Will You Consider Buying Made In China Gear

[Thorn]

If it is agreed that we need to sanction Russia for their actions, then should we not also sanction China for theirs?

Torture, mass detention, et al. Read the below as a starting point and then think carefully whether you really need that hifi component made in China.


https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/east-asia/china/report-china/

In which case should we not also boycott the USA. Guantanamo Bay, water boarding,et al.

 

[Chops54]

I don't own a single component costing £2k+

Neither do I. My Jolidas are monos so 1250 each They were my one and only big spend and I’ve never regretted it.

 

[paulfromcamden]

If it is agreed that we need to sanction Russia for their actions, then should we not also sanction China for theirs?

Good luck with that when you next need to buy a computer.

 

[the caretaker]

Even their inconsistency is inconsistent

I don't have any item that cost £2k or more but I do currently have some Chinese manufactured kit (Quad) and have had other stuff previously, so I have to say that it's a yes from me.

I have Quad too..made in China I believe..I love it! I avoid Chinese food as it is high in salt! You might find added salt to your food is more dangerous than China, Russia etc...

 

[the caretaker]

If your decision not to buy Chinese built gear is as you say personal & not political can I ask what those personal reasons are?
Most peoples decision whether or not to buy Chinese built kit will be entirely political so I think it may have been a bit naive to expect politics to not feature in this thread.
For the record I have bought plenty of Chinese built hifi in the past & currently still own some (Quad 99CDP-2 & Topping A30pro).
I don't particularly have an issue with buying Chinese made goods from reputable companies, I lay no blame at Mr Topping or his employees door for the Chinese government's human rights abuses.
If IAG hadn't have swooped in & bought up Quad, Audiolab et al then given the lack of local political support for these companies they would probably no longer be in business.
TS

+1 for Quad cdp 2

 

[PerF]

We have long been dependent of Russia / China influence
Oil, gas, electronics
Its impossible to avoid now

Cooperation with regimes doesn't warrant peace on earth.

I certainly have had kit made in China and possible still have something.
A Naim Muso first one that comes to mind.
My Zen BT thingie also, great little box btw.
Headphones..yes.

written from my Chinese computer

 

[MVV]

What a stupid thread.

 

[oldius]

As a boy, I remember my father insisting that British was best, that other stuff was, in his words, "Jap crap." Then the British motorcycle and car industry collapsed because of that arrogance (and other factors) and the quality of the crap he referred to was anything but. His words, and the bias of the UK hifi press, led me to ignore beautiful products, for years. Now, most of my system is made from Japanese statement products of that period. Anyone dismissing Chinese products as inferior quality is being too blinkered, in my view. Every nation on the planet will produce a range of product quality, and China is no different. If you refuse to buy for political reasons then that is different, though exploring the UK's human rights record and that of the US would be equally revealing, IMO.

 

[Fretbuzz]

Political aspects aside...

Mentioned elsewhere but I've had enough failure issues with Chinese-made gear to want to risk any more. This is mid-range gear from non-Chinese companies. Well above random and in comparison to other products. Seems to me good designs without the QC - all IME. No desire to risk it again.

It also make you question the value in Chinese manufacturing when you see other companies like Rega still with UK manufacturing and competitive pricing. Feels wrong.

 

[PerF]

As a boy, I remember my father insisting that British was best, that other stuff was, in his words, "Jap crap." Then the British motorcycle and car industry collapsed because of that arrogance (and other factors) and the quality of the crap he referred to was anything but. His words, and the bias of the UK hifi press, led me to ignore beautiful products, for years. Now, most of my system is made from Japanese statement products of that period. Anyone dismissing Chinese products as inferior quality is being too blinkered, in my view. Every nation on the planet will produce a range of product quality, and China is no different. If you refuse to buy for political reasons then that is different, though exploring the UK's human rights record and that of the US would be equally revealing, IMO.

Yet British made vintage loudspeakers have excellent reputation

While Chinese made of "same" brand - Quad, Rogers, Wharfedale etc.. seem to be designed British, made large number in China, do these people listen to the stuff they make afterwards ?

You can still meet people who believe/thought Wharfedale is made in UK..

 

[uncl_nigel]

My Cambridge CXU might have been made there.

For me the quality of the support available here is more important than where the equipment was actually assembled.

