What happend to car audio? My little rant

[gunz4me2 10+ year member]

Zed amps,

Uh... Zed amplifiers are just assembled in the USA these days. I believe the circuit board is 100% manufactured overseas, in Korea to be exact, and assembled into a heat sink at a location in California.

Maybe that should be a new trend. Everyone using overseas build houses should disassemble their product here in the USA then reassemble them. Afterwards, they can slap a "Made in the USA" sticker on them. Woo hoo, I found a loophole to call something Made in the USA.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

All they care about is money, Not quality.
He is a pure bred blue gotti, cost me $4500..Only 60? Mine is only 11 months and weighs 116, If you really like it, Come buy one in 9 weeks females $1,500 males $1,700 He only cost so much due to getting the right bloodline, The dog itself was free... He is the only puppy from a litter I didn't sell.

How did he cost you $4500, and was free?

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Uh... Zed amplifiers are just assembled in the USA these days. I believe the circuit board is 100% manufactured overseas, in Korea to be exact, and assembled into a heat sink at a location in California.
Maybe that should be a new trend. Everyone using overseas build houses should disassemble their product here in the USA then reassemble them. Afterwards, they can slap a "Made in the USA" sticker on them. Woo hoo, I found a loophole to call something Made in the USA.

Japanese auto makers found that loophole a long long time ago. Do you really believe Toyota's are made in USA, or merely the final assembly? Car makers started doing it to avoid import tariffs. Traditionally import tariffs are a lot higher for fully assembled vehicles than it is for the parts that would go together to make that car. So Toyota imports the parts in just small enough pieces to avoid those tariffs, finishes the assembly here, and advertise "made in USA". Thousands of stupid Americans buy into it, thinking they are supporting the US economy.

 

[Bass911 10+ year member]

I didn't read this whole thread, but Ebay put a lot of small companies or shops out of business. I don't understand how companies like Boss, Pyramid, and Legacy stay in business. Maybe they've improved. I started out with those brands, and ****** and swallowed. They overrate the rms on everything. I really woke up when Eclipse called it quits!

 

[Bass911 10+ year member]

For example, a lot of people went to real shops to listen to Boston Pros for $550 plus tax, then hopped on ebay and got them for $300.

 

[gunz4me2 10+ year member]

Japanese auto makers found that loophole a long long time ago. Do you really believe Toyota's are made in USA, or merely the final assembly? Car makers started doing it to avoid import tariffs. Traditionally import tariffs are a lot higher for fully assembled vehicles than it is for the parts that would go together to make that car. So Toyota imports the parts in just small enough pieces to avoid those tariffs, finishes the assembly here, and advertise "made in USA". Thousands of stupid Americans buy into it, thinking they are supporting the US economy.

Then you have Dodge Chargers/Challengers built in Canada along with Chevrolet Camaros. Or my favorite, some of the stock stereo components that say Assembled in Mexico with imported parts, or something along those lines.

Let's face it, just about anyone purchasing based on American pride has been duped. Of course on DIYMA, Zed's fanbois told me things like "At least he is doing something in the USA creating US jobs." Yeah... Whatever... Had they said avoiding tariffs because his accountant figured this was a cheaper route to take, that would have been believable.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Economic globalization is going to be very painful for the U.S., and much of the world later on. The problems we see today are just thew beginning. The U.S. has lost so many jobs and so much manufacturing for one main reason. Most people would say taxes, wrong. The biggest reason we've lost so much is due to differences in currency values. We hear how people in Malaysia or Taiwan work for 50 cents a day (or whatever it is). That seems like a shockingly low amount to us, but in these 3rd world countries its a living wage (obviously). Its the value of the dollar versus their currency that makes it impossible for U.S. labor to compete.

Many people realize this these days. What many people dont realize is, its a wave. Its hitting the U.S. right now, but it will move on and hit other countries later that are currently prospering from our currency inflation. China is the big dog economically right now. They are in that perfect window of opportunity of low labor rates due to currency value, but an ever increasing industrial base (govt driven development). At some point China will get hit by the same wave, as they lose the jobs to some south african country (for example).

