Will China become the poor man’s dealer for high end audio?

Wealthy people too! Some very fine equipment coming out of China. May not have dealer support. 

They are past the place of only providing the cheap gear, they are already well established in building modern interpretations of classic tube amplifiers and speakers, selling at prices that are not low but are competitive.

@soix

re "Frankly I’m pretty amazed by companies like Schiit, Rogue and some others who can play in the budget/midFi categories and still manufacture here in the US what with our significantly higher wages, health benefits, and overall costs of doing business — truly impressive."

INDEED, and I salute them. My system, including Vandersteens, is American-made except for my Rega CD player. I try to avoid China-made products because of their political system and hegemony, and their piracy of intellectual property.  They have capitalized (see what I did there?😎 ) on America's insatiable demand for cheaper goods (looking at you Walmart and Walton family), which had led to the export of manufacturing offshore and to China by American companies. 

Their manufacturing skill is truly amazing though.