HOW MUCH DO NON-AUDIO FACTORS INFLUENCE YOUR AUDIO PURCHASES?

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.  

     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. 

No China period!

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