With the introduction of tariffs on steel, hence now that the price of steel is about to go up. Will that translate into a higher price for audio gear in general?
Not really, or not directly. There is very little steel or aluminium in any audio component, and most steel is cheap. Moreover, much audio gear is not manufacturerd in the US. Indirectly there may be a tiny effect: cars etc will get more expensive, and hence consumers’ wages may have to go up a bit, and so forth. Much will depend on what happens next. One possibility is if the US decides to widen the range of tariffs to include e.g. audio gear made in China. And then there is the possibility of retaliation. The EU will certainly not take any of this sitting down, and I am sure the same is true for e.g. China. The EU has announced it may retaliate with a tariff on e.g. US motor cycles. So your Harley may get cheaper for a while because the export market is diminished, but if you work for Harley Davidson or one of its suppliers, you may lose your job. On balance, experts agree this is bad news for the US economy and US consumers, unless you work in the steel or aluminium industry.
Thank you willemj! President Trump gets a D for his lack of basic economic knowledge! Barriers to trade are always harmful, regardless of which side of the fence you are on!
Do you want cheap stuff and aren't concerned about quality? If you do, then you can expect to get whatever quality that you're willing to pay a cheap price for. Remember all of the cheap, imported drywall used in Florida a few years ago that had to be ripped out and replaced with quality drywall?
I work in the steel industry, and if you knew the how the cheap, imported steel coming into the US was actually affecting the steel companies, their employees, their community and economy, you might see things differently.
But, if all you care about is saving a buck and foregoing quality, you might be against the tariff.
Thanks for the responses - just something I wondered about. I know there is metal in some audio, I just wondered if anyone thought the price of audio equipment would go up as a result of the tariff being placed on imported steel and aluminum.
Quora.com may have been a better forum for this question.
That's so true. I remember back in the late '70s, I had previously quit college and joined the Air Force, and after serving for four years, I returned to college. I was a computer programmer and went back to continue on in my career by taking business classes so that I could understand the guts behind the programs I was developing.
One of the professors told the class that America was basically going to hell because the young people had drifted away from the 'we're in it together' attitude to a 'I'm out for me and screw everyone else' attitude. Wasn't it 10-15 years ago that '60 Minutes' did a 30 minute piece on how the attitudes had changed, and the way that the younger generation were changing our society.
Like I said, a person should get everything they ask for, and as the old adage says, 'Be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it'.
the wisdom of our president should not be questioned on this forum, as his geniusness and successfulness in business is much proven. clearly, if we are patriots we will avoid all steel or aluminum from inferior nations, as most audio gear is purchased by democrats and others who seek to weaken our country.
It will have huge effect on the price of audio gear. Large amp, for instance, might have 10 lbs of heatsinks. Aluminum costs about $1/lbs so 25% tax would increase price of the amp by $2.50 :)
the wisdom of our president should not be questioned on this forum, as his geniusness and successfulness in business is much proven. clearly, if we are patriots we will avoid all steel or aluminum from inferior nations, as most audio gear is purchased by democrats and others who seek to weaken our country.
That was almost pollyannaish save for the fact you’re dead wrong and incredibly ill informed, if not outright delusional.
The tariffs can actually kill some US manufacturing companies that use steel or aluminum in their products that will be forced out of business. It has apparently already started to happen with at least one company that produces aluminum barrels, the president of which stated in detail the other day.
I thought steel is now considered bad for sound, and wasn't used anymore in perfectionist gear? I use stainless steel when I replace old turntable parts. I took a magnet to my pair of Magneplanar Tympani-IVa, and found ferrous parts in the fuse block and speaker terminals, so I bypassed the fuses and replaced the stock terminals with Cardas binding posts.
Sigh, Another thread providing an opportunity to denigrate President Trump. The Audiogon moderators should at the very least be consistent as they wouldn't ever tolerate this to persist toward Obama on this forum. I don't like the double standard displayed, sad. Charles
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.
