Would you pay $11,000 or more for speakers if the cabinet was made in China??

Again, just because someone buys speakers over $11,000, that doesn't make them wealthy. Some people like me put a priority on putting disposable income into their system. Other people like to travel, some like to invest (probably wiser). People can build a system piece by piece over years of trading up etc... Stores like MusicDirect offer 3 year interest free loans that give an opportunity for people to buy some pretty expensive stuff.

 

This same sort of controversy happens with cameras. Nikon makes cameras in Japan, Taiwan, China and probably other places. Their flagship pro cameras are generally made in Japan, under presumably more exacting tolerance and QC conditions. Some of their very good higher end consumer cameras are made in Taiwan, and there are anecdotally more buyer complaints about QC. I'm guessing their cheaper point and shoot cameras are made in China, but they work OK for what they are and people buying them at Target and Walmart don't care anyway. They're just happy to have a camera, especially a Nikon camera.

Not sure what all that adds to the discussion, just a similar industry with enthusiast buyers and similar concerns.

 

As to the OP's question. I suppose I would buy speakers over $11,000 made in China if I knew that ahead of time. However, at that price, I would be looking at other brands made in the USA first.

 

Since the core of your question seems to be the idea of deliberate misrepresentation of where the speakers are made, the answer is no.

 

Agreed.

 

The price and what people pay in audio always seems a contentious point. I'm a teacher and have spent a lot of money on audio the last few years. But I point out that living in Hong Kong I don't need or own a car and public transportation is dirt cheap. I have lived here for 6 years and when you start adding up a basic car payment say on a modest new car and factor in gas, insurance, maintenance, cleaning etc you probably arrive at a figure of around $500 a month. So around $36,000 over 6 years. Spending $10k on a loudspeaker isn't as crazy as it seems.You can buy the speakers AND have $26,000 left for the savings account. Cars are crushing over the long term.

 

This is exactly why this man Craig of Theater Max wrote what he did, he believed this written claim of Made in USA right on the speaker panel was not only untrue but violated the law. I found out about all of this late in the afternoon, everyone was closed, both Aerial and Theater Max, and I have put in a call to Craig today, Saturday to ask about this, obviously Aerial is not open on Saturday. I just want to know for sure these cabinets are not made in the United States or they are, I just want to know, so I will report back with what they both tell me. I trust you were able to read what this man said, and I would also like to ask him, if he still sells Aerial, as it still shows up on his site.

 

I can relate, as I like in a rather "non-prestigious" area so my wife can be closer to her job, and rarely drive so I don't spend much on cars. It frees up a lot of income for hobbies and such. In my case, lots and lots of audio spending. For me though, inclusion of the word "comfortably" is key. There are many things on the list of ways $10K can improve my life (to include putting it in the bank) before speakers.

And there's really nowhere in my house the $10K speakers I'd want would fit.

 

Best thing is to move!

 

i wouldnt spend 11 grand on speakers even if they were dripped in gold and came with sexual favours!

 

Sure, I'm the poster child for this concept. My problem is more that while I do it, I've never quite accepted it as a good idea.

 

That's what bugged me about Hegel when I was shopping for an amp.
Norway is all over of the product and literature, but nowhere does it say "Made In".
They won't say and the dealers don't know or won't admit.
Still a good product mind you, but a bit off-putting nonetheless.

Monitor Audio strikes me as one made in China speaker that seems to represent decent value, at least in the Silver series

 

That is such an on target answer, I agree completely.

 

Well said. Just to add that when it comes to high-end audio, many manufacturers do not want to lower their prices even if they could, because a lot of customers correlate prices with quality.

 

In cases like these, I assume it's not made anywhere in the U.S., Japan, or Western Europe. If it were made somewhere reputable, this would be displayed proudly on their products/catalogues/website, etc. If not, then I assume they don't want to give the appearance of low value. Anyway, they didn't just forget a little thing like that.

 

NO

 

no

 

a reason i will never buy a hegel is i remember reading a review a few years ago and they stated that they could keep their products cheaper due to simpler casework. can't stand the deliberate deception along with ayon. there are enough other amps i like.

 

I think your post is spot on, I agree with everything you are saying, great post. You last paragraph is what I would comment on. If a potential buyer feels like a product has been devalued by the choice the manufacturer has made to have the bulk of the product made in China he absolutely has the option to keep his money in his jeans, but that buyer can't make that informed decision if no one revels where the cabinets are made, and according to the article posted, as I am using his information, the bulk of the product must be made in the United States to be eligible to have Made in the USA printed on it, which a previous post clearly shows these speakers have. Here is part of the post this man made, where he talks about the right to claim Made in the United States:


Let's talk legality - The FTC has some nice documentation about labelling items MADE IN USA.. Here is a paragraph -
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is charged with preventing deception and unfairness in the marketplace. The FTC Act gives the Commission the power to bring law enforcement actions against false or misleading claims that a product is of U.S. origin. Traditionally, the Commission has required that a product advertised as Made in USA be "all or virtually all" made in the U.S. After a comprehensive review of Made in USA and other U.S. origin claims in product advertising and labeling, the Commission announced in December 1997 that it would retain the "all or virtually all" standard. The Commission also issued an Enforcement Policy Statement on U.S. Origin Claims to provide guidance to marketers who want to make an unqualified Made in USA claim under the "all or virtually all" standard and those who want to make a qualified Made in USA claim.

As I read this it says clearly that All or Virtually all of the item must be made here in the USA to say this.. His Entire Cabinet which is 99% of the speaker is made in China, Painted in China and finished in China.. Now yes he then takes Drivers from other countries like Scan Speak for instance another foreign company and stuffs them in the cabinet in Wilmington and stamps a MADE in USA on the back.. Is this worth 10,000.00 Dollars ??


So, once again I am simply saying when someone off the street walks into a store and views a product that has Made In the USA stamped on it, they are going to assume that especially the cabinets for a speaker system are made in the United States
not China, it's a reasonable expectation and assumption. So, if they are NOT made here, it's just probably not a good idea to say they are, that is all I am saying. By the way, I did just speak to the dealer that wrote the post, and what he told me was beyond anything I expected to hear on this subject. Additionally, you may wonder why my intense interest. I was getting ready to pull the trigger on a new pair of the 7T's but I was really shopping for a great pair of the 9's, that is what I really wanted, and thought I had found, but not in the Rosewood I was searching for.

 

Only when we'll come to the point when everything made in China. We almost there.

 

So the sole arbiter regarding speaker choice Stateside seems to be country of origin. Bit limiting no?

 

If there's one thing I know, it's that retail prices in hifi don't come down. They always go up. Before Classe Audio moved production to China, they raised prices on everything.

 

I'm in the market for new speakers, my Thiels are getting long in the tooth. I am shocked how much new speakers that I consider comparable to the Thiels are going for, $20,000 plus. and most of these are not top of the line.

 

I was told directly from another speaker manufacturer who was shopping Chinese manufacturing plants to have prebuilt cabinets for an inexpensive line they were going to introduce. One of the companies he contacted in China told him they were making cabinets for Harbeth and had been for some time by now.

 

Hmmmm...the claim does come from another manufacturer who is presumably a competitor...and that itself was hearsay from the Chinese plant trying to win his business. Not saying it's false, but it is a bit suspect.

Do all the Harbeth speakers have that "Hand Made in England" plaque, or is just on the 40.2? Pure speculation, but perhaps the cabinets for some of the lower-priced models have Chinese cabinets. Has anyone inquired of Alan Shaw directly?