees made by our politicians of giant tax breaks and promises to keep the unions out. Oh, those bad, bad unions who are nothing more than the lobbyist for the workers to help compete against the lobbyists of the corporate masters. Funny how one is lionized and the other disparaged. Those of the upper strata are heavily socialized to the point of absurdity but damn if they'll allow that kind of cooperation for the workers. Damn commies! |
Its kind of sad to be of an age where I've personally witnessed the decline and now, downward spiral, of our economy. It needn't be this way: other courses were and are readily available. Its a failure of will on the part of the electorate to fully participate (by simply paying attention and voting) and the rise of sociopaths in positions of power in industry with the means to buy off politicians. It happens to every great and small country at every stage of our existence. Take any form of government, be it a dictatorship, a monarchy, a democracy and pull away the facade and you'll find oligarchs. Oligarchs are nothing more than people who've amassed great fortunes and are willing to use some degree of coercive violence to keep it. That violence can manifest itself from retinues of personal mercenaries and standing armies to something as ubiquitous as a tax code. There's lots of window dressing that we all fall for. |
01-04-12: Pubul57BMW for one As with many countries, both good and bad products come from China. |
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Mapman is right - the other shoe has dropped and we are waiting for it to hit the floor. My motto, since I became aware of the inevitability we face, has been, " I can't keep it from happening, but I might be able to keep it from happening to me". Now I'm starting to think I've been kidding myself with that one. What happens if the Oval Office and both Houses go Republican? We could all get notices the following week that our mortgages are being called in. Instantly, we become a nation of renters. Think in terms of the quintessential coal mining community where the company owns the housing and the only place to buy anything (including food) is from the company. No money anywhere to be seen because we all work for the company and we all have charge accounts at the store that we cannot afford to pay off because our wages are scaled to keep us that way. Somebody please, tell me why that won't happen. |
Nonoise: I agree with what you said, but I will add this, none of this is being done behind closed doors or in smoked filled back rooms, it's being done right in our faces, and we like little easily manipulated sheep just go along. That revolution that we fought for at such a great price was stolen long ago. We didn't notice or care because we were living better than the rest of the world. |
Unfortunately this country is finished - sold out by big business and politicians - it is not a question of if, but a question of when. We are forced to buy alot of stuff from China as part of everyday life essentials. For non-essential (luxury) items where there is a choice to buy American (i.e. Audio Gear) , I avoid Chinese stuff at all cost. I have owned some if it in the past, but at this point I would sooner buy used gear made in the USA than new gear made in China. It is just a personal choice, but I am remined of it every time I look at my young Grandson and ask myself what he will do for a living when he grows up, and what opportunity will be available. Everyone can't work in Health Care, Service, and Retail. There will soon be nothing else left. |
"We didn't notice or care because we were living better than the rest of the world. " Used to be the case for sure. We still live better than most of the world, but not all. Chances are others will continue catch and perhaps surpass us as well. There have never been any guarantees though. Things change but individuals that are motivated and have ability will continue to find a way, assuming they are able to afford an education..... |
Kurt_Tank, a strongly regulated capitalist driven open market. No system has ever been perfect. The future will be more of the same. Danlib 1, greed is neither inherently good or bad (let's ignore the 7 deadly sins). It's an human behavior pattern which is essential to an individual's survival. While individuals may afford ethical behavior, the capitalist free market model is purposely lacking ethics. In essence it states that the unbridled pursuit of ones' self interest will lead to the most efficient distribution of society's resources with the least curbs on individual freedom. A morally good outcome arises from the chaos of human impulses -- a neat trick if it truly worked. Based upon your comments about ethical standards, I suspect that we really don't disagree, that much. Fiddler, check out these Dwight Yoakam lyrics from "Readin', Rightin', Route 23" They learned readin', rightin', Route 23 To claim that labor unions destroyed the car companies is non-factual. When times were good at the Big 3, nobody claimed labor unions were the authors, so why blame them when things went bad? Now if the Chevy Vega or Ford Pinto had been designed by the UAW, I might be open to changing my mind. Blaming the union is like blaming home buyers for the mortgage debt/financial collapse. But then again, certain types of people look past the facts and do blame the borrower. Rok2id, France started WWII -- please explain. |
And I forgot to mention that it is Chinese who will direct the asteroid's trajectory towards the Earth. China is already a space nation and in a few decades they will be far ahead of everyone else and eventually they will control space in our solar system and perhaps beyond. How is that for "scary" ? |
I didn't say they started the war, I said they were responsible for it. The French pushed for and got the harsh pentalies against Germany in the treaty of Versailles. President Wilson's 14 points were much more even handed. They mocked Wilson, saying the good Lord only had 10 points. The French Military saw the danger and was against the terms. Why do you think the greaat depression hit Germany harder than any other country. No Versailles, no Hitler, no Hitler, no war. It's a little more involved, but this is a music forum, so i'll keep it short. |
Onhwy61 - Please don't mention Chevy Vega. I'm still trying to forget the one I had in 80s. Same goes for 1986 Ford Taurus - even bigger piece of shit. My current 16 year old Toyota Avalon, built in Kentucky, works like Swiss watch. No repairs, no rust - perfection. It all depends on design and management. China makes some bad stuff but also makes Apple computers. Stereophile mentioned once that quality of one of the British audio companies actually improved when they moved to China (perhaps modernizing assembly line). Surface mount electronic assembling is a very well controlled process and it practically doesn't matter where executed. When I have a choice I always try to buy "Made in USA" but won't buy another Ford ever, sorry. |
"Yeah, who do you think taught Japanese how to make cars" You mean cars like Edsel, Chevy Corvair., Ford Maveric, Ford Pinto, Ford Tempo, Ford Taurus, Chevy Vega, Chevy Chevette, Chevy Citation, AMC Pacer, AMC Gremlin, Doge Omni, Plymouth Horizon, Pontaic GTO, Cadilac Eldorado? They must've been not listening when we taught them. |
"Not sure who taught them how to screw up with nuclear power though" Perhaps we did. In 1979 "Three Mile Island" accident we managed to make meldown and release of radioactive gases plus 40,000galons of radioactive waste into the river without any Earthquake or Tsunami. Japan had 3 nuclear accidents so far, we had 10. |
The Japanese were always good at adapting to new technology and improving upon it. After Admiral Perry visited in 1854 to what was a closed society, 50 years later, they were sinking the Russian fleet in the russo-japanese war. BTW, who showed them how to make aircraft carriers and the zero fighter? |
Actually, building a car is a well-known 'art'. Building it RIGHT? Many things come into play from choice of materials....High Strength steel is a bigger player these days since you can build as strong or stronger with less weight all the way to computer simulations. All for naught, however, without a proper manufacturing facility and trained workers. An Uncle of mine once bought a car.....American.....and it had a strange noise. Nobody could figure it out. Finally, in an unrelated repair, a COKE BOTTLE was found in a hollow space with a Ha-Ha note. That was the source of the noise. The man who taught Japan how to make things right is ::: Deming. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Edwards_Deming Lately, with and after the advent of ISO standards and audits, They are a Quality Managment system, they don't tell you what or how to do it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_9000 and perhaps the latest Asian Import:: A system called 6S. http://www.vitalentusa.com/learn/6s_article.php It is vital to continue to do more with less.....improve quality and provide a safe workplace. |