 

[hifinutt]

got 2 pairs of b@W speakers here , both cheap as chips . both made in china and the quality is very good indeed . at 350 quid its very good , yes its vinyl wrap but they look great .

 

[gustav_errata]

I wouldn't boycott as that is a futile gesture for an individual to make and I also think I lack the strong conviction.

However, given the choice between two components, one made in the UK or EU and the other made in China, I'll prefer the UK/EU one even if it might have technical shortcomings. Like, sadly, many of my convictions, this is vague and only partially rational. It mostly derives from: wanting to support local industry and innovation, having concerns about reliability and service, semi-rational concerns about quality when combined with concerns about service, and concern for longevity in the face of a neverending avalanche of new products.

My CD player is vintage Japanese (Denon) and my streamer is Korean (SOtM), so I'm not completely jingoistic. I just have deep-set reservations about Chinese manufacturing that are difficult to overcome.

 

[Bob F]

NO.

 

[Sue Pertwee-Tyr]

China is, I believe, working to a long term game plan. That plan is likely to put China in a dominant global position. It has already succeeded to a considerable extent - western manufacturing has atrophied and is now highly dependent on China for finished products, assemblies, components and, in some cases, raw materials. I fear they will use this position to damage the West. Perhaps once they have annexed Taiwan, or perhaps once they have pulled the rug out from under Russia, both of which are rather likely, IMHO. They are also, by a considerable margin, the largest emitters of global warming gases. They are still building coal fired power stations and without their cooperation, we can't hope to achieve any rational global warming targets. Alongside these reasons for not being comfortable with sourcing goods from China, we can add their rather casual attitude to questions of intellectual property rights. Sometimes it is blatant: Jaguar Land Rover wins case in China against Evoque copycat | Automotive News Europe (autonews.com)

 

[Tony L]

I actively try and avoid kit made anywhere with a poor human rights record, poor environmental record etc. I’m able to do that in most cases with hi-fi, musical instruments etc. I think the only Chinese-made audio component I own is a Cambridge 752BD Blu-Ray/SACD/DVD player, and I didn’t realise that at the point of purchase. Anything else is UK, Japanese, Swiss, American or French, and mostly vintage and self-serviced/restored.

I’m as picky with musical instruments etc as I am with hi-fi, e.g. my (mainly vintage) guitars/basses are made in the UK, US and Japan (Shergold, Gordon Smith, Fender, Yamaha), my amp in the UK (a hand-wired Rift valve amp that will never be landfill), my synth is an American-made Moog, FX pedals are UK, US and Japanese aside from I think one Boss that is made in Malaysia. I have a couple of early-80s Japanese mini-keyboards too, a Yamaha and a Casio.

The big exception is IT; I have a fair bit of Apple kit and I am really not comfortable at all with the Chinese manufacturing and the company’s hostility to Right To Repair. It really annoys me to the extent I’ve put off upgrading my elderly MBP for years now, but I’m trapped as I do 98% of my day to day IT stuff with an iPad or iPhone and there is simply no competition that is any better in these regards. The TV is another big irritation, it’s a 50” Sony HD flatscreen which past experience suggests will turn into landfill in under a decade and is likely made somewhere quite dubious to keep the price down. If there was a nice Right To Repair alternative made somewhere credible I’d happily pay twice the price for it. There isn’t, so I didn’t. FWIW I still have my late-90s Japanese made 21” 4/3 Trinitron CRT on vintage computer duty!

I do really try to buy stuff that a) is repairable long-term, and b) not made with slave/cheap labour. There are situations I fail though. It is certainly a factor with every major purchase. The cycling kit just is the same, all credible, all long-term serviceable.

 

[Mike & Van]

I'm boycotting goods made in China due to the concentration camps where they imprison Uyghurs, for the crime of being Muslim. And so should you.

 

[Scotchegg]

I'm boycotting goods made in China due to the concentration camps where they imprison Uyghurs, for the crime of being Muslim. And so should you.

And you made this post on what device? Boycott going well then.

Noble motives sure, but it's futile and also highly blinkered. You could take issue with almost any country. Pick your battles and all that.

 

[MUTTY1]

I don’t suppose their is much that hasn’t got something from China in, so it’s a bit impractical. I only buy Australian wine since the Chinese started punishing Australia for it foreign policy. Best little ol me can do I’m afraid.

 

[Joe Hutch]

I am boycotting everything made in China because I have no money to spare.