Amps Made In Japan

What brands of Amps are made in Japan ? The high dollar stuff shouldn't be from China, and if it is I avoid it.
Addzest, Bewith, Carrozerria, Luxman, and Phass come to mind. There are others I just can’t think of them off the top of my head.

As far as anyone else saying, “where something is manufactured doesn’t matter as long as there is QC”, is way oversimplifying the whole subject. Amps made in the USA, Japan, Germany, England, and Italy are 100% of a higher quality than their Chinese competition (at least what’s available in our market). I’m not saying everything that comes out of China is bad, far from it. Not all watts are created equal though. There is a reason amplifiers made places other than China come with a premium price tag (and it’s not just labor costs). Hell, even Korean made amps are higher quality than Chinese equivalents. There is a reason manufacturers turn to China for production. It’s way cheaper than anywhere else in the world. Quality costs. I absolutely think where your amp comes from counts. Which would you prefer, a Fender Strat made in the USA or a Fender Squire Strat made in China? There are many reasons why that Chinese guitar costs 1/10 of what the US version does. How about getting a Mercedes Benz vs a Chinese equivalent for 1/4 the price? I know which one was built with quality in mind.

China is very good at mass producing inexpensive products. The thing to think about is China has brands that don’t leave their shores regularly that are on par with what we think of as top brands. Why would they bother if the stuff they were cranking out for export was excellent? Because they know it’s entry level audio.

The best of the best make amplifiers that are every bit as good as very high end home audio. Build quality, THD, S/N ratio, damping factor, frequency response, stereo separation, etc matter.
 
Addzest, Bewith, Carrozerria, Luxman, and Phass
Which of these is currently being manufactured?

There are many reasons why that Chinese guitar costs 1/10 of what the US version does.
50% of the price difference is likely how much Fender has to pay in overhead compliance with various regulations, and federal state and local taxes, half of what's left is the difference in labor cost, then the rest is probably cheaping out on materials where possible. I can assure you if you were to approach a Chinese guitar factory and give them specific requirements, tolerances, and components that must be used and provided adequate budget and a bit of oversight you could get an equally high quality guitar made, though what with the standard of living there rising along with cost of freight and import possibly not at a very attractive price when you're trying to market to people who have convinced themselves that Chinese are for some reason completely incapable of manufacturing anything besides junk which will fail prematurely or perform poorly.

THD, S/N ratio, damping factor, frequency response, stereo separation, etc matter.
So you necro'd a year old thread to tell us you're going to take Richard Clark's 10 grand?

@Popwarhomie
 
Which of these is currently being manufactured?


50% of the price difference is likely how much Fender has to pay in overhead compliance with various regulations, and federal state and local taxes, half of what's left is the difference in labor cost, then the rest is probably cheaping out on materials where possible. I can assure you if you were to approach a Chinese guitar factory and give them specific requirements, tolerances, and components that must be used and provided adequate budget and a bit of oversight you could get an equally high quality guitar made, though what with the standard of living there rising along with cost of freight and import possibly not at a very attractive price when you're trying to market to people who have convinced themselves that Chinese are for some reason completely incapable of manufacturing anything besides junk which will fail prematurely or perform poorly.


So you necro'd a year old thread to tell us you're going to take Richard Clark's 10 grand?

@Popwarhomie
Bewith, Luxman, Carrozzeria (Pioneer), Addzest (Clarion), and Phass are all still in business. Nice try though, a little research goes a long way.

Yeah, noticed the date after I replied… I did say that China was capable of and does produce top tier products. That’s not what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about the ones that make it to our shores.

So you’re saying you’d put up an 1100w Boss amp against an 1100w Zapco? The Richard Clark argument doesn’t apply here, blind alley. We’re talking about cheap parts slapped together for global mass consumption. The fact of the matter is Boss Audio rates an amp at 1100w when in reality it tops out at like 200w. That amp will never put out 1100 watts, not even on its best day. If Zapco says their amp puts out 1100w, it 100% puts out every bit of that 1100w (probably more). That’s what I meant by not all watts are created equal. Of course a pure undistorted (not clipped) watt is just like every other watt. It’s just a unit of measurement, like horsepower (in fact, 745.7 watts = 1 horsepower). I’m saying good luck getting that pure undistorted watt out of bottom dollar components and shady tech specs…
 
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Bewith, Luxman, Carrozzeria (Pioneer), Addzest (Clarion), and Phass are all still in business.
Now show me a car audio product from any of them that's marked "Made in Japan" that I can buy retail right now.

So you’re saying you’d put up an 1100w Boss amp against an 1100w Zapco?
I'm saying if you believe you can hear the difference with both being run below clipping and EQ'd as needed you can take Richard Clark's money.

