Does It Matter Korean Or Usa

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

There is hardly any components made here in the US that I am aware of anyway...

I know of a couple capacitor manufacturers still based here, as well as some transformer companies. High-end hand wound transformers are priced sufficiently high enough to be made here as well as Europe.

Vishay's an example of a Chinese firm doing it right. Very good products, at least the caps and resistors I've used from them. Too bad none of the Chinese brands of vacuum tubes are worth a ****, so far //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

 

[cleansoundzz 10+ year member]

This is a good read.

 

[k_schutte 10+ year member]

FWIW "made in the USA" usually just means assembled in the USA with foreign parts...

 

[cleansoundzz 10+ year member]

Not everything is even assembled in the USA.

 

[kr15 5,000+ posts]

this was a good read

 

[gunz4me2 10+ year member]

Even I abandoned the old school philosophy after I spent a couple of years collecting old school relics. If you want to continue running amplifiers that had the best parts available 20 years ago, then be my guest. I've learned that the newer amplifiers have less noise issues (i.e. that lovely HISSSSSSS sound), are more powerful, and are WAY more efficient than the stuff I once lusted after in high school.

I didn't completely give up on the old school amps though, because I am running an old school Orion amp in my future wife's vehicle with a custom servo controller.

 

[cleansoundzz 10+ year member]

Even I abandoned the old school philosophy after I spent a couple of years collecting old school relics. If you want to continue running amplifiers that had the best parts available 20 years ago, then be my guest. I've learned that the newer amplifiers have less noise issues (i.e. that lovely HISSSSSSS sound), are more powerful, and are WAY more efficient than the stuff I once lusted after in high school.
I didn't completely give up on the old school amps though, because I am running an old school Orion amp in my future wife's vehicle with a custom servo controller.

Me too Chris, the old school, made in USA philosophy is dead with me. When I swapped out the RF Power 400a4 for my RF T400-4 I immediately noticed that the T400-4 had much less noise. My RF T1500-1BD kills the Power BD1000a1 I had in the truck as well by leaps and bounds. It was a lesson learned and something I needed to go through. The "assembled in Thailand" T1500-1BD works like a champ and gives me no problems. I just sold my last set of old school amplifiers last week. I have a few relics in the garage and that is where they will stay in the garage.

 

[amprepairman 10+ year member]

My biggest complaint about made in USA stuff is that most US amp manufacturers wont give up service info or sell parts...When you own a built in the US amp you are at the mercy of them when your amp breaks..they decide how much your gonna pay to fix it and how long its going to take to fix it...And most of them as it's already been said..use foreign made parts anyway..The quality of foreign made amps has increased alot over the past 5 years or so and the cost alot less...I'm not saying I want rice for dinner but lets face it..cost matters to most people...I do ask though that you support your local stereo shop when you buy any kind of amp...avoid large chain stores and Walmart The small shops are suffering alot and need your help to survive....

 

[gunz4me2 10+ year member]

I do ask though that you support your local stereo shop when you buy any kind of amp...avoid large chain stores and Walmart The small shops are suffering alot and need your help to survive....

I have a hard time supporting one of the local business owners who happens to own 1/2 of the custom shops in my area. Why? Because he is famous for marking equipment above MSRP to offer 0% financing. What is your reward if you pay via cash, check, or debit card? He may, and I mean may, come down to MSRP depending on what kind of mood he is in. Keep in mind, he has no problems complaining that the internet is kicking his ***, yet he is still doing business like it is 1989 with his marking merchandise above MSRP only to come down to MSRP when someone balks at the price.

As a result, I found another shop that is a 20 minute drive away and they are the ONLY local place I will deal with. Why? Because they treat me like a human being instead of someone that they just want to make a profit off of!

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

There is an element that I think a few people are over looking, and that is quality control. In many overseas build houses, they are pushing out massive quantities of amplifiers everyday. In many cases their testing and quality control is very limited and very rushed, mostly due to the speed that they are producing at causes this. Where as smaller, albeit more expensive, American built amplifiers such as ZED and Lunar, their testing and QC procedures are far more in depth and time consuming. Does this show up in price? Yes. Does this show up in end quality? Almost always.

 

Then you may have an exception like Sundown, where the amplifiers are built overseas, but they are tested again in North Carolina before they are sent out to dealers or customers. Many brands don't do that, they just accept that what was done at the point of assembly was enough.

 

[amprepairman 10+ year member]

I don't mean you should get obviously ripped off....support those who deserve it..drive 20 minutes..I'll never complain about the quality of anything made here in the US either ( I am pissed at kicker right at the moment though)..I have to say I also understand the fear of them letting go of service info risking it ending up in someones hands over seas..But being a independent servicer I will always fiercely defend the little guys who are trying to make it..in sales install and service...

 

[Harry.Hardwin]

if the company has excellent quality control , i dont see why it would matter.
imo.

I agree with this too!

 

[MmatsDude 10+ year member]

mmats pro audio is still made here in the usa, south beach florida, and yes there expensive but they put out some clean daamnnn power, really good quality build too, that explains why there so expensive though, due to being made here in the U.S //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

 

[mclerico83 5,000+ posts]

Zed Audio Corporation

beautiful sight

 

[Wingman0121 10+ year member]

For those of you who are all stupid and against foreign products, most things have parts from all over the world. A Ford/Chevy/Dodge vehicle has tons of computer chips from oversea, this amp is designed in the US and built in China(which works great btw) and that keyboard you're typing your rage on is made in China, along with probably 80% of your belongings.

The whole "buy USA" thing is stupid. When quality control is taken into account then it doesn't really matter where it's made from, but not all the companies check their eggs before buying them. I've owned plenty of things made in China or Mexico that still works great, I've also had things that broke but I get what I paid for. My US Amps 2000X broke down twice and older US Amps are as 100% made in USA as an amplifier get, and my friend whom I bought it from paid $1600 for it back in 1999. $1600 for an amp is ridiculous these days.

As far as where the money is going to, you're not very educated if you think anything foreign means all the money are gone to another country "to support their kids and not yours." What about the guys who goes around to negotiate businesses so you can have a product locally in the first place? What about the company who shipped the equipment to your local dealers? What about the dudes working at the shop who sold you the equipment? They all have to get paid too.

It's like dumbasses who talk crap about buying new Hyundais when they're made at Hyundai's plant in Alabama. Do some research before saying dey tuk err jerbs.