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Difference in quality in products made in China?

There is a belief among many audiophiles that electronics assembled in China or Korea are not as well made as products assembled in the USA and England. This has nothing to do,(I believe) with the "technical abilities" of workers, as it has to do with standards of quality control, and the sourcing of less quality parts throughout Asia

This may be all hogwash and just biased opinion, but this question comes up to often to be quickly dismissed. From my own experience which is limited compared to other members, the products(amps. pre-amps CD players) I have owned that were made in the USA, or UK, and Canada, have been solid in terms of long term reliability. I would like to hear others opinions on this issue.
sunnyjim
audiozen
831 posts
 
I neglected to include that 70% of all Luxman products are now made in China by IAG, which also own's Luxman. Other companie's that are now owned by IAG who manufacture's their product's is Wharfedale, Quad, Mission and Castle Speaker's as well as Audiolab.
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,825 posts
 
Quality can be found in China but their labor market is shrinking fast, lowering the level of skilled labor available. Those who are already established in Chinese markets have the pick of the labor.

China is also based on a very old system of local "rulers" who have more control over the provinces they live in than the local authorities do. Nissan calls these local elites "little emperors" who must be appeased (by design and features) if sales are to continue at an acceptable rate. It's a different way of doing things.

All the best,
Nonoise
luna
235 posts
 
I got Audio Space el34 Nova (upgraded caps) for over 5 years and I use it for everything, AV, HI FI 8 everyday.It has been rock solid reliable, not like my other 2 Audio Research VT100 that blows all the time! They actually sounded more natural then the VT. I kept the Chinese amp at the end.
audiozen
831 posts
 
Additional info..KEF speakers is owned by a Chinese Company, GP Acoustics, based in Hong Kong. KEF's top line speakers are made in the U.K. but their mid and low line speakers are made in China. GP Acoustics also owns Arcam and Celestion.
goofyfoot's avatar
goofyfoot
1,368 posts
 
Why are there so many Asians in western conservatories: because Asians have a physiological advantage. Their hands and fingers are strong and nimble. Their bone structure is considerably different from that of people from European decent. This advantage can carry over into the area of electronics. Look at some of the Japanese products from the 1960's and early 1970's.
As far as intelligence, work ethic and skill is concerned, the Chinese could build and sell Hubble telescopes if it made financial sense for them to do so. By the way, my Quad 2905's sound great and they're built to higher standard than the previous Quads (in my humble opinion). The biggest problem with poorly made Chinese products is that those manufacturers who make cra$ just don't care.
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