I've always maintained that there are valid reasons to buy a higher quality (read: more expensive) amp but being able to hear the difference is almost never going to be one of them.

It's interesting you use Boss as your whipping boy here, but when they came out in the late 90s they were built in Simi Valley at Zed Audio using most of the same innards and designs as the US Acoustics. In fact Stephen told me that he had an extremely low return/failure rate with many of those Boss branded amps. As you insinuate the issue that gave them the reputation they have today (among the initiated) is that they have a "max power" rating stamped on the heat sink that is 5-10X what they will actually do, but there was nothing wrong with the sound, I've used several with fine results.

That all said, right now the circuits they're using are just copies of amp designs that have been around for decades and apart from grossly exaggerated power and dubious QC and build quality I don't imagine they have all that much trouble and I'd go as far as to say that if you're willing to pay a buck a watt (or more) you'd get the same place buying one expensive amp now and holding it 20 years as buying Boss (or whatever) at a dime a watt and just throwing them away and buying a new one when and if they fail along the way.

In any event, Mark Wahlberg isn't a boy band anymore and 12v electronics isn't coming from Japan and California.
 
Now show me a car audio product from any of them that's marked "Made in Japan" that I can buy retail right now.
Try taking the initiative yourself. I have no idea why I should have to hold your hand here?



I'm saying if you believe you can hear the difference with both being run below clipping and EQ'd as needed you can take Richard Clark's money.
What are you talking about? Again with the Dick Clark? Where did I ever say I could hear the difference between watts? I gave you a perfectly clear example (comparing a budget 1100w amp to an expensive one), and you got stuck on the part where Boss used to be good and made by Zed? Steve made amps for a bunch of different companies. After he left most of those companies went off script and quality went down. I said see which one actually makes 1100w, not see which one sounds better.
In fact Stephen told me that he had an extremely low return/failure rate with many of those Boss branded amps.
You guys are buddies? That’s special. Why are you comparing Zed Audio equipment to Chinese Boss trash? I wouldn’t think Steve would appreciate that?
the issue that gave them the reputation they have today (among the initiated) is that they have a "max power" rating stamped on the heat sink that is 5-10X what they will actually do, but there was nothing wrong with the sound
Glad to hear you’ve been initiated. Thank you for making my point. Have fun with the good sounding 1100w amp that can’t even break a few hundred. Good luck when those inferior parts/build quality fail. How good do they sound when they go into protect or up in smoke?
That all said, right now the circuits they're using are just copies of amp designs that have been around for decades and apart from grossly exaggerated power and dubious QC and build quality
All fine points, which is why I made them.
In any event, Mark Wahlberg isn't a boy band anymore and 12v electronics isn't coming from Japan and California.
Funny, sort of? Except you mean Donnie… Marky Mark rapped with the Funky Bunch.

Clearly they still make 12v electronics in Japan and you’ve now shrunk the US down to just Cali? All those other states don’t count? Time to go to your room and think about what you’ve done.

I will say it one last time since it’s apparently not sinking in. I would rather have an amp made in USA, Germany, Italy, Japan, or Korea than one made in China. The build quality, quality control, components (board mount vs panel mount RCA for example) are simply better.

Since you probably won’t click on the links above and read all the boring words on their websites, I’ll provide you with a pic…
 

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You guys are buddies? That’s special. Why are you comparing Zed Audio equipment to Chinese Boss trash? I wouldn’t think Steve wouldn’t appreciate that?

Sort of. Because they share the same brand name and issue with inflated "max power" numbers on them. Pretty sure Stephen isn't as emotionally invested in 20 year old amps (or American manufacture) as you are and he'd get over it. He isn't even trying to sell electronics anymore but only sells designs to other companies (who have them manufactured in the Far East).

click on the links above and read all the boring words on their websites,
It's marketing. Same as everybody else in the industry. I had never heard of Bewith and Google search is extremely sparse with results whatsoever. Seems to me they currently make (in house) a 70X1 and a 100X1 amplifiers which sell for 10$ per watt or greater. They also sell a couple multichannels with built in DSP which are suspiciously similar to the same DSP amp sold by Audison, Hertz, and a couple other premium brands, I cannot find a picture including "made in Japan" on any of their current offerings apart from the tiny mono amps.

I think I had seen the name Phass before but the link you provided says "not in production", though those were made in Japan.

Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch was a boy band as far as I'm concerned and most of the electronics I was buying that was US made was from California. It's a big state, they have close access to ports, and there was just a good concentration of that industry that sprung up there.

Anyway, I'm sure OP will be happy to finally learn that if you can find value in paying 11$ a watt you can indeed own Japanese made amps and I'm sure there's a handful of other boutique brands who offer similar products with prestigious back stories and price tags to match. Now if you can HEAR the difference between any of these and any of the mass marketed stuff coming out of China you can collect Mr. Clark's 10 grand and recoup some of the cost of owning those exclusive amplifiers.
 
