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Why are you kidding yourself? I prefer stuff to be made in the USA as much as the next guy if possible, but the fact is that upwards of 98% of the parts that go into a streamer are made outside the US, so really, what’s the point? Just pick the streamer that performs best and is inline with the sound characteristics you’re looking for and leave it at that. The rest is just BS and semantics. Check out the newest Innuos streamers that meet your budget. They all come with their free Sense app that sounds great and is always being upgraded to sound even better. Best of luck. |
All great choices..... I always try to buy made in USA , and with some categories there are plenty of choices. I think products made in China cut a lot of corners and don't offer the value that a well built US model does, so I try to avoid made in China. Support for many Chinese boxes is often non existent. I buy with the intent to own it and enjoy it for a while so it's more about quality and value overall than price to me. My amps, preamp , phono pre, turntable, tuner , speakers are all made here. But when shopping for a streamer there are few US choices and I questioned how many of them can deliver a product with great software and user interface . That said I went with Aurender and I'm glad I did. Build quality is off the chart , it sounds great and the support is excellent. That is really the most crucial "feature", the support. I bought the N200 and it was one of my best audio purchases ever. |
My Mojo Audio DejaVu server/streamer was made in the USA and sounds awesome. It replaced an Antipodes DX3 server. Unfortunately, Mojo Audio has stopped manufacturing servers so they could focus on their DACs, but they do carry the 432 EVO brand of server/streamers, which may be manufactured in Germany. There are some pretty good server/streamer choices with good service options that are made outside of the USA, such as the Antipodes server/streamers from New Zeeland. If you really need to buy American, you might look at Small Green Computer or Baetis Audio. There are probably others you could consider too. |
"I think products made in China cut a lot of corners and don't offer the value that a well built US model does" Yet you had to come here to find an American option? I am old enough to remember when "Made in China" on a product meant that it actually was cheap and poorly built. Those days are long gone.
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In the world of digital, Chinese equipment has the edge on the technology over most countries and at a much more affordable price. Plus, like soix says, most made in America products have many foreign parts in them. Easy choice for me, I buy the products that best fit my needs regardless of where they're from. |
For you people who "think" items made in China aren't up to snuff or use inferior parts or just maybe cut corners, think about how high end companies would fare if something they sold turned out to be unreliable or sounded like crap. Your suppositions are just guesses and you look foolish making them. As others have posted, you might see a "Made in America" label on the outside, but in almost all cases, the parts inside are not from America. |
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I don't know why people fail to understand that any and every technology product is itself the product of a global supply chain. Where did the copper come from? Where did the aluminum ore that made the aluminum for the chassis come from? Where did the rare earth in the neodymium magnets in their speakers and phono cart come from? At best, you may find a product assembled in America, using as many American parts as possible, but in no case will it be 100% American. I prefer to insist on products made on Earth by humans. Any more granular than that rapidly degrades into a tail chasing exercise. |
@panzrwagn I would prefer any component made by ET. It would most likely be out of this world in comparison to what's made here. |
First off, it's about buying things that support your particular country, state, neighbor, or whatever. It's not always about better quality but that can also be a factor. We all know that just about everything electronic has parts that MUST be sourced globally. Some things cannot even be made in certain countries because of many factors, so we don't need to constantly remind audiophile type folks that the guts are from a global supply chain, they already know, everyone does, and it's not about that. I buy the best I can, and if that means there is a Made in USA source as a choice, then they will get my money as I live here. Support your country first if they make something great. I do go out of my way to find products made in my country, and it's usually worth the time spent. Everyone is also clear that sometimes the Made in USA label only means minor assembly here, and that is OK too. It still means someone here has a job and the money usually stays in the USA. It matters, and not always in some black and white way. |
A Japanese company, manufactured in the Czech Republic. No issues from me other than it might be inconsistent with your above post. McIntosh still makes disc spinners. |
@Ghasley What was wrong with what I stated? I NEVER stated that I only bought things made in USA, just stated that I made the effort. I thought about adding statements of disclaimer and details, but did not think it was needed as I never stated that I buy 100% Made in USA. I thought the message was clear, but I was wrong. I own plenty of gear not Made in USA, but my main components happen to be McIntosh, and my main speaker systems also Made in USA. I made the decision to buy the Panasonic because frankly there was no obvious USA choice for me, and the unit itself got great reviews. I reached out to my McIntosh dealer and they stated that the MVP901 was not available. I also searched for something Made in USA of other brands and finally gave up in frustration and bought the best reviewed unit I had found to fill the space. Good enough? |
+1 for Bricasti - Wonderful company to work with, offers great build quality, upgrade path and very competitive sound quality (at least to me). I currently own a M1 S2 with network card (renderer & DAC) and consider it an "end game product", at least until Bricasti offers an upgrade. After working through a number of streamer and streamer DAC combo I found the most reliable solution come from professional recording studio equipment companies, hence Bricasti. Just one persons experience. Also take a serious look at your music server. If not using a dedicate music server I'd seriously consider doing so. Again my limited experience. |
Sure, I’d love to have everything made in the US, just as the guy in England hopes to buy everything made in England, but with electronics, it isn’t always possible anymore. I have equipment from the US, England, China, Norway, Japan and Israel. I researched each product as best as I could and purchased what I thought was best for me. |
Exactly. Just a general remark, not really directed at the OP: Anyone who has ethical qualms should pay attention to politics and voice their opinions in various ways, donate money, call or write representatives, contribute to organizations for justice, and boycott where appropriate. Those hung up on tiny gestures should recognize that the best thing to do is the most effective thing, not tiny virtue signals via audio purchases. |
Grace Digital is based in California. Whether or not the products are actually made here, another story. Their phone number is American based, and at least if you call, someone that speaks English answers the phone. I have been using their digital link product for 3 years now, zero issues. It is just a simple streamer that contains a screen, and allows you to connect it to any existing hifi set up. $179 is a bargain, $149-$159 on sale now and then, even better! Can stream the highest resolutions? No, but it at least does CD quality. Good enough for me. |
+1 for the products made in the U.S.A. especially Cary Audio. +2 for Aurender made in South Korea. At least they are a representative democracy, so there is that. How much longer will PS Audio stall on theirs? Are they close? Have they given you any feedback? |
@spearl8 - That's only to access the Chinese version of their website. The company is based in the US with all design and manufacturing in the US. |
“I want a streamer that has a walnut wood case…” <lots of replies telling the OP he should get a plastic or metal chassis…> Anyway, the challenge of made in the USA is tough and I don’t have much else to add. You could get a Mac Pro, a rare made in the USA computer and run J.River or a made in Japan VAIO laptop and run J.River. It is easier to find US companies that are assembled overseas. The Sonos Port is currently made in Malaysia but the heavy lifting of the design and software engineering is in the USA. Marantz SACD 30n is made in Japan, but the profits funnel to Masimo, a U.S. company. There are no balanced outputs on the 30n but it does utilize the algorithms from the SA-10. Build quality is exceptional given the price point and economies of scale. Both should have pretty good user interfaces. DTS PlayFi products like the McIntosh MB50 are not quite as nice to use and the MB50 isn’t as high end as other products but it is a good option for assembled in the US. If “quality” is something you are after and are more flexible about the country, Bryston is great as noted. Don’t forget about Linn, made in the UK. |
I just purchased the Cary DMS800 PV. I now have both the Cary DMS600 and the DMS800PV. The best choice I have ever made especially since I have been down that rabbit hole chasing the best streamer/DAC. Best of luck to you guys on finding the right streamer/DAC Made in the USA to fulfill your needs. I’ve found mine and now I can enjoy the music. |
