It has been a few years since they started making gear in Taiwan. I own a Tri Vista 300 that was made in England . A few years back I read some good things about some of the KW line but when I saw it was made in Taiwan and the still big price tag I kept what I have. A lot of companies are doing it now but it does affect my buying decisions when its chinese or taiwan made. Some think thats silly if it still sounds good but I am still not comfortable with those purchases. Japanese gear is a different story as they have been building some great stuff for decades. Cheers. |
several years ago. However, this is in line with many high end companies including JM Labs, Krell, Kef, Cary Audio, Wharfdale, Quad, B&W, etc.
Most US and European companies do this with most of their models up their reference lines.
Quite frankly it is irrelevant the Chinese sourced gear is just as good as products made elsewhere.
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Taiwan does not equal to China, neither politic nor quality. |
Quite frankly it is irrelevant the Chinese sourced gear is just as good as products made elsewhere. Try to explain that to young mothers and those with pets. Plastic should be used to make speakers and toys - not food! As for me, I like my European built cabinets and European built drivers and European built electronics... |
I thought all of the Cary Audio gear was still made in North Carolina?? Is that not the case? |
Agree with Shadorne, you don't hear Taiwan food mixing toxic chemical like Chinese, neither will you hear Taiwan electronic products failing prematurely due to corner cutting.
I will not buy Chinese audio gears. In fact, I will not buy any "hign-end" products that are made in china. I will be happy to hand my credit card number to high-end Taiwan product though, they have world class R&D with QC to boot too.
Everyone associates Intel as the most advance semiconductor company on earth. I work for AMD, the competitor. Guess who is right behind Intel? TSMC, that stands for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacture Company, and unlike Chartered, AMD, Samsung, or Toshiba who relies on IBM for R&D, TSMC & UMC (another Taiwan semiconductor foundry) completely develop on their own. There are many more stories about Taiwan work ethic and QC, same can not be applied to China.
I just bought a Giant TCR Advance 2 road bike which is again made with pride in Taiwan. In fact, 90%+ of world class carbon road bike are made there, do you hear Lance Armstrong complaining his Taiwan bike? But you can bet if he was riding a China bike, he would never make it to finish line. |
Technology "creep" is the industry term. It does happen, but the reputable companies either open up shop over there, ie; Rotel, or they keep QC staff, or they maintain the quality utilizing other methods. Asia is Asia if you ask me... I've seen good and bad from the entire region. Musical Fidelity, especially, has been able to maintain retails as well as quality. |
As if a lot of western audiophile brands are the pinnacle of reliability and quality.....
The Chinese have nuclear weapons and have put humans in space. I'm sure they can figure out how to make audio equipment. Once they get their heads around this "capitalism" thing and realize what the market wants in terms of quality or market needs, life will become increasingly uncomfortable for competitors.
There was a Japanese motorcycle manufacturer (I don't remember who, but possibly Honda)that wanted to enter the Chinese market. A Chinese comptetitor then built a similar product. The Japanese bought a couple and took them home to take them apart and analyze them. They then withdrew from the particular market segment. They decided they couldn't build a product of that quality for the price the Chinese were selling it for and make a profit.
People in North America (i.e. GM, Ford and Chrysler) were equally dismissive of Japanese car manufacturers in the '70's when they entered the North American market because of their lack of quality and reliability. Well, what's the situation now in car manufacturing?
Guess what? Three or four Chinese car manufacturers are talking about coming to North America in the next couple of years. The American car manufacturers are as equally dismissive of the Chinese cars as they were of the Japanese and the Koreans. They still haven't learned their lesson which maybe explains in part why they are in the predicament they are now in. The Chinese cars may be crap for a model generation or two. And then what do you think will happen?
I don't know what the quality is with respect to Chinese audio equipment. But if they want it to be good, it will be....at half the cost. Even now, Chinese companies are buying western brands. You'd be surpised at who they own.
Anyway, it's fun to watch it all from a business analytical perspective. We'll see what happens. |
Here we go again, if anyone thinks they can avoid China then they have their head in the sand, if it works good, is safe, reliable and a good value I buy it no matter where it comes from. China got its strength in large part because of our own greed, unions and other factors that we both were and were not at fault in creating.....I buy whats works for me and dont dwell on things I cant control. |
Has2be, the kW line is still made in England. The rest is sourced out. |
the only thing worse than a flood of products from a territory that dismisses human rights and intellectual properties, is the flood of products which are being marketed as 'name brands', or silently sold as if they are still what 'they were', and are simply 'badged' as such. 'anyone' with enough capital can phone-in(and badge as 'designed by')orders for any product you can name. If Harley Davidson did this, they would not be able to keep it a secret....Since many audio companies are privately owned, disclosure is not necc. It would be the right thing to do, but will be unlikely, given the conditions their products are made under, and the margins they can make. there are lots of great sounding products that come from China, and i wouldn't criticize anyone for buying anything they liked...the 'makers' do owe it to their consumers however to be honest about their products. otherwise 'the name' means nothing. |
Thanks everyone, I was just curious. The only thing that I can say here is it getting better. I am still sticking with my products made here mostly but like I said.....the Rotels, NAD's and Quad's are some samples of evolution for sure. Initially they did have issues with quality control, they are much better now. All in all.....I have NO complaints ever with my gear thats mainly made in the USA right from my Wilsons.....to my Oracle Turntable from Canada. I had one Shanling product once and I had my doubts then with its fit and finish, I trust they have drastically improved today compared to the model I had 6 yrs ago. |
I have to buy some stuff like tupperware,levi's,underwear,batteries etc.Small inconsequential things.No problem.When it comes to stuff which is important to me like motorcycles,mushrooms and music[3M],I am sticking to American made products as much as possible,YMMV,cheers,Bob |
With the chemicals used in China the Mushrooms may be a real "head turner" :) |
Merganser , I stand corrected . You are correct that the KW line is still made in England. When I went to the dealer a few years back he had some MF gear from the X 1/2 chassis series and some of the full size units that were all made in Taiwan . I assummed that the KW line that he did not have any pieces of yet were also made their. My Bad. It does make me wonder why they would still build their Highest End in England though. Thanks Merganser for the correct info. Cheers |
11-17-08: Semi
I just bought a Giant TCR Advance 2 road bike which is again made with pride in Taiwan. In fact, 90%+ of world class carbon road bike are made there, do you hear Lance Armstrong complaining his Taiwan bike? But you can bet if he was riding a China bike, he would never make it to finish line. That's a good one apart from the China's milk issue with excessive melamine levels. I burst into laughter for a while reading that although I concur Lance Armstrong wouldn't make it to the finish line with a China-made bike. QC in China does seem to give a big question mark and I believe there are other quality issues that may have been neglected in China mainly due to work ethics. |
Semi said, " do you hear Lance Armstrong complaining his Taiwan bike?"
I say, do you really think Armstrongs bike is made in Taiwan?
Bob |
When it comes to stuff which is important to me like motorcycles.
Sorry I may be offtopic, but I don't think any decent motorcycle is produced in the US. Sure they make some good looking chopers but they still use enigines designed almost 50 years ago.
If Harley would make airplanes I would be afraid to fly. |
Are you also afraid of 50 year old Mac amps or just HD airplanes? |