Pretty sure Stephen isn't as emotionally invested in 20 year old amps (or American manufacture) as you are and he'd get over it.
I find it interesting that on his own website he’s referred to as Steve, yet you keep calling him Stephen (buddies?🤔). Who said anything about 20yr old amps? Is this just the part where you imply I said something I never said? Yeah, ok…
I had never heard of Bewith and Google search is extremely sparse with results whatsoever.
They’ve been around for long enough that your lack of familiarity is on you. Unless of course you’re implying that if you’ve never heard of it, it doesn’t exist?
I cannot find a picture including "made in Japan" on any of their current offerings apart from the tiny mono amps.
Again, not gonna hand-hold here, but you did in fact see it on “the tiny mono amps”. Are you trying to say everything else they make isn’t from Japan? BTW, those amps are for perfect stereo separation on your front & rear stage, not your subwoofer. 🤦🏻‍♂️
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch was a boy band as far as I'm concerned
No, it doesn’t work that way. Boy bands are boy bands. Shitty wanna be rappers are just shitty wanna be rappers. Nobody cares about your feelings, especially if it’s in an effort to save face and not look like a chooch
I was buying that was US made was from California. It's a big state, they have close access to ports, and there was just a good concentration of that industry that sprung up there.
This is your way of saying nothing is made in USA anymore? Dude, the stereo world doesn’t revolve around you…
Now if you can HEAR the difference between any of these and any of the mass marketed stuff coming out of China you can collect Mr. Clark's 10 grand
Are you in love with this guy? You can’t seem to stop talking about him. Look Dick Clark’s challenge involves a very narrow set of strict parameters prescribed by him. hardly applies here no matter how hard you try to shoehorn it in.

Start a fresh post and we can argue all day about the intentional flaws Senior Clark built right into his PT Barnum-esque “listening test”.
 
Almost forgot,
I think I had seen the name Phass before but the link you provided says "not in production", though those were made in Japan.
Here we go again with the hand-holding. Scroll past the first amp (which is discontinued because there is a new version) and you will see multiple amps still in production and MADE IN JAPAN…
 
I find it interesting that on his own website he’s referred to as Steve, yet you keep calling him Stephen (buddies?🤔).
Friendly enough I suppose. We speak on the phone occasionally and email regularly (mostly non audio related). I call him Stephen and Joyce calls him Stephen and I have yet to be corrected. Neither here nor there, but I've been running amps he has designed since before the Funky Bunch (whatever you want to call their style of pop rubbish) and I consider him a good authority on 12v amplifiers.

Unless of course you’re implying that if you’ve never heard of it, it doesn’t exist?
Yeah, I didn't mean I couldn't find out a lot of them from a google search, I meant you just made it up entirely and there isn't such a brand.
Are you trying to say everything else they make isn’t from Japan?
This may be the case. It would not be the first instance of some prestige brand having one or more product lines that are not made in house and there are some very well regarded amps with built in DSP and those power/channels all sharing the same (or similar) boards.

BTW, those amps are for perfect stereo separation on your front & rear stage, not your subwoofer.

Because if you have all the components on the same PCB your left and right channels will blend together from being under the same heatsink? I get the intention and these aren't the first to do this I just can't imagine they're solving some kind of problem that 99.99% of all other modern amplifiers are having with this.

This is your way of saying nothing is made in USA anymore?
Obviously reading comprehension isn't your long suit. It's my way of saying that back when most of the audio we bought was being manufactured in the USA a lot of those companies set up shop in California. There is plenty of audio still made in the USA, I don't think anybody ever said otherwise.

Dick Clark’s challenge involves a very narrow set of strict parameters prescribed by him.
The run below clipping and gain matched so that power is equal part, or the can't have any audible noise or turn on pop part? Both seem reasonable to me. Anybody who fancies themself the sort of golden-ear that is going to hear the difference would almost certainly be running DSP/EQ anyway and I believe you'd be hard pressed to name 5 amplifiers in production today which suffer from audible noise, turn on pop, or other glaring audible artifacts. I've seen a few over the years but they are typically dropped/revised after the first (problem) production runs.

you will see multiple amps still in production and MADE IN JAPAN…
Fantastic. I'll grant you are far better informed on boutique audio brands than I or anybody else who has viewed this thread in the past year. I'm sure if OP ever comes back he'll be happy to hear he can spend 10-50$ per watt and buy an amplifier that is made in Japan.

Obviously you're here to argue for the sake of arguing which I can appreciate, but when you read the thread title were you really thinking 1200$ 100w prestige tier amps or something like the old Sony Mobile ES, high quality but mass produced for an international market at price points more comparable to Zapco, MMatts, or similar?
 
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