Until global currency stabilizes in value, this problem will be a major growing pain of the global economy.

 

[mossberg385t 10+ year member]

OP you know linear power is coming back built to the same standards as it once was all done 100% in US as well. Hope that makes you feel better

 

[DarkScorpion 10+ year member]

Just thought I should throw this in regarding unemployment and all the "Americans need jobs" hoopla.

NPR: Take My Job! Campaign

AP/Yahoo News: Immigrant farm workers' challenge: Take our jobs (read this one, at least)

TakeOurJobs.Org

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Just thought I should throw this in regarding unemployment and all the "Americans need jobs" hoopla.
NPR: Take My Job! Campaign

AP/Yahoo News: Immigrant farm workers' challenge: Take our jobs (read this one, at least)

TakeOurJobs.Org

"And don't count on a big paycheck. Farm workers are excluded from federal overtime provisions, and small farms don't even have to pay the minimum wage. Fifteen states don't require farm labor to be covered by workers compensation laws.

 

Any takers?"

What a loaded topic. Illegal immigrants have driven the wages down to the point that it almost requires a person whom does not pay income taxes, social security, medicare, etc in order to be able to afford these jobs. And then proponents of the illegals thumb their noses at American's turning away these jobs. Stupidity. The law of supply and demand would dictate wages, if it weren't for the flood of illegals who can afford to work for artificially low wages. But the illegals have flooded the market, and then the UFWA cobbles up this little farce. Frankly, Im shocked the United Farm Workers of America union now might as well be called the United Farm Workers of Mexico.

 

[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

poop

 

[05fronty 5,000+ posts]

meh

 

[gunz4me2 10+ year member]

OP you know linear power is coming back built to the same standards as it once was all done 100% in US as well. Hope that makes you feel better

Nice! So will they still have noise issues, weak power supplies, and not be able to make rated power, just like the originals? Will they at least upgrade the capacitors to 105° C this go round or do they intend to use 85° C?

 

[ahole-ic]

I think the problem with the car audio industry is stupidity. To dissect any market, you have to understand the average consumer. Unfortunately, our average consumer hears a little beat somewhere and gets interested. They have about $200 that they begged borrowed and stole for their entire system and they go for it. There is no way they could get anything from a shop. They have to go to their "friend" to have it "installed", and it makes a little rattle and they are happy for a few weeks. Then they go to wal-mart and "step up" their equipment. There is no pride in the install or equipment anymore because people don't go to shows unless they are serious competitors.

Looking back at the car audio scene, the competitions are what made it big. People went out and looked at the extravagant installs and decided they might not ever reach those heights, but they would emulate as much as possible. Pride was taken in the install, quality equipment was chosen. Time was spent saving up the money for such gear. People realized that may not have the talent to install the way they wanted so they went to a local shop. The local shop was happy to have their business and didn't rape them on pricing (and didn't have to because taxes were lower due to the Reagan administration in the glory years.). Now we are in an era of high taxes, stagnant wages. Nobody can justify spending thousands on their stereo anymore. They are worried about being able to eat.

It's my belief that stagnant wages, high taxes, stereo laws, lack of innovation, ignorance, and lack of attendance to competitions are what has brought the car audio industry down.

The love is still out there... but like anything else we have to get people ACTUALLY educated. They don't need a phd. They just need a basic understanding.

 

[cleansoundzz 10+ year member]

I am moving away from RF completely and bought 2 of the last Digital Designs amplifiers from the shop today. I thought about this thread because the guy in the shop told me that the S4 that I bought was returned by some idiot who used it because he never heard of Digital Designs. So they took it back and he wanted a Kenwood amp. This idiot bought a competition class amplifier in the S4 and wanted a Kenwood amp. What a dummy? I got this amp for $130 because they couldn't sell it. I bought the S4 and a brand new M1 for $430 out the door. The shop said that they don't carry as many of the underground high end stuff because the average consumer wouldn't buy them because they prefer the name brand stuff.

I have used RF Power series (2007-2010) and I will tell you in build quality and non-colored true to the source sound that Digital Designs in my opinion is a much better product. Just my 2 cents.