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[breathe]

Is any audio technology made in China that isn't a total piece of crap?  It seems like with every company, when they decide to move the manufacturing over to China, the build quality (and QC) becomes nonexistent.

Nicholas

[breathe]

I'm just pissed about the Walmartification of America.

Nicholas

[Barry Hufker]

Yes, at least one "audio technology" is beautifully made -- Eastman guitars.  While not specifically "audio" but rather "musical", Eastman guitars are gorgeous instruments rivaling the best of anyone's.  They are hand-made in China. I own the PG1 and it is simply a marvelous instrument.

Barry

[Wireline]

Most ADDA interfaces?  Any computer used to record anything digital? Most (all?) soundcards/FW interconnects?

Most (all?) of the actual components inside your hi end "made in USA" stuff?

Almost all tubes

If you use any electronic device, you owe it to the Chinese..get used to it.

[Bill_Urick]

I have a Recording King banjo that I'm very happy with, although it is round, not angular.

Most keyboard stuff I've worked on with Chinese assemblies seem to have suffered in quality from the Sino contributions.
OEM'ing a line of electronic pianos to China seems to be responsible for pretty much destroying at least the American distributer of General Music.

They do make pretty good mic pres, though...


Edit:

Quote:

Almost all tubes

Haven't knowingly used a Chinese made tube in 15 years.
Russian/East European or NOS, baby.

[pete andrews]

+1 on the Recording King!!!
bill - which model do you have?
here's mine... rb or rk 80? something like that...



-pete

[Bill_Urick]

Not sure. Looks just like yours, tho.
What model is the Ampeg?

I love me some Ampeg.

[Jim Williams]

Profit standards are very important to the Chinese.

[YZ]

Jim Williams wrote on Mon, 10 January 2011 16:08

Profit standards are very important to the Chinese.

And much more important to their Western OEM clients.

One doesn't see many ads for "Silver Flute" microphones in the Western world...

1 Chinese FET LDC mic: US$ 25-
1 Chrome head basket for above: US$ 3-
1 fancy packaging: US$ 5-
1 better shockmount: US$ 4-

TOTAL: US$ 37-

US Retail price for the above, under a different badge: US$ 199-.

Recently we had the Lexicon BD player fiasco, where they were selling for over US$3K a player that was no more than a "Oppo" brand player with a new faceplate, a player sold (retail) for US$ 399.

One can only imagine, based on the above examples, what are the real costs paid by famous brands for other merchandise they sell around here that were also sourced from China.

True story: a few years ago a traditional local manufacturer of specialty lighting fixtures (Xmas lights, etc) complained to my father that he was about to lose his family's 4-generation business: the Chinese equivalents of his products were being sold as contraband in the streets for less that what it was costing him just for the packaging of his local products so his sales were dropping near the break-even point.

He found the solution: closed his production lines, kept the sales dept, started importing the product, then sold regularly in stores as usual (not in the streets) for half of his former price - and at 5 times the profit - aided by the traditional brand name he owns.

So who's the greedy one?

Now if you, Jim, get a $30 Chinese mic, use your superior knowledge and design new electronics for it, adds your labor or the labor of an employee overseen by you and offer the improved result for whatever price you deem fit, that's alright: you have added value, labor and your intellectual property; it is a custom job.

But a price-jacked OEM thing? Nope.

To think that at $30 the Chinese plant is making a profit...  and realize that if they implemented first-class QC and a little more attention during development they could churn out very good product at not much more than that!

[Bill_Urick]

Let's get the AFL-CIO over there to start organizing.
That could solve lots of problems.

[pete andrews]

bill -
it's a 70's SVT with a Fliptops.net 1x15 cab i had made for it... it's the small box i use when i don't want to wheel around the 70's 2x15. the low end on the thing is ridiculous. perfect bass cab as far as i'm concerned.

pete

[Bubba#$%Kron]

Happy ending anyone?

[compasspnt]

A P P L E.

[J.J. Blair]

Is this a trick question?

Honestly, they control their quality only to the extent that their OEM clients make them.  

[ssltech]

J.J. Blair wrote on Mon, 10 January 2011 21:21

Is this a trick question? Honestly, they control their quality only to the extent that their OEM clients make them.

Or -think of it another way- Do we go to the Chinese because their standards are consistently high, or do we go because their costs are cheap?

I'm conflicted to admit that I get stuff made in china (circuit boards etc) because if I paid US prices, people would grumble about the cost of the finished product.

Rupert Neve's stuff is all assembled in the USA because he can't assure people that the quality of a Chinese-built product would be as good, and because he has staked a reputation upon quality which will bring buyers at higher prices.

Not so Presonus/Behringer/Digidesign.

Also, the amount of back-door product duplication from ANYTHING of any perceived merit or value is simply staggering. -Shure microphones for example.

I don't have the reputation or 'brand value' to worry about either of these matters so much.

But China builds down to a price, not up to a standard.

"This is Hotel Bastardos, -you want soft-a-toilet-paper? -You go to hotel sweetcheeks, down the road."

China is cheap. You can't reasonably buy Chinese and then be indignant about quality any more than you can buy a Hyundai and complain that it isn't a Rolls-Royce.

Keith