I definitely take other things into consideration when buying gear.
I’m probably in the minority, but I am willing to pay a little more because I trust the dealer for honest advice and after-the-sale service.
That being said, I no longer buy brands that have very low resale values. |
It's been a dry January for me and I've made a lot less audio purchases as a result. So I guess alcohol is a non-audio factor. |
I am UK based so huge sized products designed for the American market are no use, I just don't have the space and if the equipment is ugly or flashy looking then it's not coming through my front door so no Chord steam punk kit thank you very much. Sleek and modern for example Rega Planar 8 or 10 is more my style |
+1 P8 @yespsb. Phenomenal value, great arm, perfect dust cover, design. Put it on a wall shelf and it would be tough to beat at multiple times the cost. |
@danvignau Please read what I wrote. I said I won't buy any products made by a company owned by the GOVERNMENT of the PRC. This would be companies like Cayin which is entirely owned by the Chinese government or Prima Luna which manufactures their gear in factories owned by the Chinese government. Buying from the Chinese government increases the chances that you are buying something made by slave or forced labor.
It is not true that all audio components must contain Chinese parts. It takes a bit of research-and yes, a bit more money sometimes-but there are plenty of companies that make good, affordable stuff that don't don't take the China road. It is a personal decision based on my experience of the world. I was just answering the question posed by the OP. I know from past discussions that others have very different outlooks on the subject.
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Sometimes, Chinese-made doesn't even seem less expensive. If I'm not mistaken, Harmon builds some expensive JBL and Revel models there. I suppose they might be even higher otherwise, though.
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This would be companies like Cayin which is entirely owned by the
Chinese government or Prima Luna which manufactures their gear in
factories owned by the Chinese government. Buying from the Chinese
government increases the chances that you are buying something made by
slave or forced labor. Oh, so you can list the contract manufacturers that Prima Luna is using? No? I thought not. Most plants in China are not government owned, nor do they use slave or forced labor. Then again, Prima Luna claims they are using 5 different CMs in China and they are the "bigger" ones. I think that is a real stretching of the truth. Big CMs generally won't touch their low volume, especially if split between 5 locations, and the truly big CMs don't play the games that Prima Luna noted. |
audio2design What part of the news programs that reported on catch bets being placed on the ground below multi-floor factories in China did you miss? I can't imagine that workers are jumping out of windows to end their lives if their labor is not forced.
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Just like many Walmart shoppers, of which I am certainly not, if an audio product from China were good enough and the right price, I might try it, but so far, all of my electronics are American or Canadian, and my speakers are British, with only American ones before that. Does that mean I am prejudiced against non-English speaking people. No: Even though I prefer blonds, I certainly have not restricted myself to them.
As far as the politics of China, At least here in America, we can rest in peace knowing that our corporate rulers would never pay low wages and deny basic human benefits simply to buy a bigger jet or yacht, huh? Or, in Melania's case, the $50,000 purse from her collection, that she was recently carrying in news clips.
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it has to be in my budget. if i can not payoff credit card that month forget it. i also have to be able to move the equipment myself. both of these constraints make my purchases quite limited but i have found wonderful sounding gear (to me) over the years |
KEF speakers are designed in The UK and their super expensive top of the line ones are made there. Others are made in China. Their company is not a Chinese company. They build incredibly high quality speakers and I am sure their factory in China has very skilled workers, If my speakers were made in the UK, they would cost way more and KEF wouldn’t get the sale.
It is efficient market driven economics. All Chinese products are not make in sweat shops. If someone pays more knowingly because something is made in the US, it’s certainly their right, but to quote Walmart, they are not living better.
A value conscious consumer will evaluate products on a level playing field. Foreign parts availability or lack thereof is one factor to weigh. |
Last time I looked, the KEF speaker company was owned by the Hong Kong based conglomerate Gold Peak Group. The speakers have a British association but not British ownership.
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I never said they were British owned, it’s a British subsidiary of Gold Peak, it appears. Product development and research are done in England since its inception. They have been under the same ownership since 1992. Publicly traded multi billion dollar conglomerate publicly traded on Hong Kong Exchange. Clearly though China is involved with the major subs of GP. How that works is for the accountants and/or politicians to figure out.
I have a British turntable, Netherlands cartridge, New Zealand amplifier, US phono stage and the KEFs. Cables are US except I think the speaker cables are made in China. Not by design, just looking for best value for highest SQ that work well together.
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