Made In China

There are many reasons not to buy a Chinese made product when there is a suitable alternative that’s made in a country with a similar playing field to the USA.  Where I believe many companies go wrong is they don’t consider that country of origin is important to many of us, and not supporting the Chinese economy is in all of our best interest.  Audio equipment is a source of pride for many of us, and something that connects with our soul.  B&W is an example of not understanding how many audiophiles think.  While the 805 series of speakers are made within their UK factory with pride, you only need to drop down to the 700 series to find they are made in China, and the 705’s cost a whopping $3400!   For that price there are a whole lot of other options that aren’t made in China.

As so often happens, when a business becomes too large, or is taken over by a large corporation, the location of manufacturing becomes less important for them, and it’s all about the marketing and incremental profit.  A savvy consumer, and someone who is looking for more than a brand name at a cheap price, will seek out quality, and something they can be proud of.  

This is certainly a conversation that could go on forever, and if you have time, I’d love to talk about Vice-Grip….

Yes indeed, Chinese commies are threatening the sovereignty of the world’s countries (No, there are no US bases circling China and Russia, i don't see any...I see Chinese and Russian bases all around the USA). Only Diana Krall playing @60 db for the audiobool on his fleawatt amp and 15k power cable can bring back world peace.

Political concerns aside, quality can be problematic.

I deal with them for heavy equipment and components in oil and gas production.

They will just absolutely lie about what a sub component is, with fake test results and counterfeit labels.  Things like a certain grade of steel pipe not being what they say.  Or heat and vibration resistant capacitors from Switzerland being a knock off with a fake label.

So even good faith assemblers in China get garbage passed onto them without them knowing.  They have no comprehension of intellectual property or trade names.

And it tends to get worse as you go along.  After years of things going well, suddenly garbage starts being shipped.  
 

Long way of saying, it can be great stuff,  but very much buyer beware.

japan is where you get the finest gear made by the best at prices commensurate to the quality and craftsmanship of the gear, not really a place for bargain hunting. 

the quality of china-made gear goes from best to worst, and the value for the dollar is all over the place. some mediocre gear is way overpriced, some excellent gear is excellent value for the dollar.

whoever wrote "The U.S. promotes freedom and democracy around the world" is talkin nonsense. lets be grown up here. our #1 export is arms and war, quite often in furtherance of deterring, ending or preventing freedom and democracy. we even train foreign terrorists at US soil @ ft benning, ga for this and other purposes. we do much worse than that as well.

It's all about the Dollar. If you can produce a product that's similar, for a cheaper price people will go buy it.

Is the cheaper price worth it?

In a small town when you buy something from a local vendor the money will spread throughout the village and all within that village will prosper. Jobs are created. However, the sad truth is...it doesn't matter if the manufacturer is from your village. We now can easily extend past the village. The enticement is powerful. Even if they are a friend or neighbor people will now quietly buy the cheaper product to save money. Even though it will hurt the local economy and possibly put your friend out of business, it doesn't matter, there is NO loyalty to do so.

I believe that people would buy product from the Devil himself if it was a cheaper price. A short sighted view with no consideration of long term effects.