Do you care where your speakers are manufactured?

[sigbergaudio]

Would you prefer that your speakers are manufactured in Europe (or the US if you live there) despite the price premium, or don't you really care?

EDIT: I am talking here not about US/EU manufacturers vs Asian manufacturers, but rather about US/EU based manufacturers and how they produce, do you care if they outsource manufacturing to China/Asia or not.

Note: Most speakers (even quite expensive ones) are manufactured in China / Asia these days. As an example, for B&W, only the 800 series is manufactured in Europe. For Kef, only the Reference series are manufactured in Europe.

Note 2: Having manufacturing in Europe or the US is significantly more expensive, and would then necessarily make the speaker significantly more expensive.

 

[JeremyFife]

Finding this a difficult thread to vote on. Price is not the main driver for me, although obviously I have to stay within a budget.

Having set a budget; what products are available, do they have the features I want, do they perform well (measurements, reviews), do I like the look, are they reliable (warranty, reviews). There's a brand aesthetic in there too, am I happy with this brand (wholly subjective!)

That 'brand aesthetic' probably addresses the country of manufacture, which will probably also affect that reliability aspect (delivery cost, cost of returns if it all goes wrong).

All other things being equal, I would prefer to support a local producer and I would be fine if that took me to the upper end of my budget. There is rarely an option like that though.

 

[Anonamemouse]

I build mine myself, so I prefer them to be built in some nice exotic and sunny place, with the assistance of a gorgeous blonde.
Until I can make that happen, my shed and backyard will have to do.

 

[Mnyb]

A hard question when you have a normal middle class/working class income . You simply can not afford an opinion they are expensive

In an ideal world i don't think anything should be manufactured in non democratic countries without proper worker rights ( nor should non democratic countries have access to technology ) . Which expands the scope outside US or EU I'll be happy with that, nothing against Canadian south Korean or Japanese our Australian or UK manufacturing and other functioning countries we can trust .

But that decision is made for me , there is almost nothing to buy inside that criteria and if there is i cant afford it.
So it's a problem for regulators and very rich people . I cant make it my problem then I have to stop consume altogether

But it should be possible .

When I started with Hifi I bought mostly Japanese and EU made stuff and it it was not horribly expensive . So sometimes i think it's just greed that drives some prices. In mostly automated mass manufacturing BOM is a very small piece o the total costs anyway , a machine that stamps driver chassis all day might as well be in EU for example , but some one wanted to pinch those pennies too ...

 

[sigbergaudio]

@JeremyFife So I am not specifically talking about choosing between an Asian manufacturer and a US/EU manufacturer, but rather if you care if your EU/US based manufacturer actually manufacture the speakers abroad. In theory things like warranty and brand aesthetics could in this case still be handled despite the manufacturer outsourcing production. Will edit my first post to clarify.

 

[holdingpants01]

I prefer if they manufacture locally (EU), that was one of the main reaasons for me to buy Genelecs. It wasn't maybe as important at the time of purchase, but from that point onward it very much is. They are the tool in my work I rely the most on, so post sale service is extremely important

 

[Multicore]

Oh, yes. I'm especially proud of my loudspeaker that was manufactured in Antarctica City.

Actually, about this price premium. Are Ascend Acoustics products premium priced?

 

[RayDunzl]

My big speakers were made in Lawrence, Kansas around 1998.

The little JBLs came from the South of the Border, señor.

The big amps and preamp from Connecticut.

The rest of the stuff from various foreign lands, mostly Asiatic, I suppose.

 

[amper42]

I don't believe the location of where audio gear is manufactured is super important to most buyers? Many have no idea where it's made but simply shop for value and quality. In the USA, if tariffs of 60%+ are placed on goods from China as expected that could significantly change where value lives.

 

[sigbergaudio]

I'm not sure if the location of where audio gear is manufactured is super important to most buyers?

That is what I am trying to find out.

 

[Roland68]

Would you prefer that your speakers are manufactured in Europe (or the US if you live there) despite the price premium, or don't you really care?

EDIT: I am talking here not about US/EU manufacturers vs Asian manufacturers, but rather about US/EU based manufacturers and how they produce, do you care if they outsource manufacturing to China/Asia or not.

Note: Most speakers (even quite expensive ones) are manufactured in China / Asia these days. As an example, for B&W, only the 800 series is manufactured in Europe. For Kef, only the Reference series are manufactured in Europe.

Note 2: Having manufacturing in Europe or the US is significantly more expensive, and would then necessarily make the speaker significantly more expensive.

For me, the quality and the material used are particularly important, including for the housings. Unfortunately, I have seen a lot of rubbish there.

From my own experience, both as a manufacturer and as an end customer, I can say that for over 35 years, you can produce the worst rubbish as well as the best quality in almost every country. It is much more important to find the right company/partner for this. If all the requirements are right, including the total costs, it doesn't matter which country it is located in.

 

[AdamG]

Please let’s not allow this thread to become about politics. Tariffs have existed for decades and decades and are used by all Administrations. Trade wars have also existed across the full spectrum of products and goods. That said should be sufficient to say import and export duties are what they are and will be reflected in the final price. Regardless of what administration is or will do, let’s say no more on this specific matter please.

 

[alex-z]

I don't even look at the country of origin these days. Even if the final assembly was done locally everything else was probably done overseas. Extrusion for the wiring, winding of the inductors and voice coils, casting of the woofer frames, machining of the screws and binding posts, etc.

A lot of people blame Chinese manufacturing for poor quality, but in reality they are capable of good work if the clients are willing to pay, which they rarely are.

 

[Roland68]

Please let’s not allow this thread to become about politics. Tariffs have existed for decades and decades and are used by all Administrations. Trade wars have also existed across the full spectrum of products and goods. That said should be sufficient to say import and export duties are what they are and will be reflected in the final price. Regardless of what administration is or will do, let’s say no more on this specific matter please.

In addition, this is clearly a matter that the manufacturer has to deal with and which also flows into the overall calculation, because its own company location does not change as a result.

 

[DVDdoug]

I guess I don't care that much. There's not much made here in the U.S. se we don't have a whole lot of choice and there are other considerations. I'd say the product and price come first.

Well, my shoes, they come from Singapore
My flashlight’s from Taiwan
My tablecloth’s from Malaysia
My belt buckle’s from the Amazon
You know, this shirt I wear comes from the Philippines
And the car I drive is a Chevrolet
It was put together down in Argentina
By a guy making thirty cents a day...


...Well, this silk dress is from Hong Kong
And the pearls are from Japan
Well, the dog collar’s from India
And the flower pot’s from Pakistan
All the furniture, it says “Made in Brazil”
Where a woman, she slaved for sure
Bringing home thirty cents a day to a family of twelve
You know, that’s a lot of money to her...

...They don’t make nothin’ here no more

Bob Dylan, Union Sundown

 

[jcarys]

I'm not voting because I'm not really happy with any of the responses. I'm going to buy the speakers that I like best within my budget, without regard to where they are made. But getting the cheapest option is not driving my choice, and it's not the country of origin, it's the quality of the speaker.

 

[-Matt-]

I'm not voting because I'm not really happy with any of the responses. I'm going to buy the speakers that I like best within my budget, without regard to where they are made. But getting the cheapest option is not driving my choice, and it's not the country of origin, it's the quality of the speaker.

I generally agree with this but would like to add the following caveat...

The best speaker that you can afford within your budget can change quite a bit depending upon which country you are in.

For example if you were spending a few thousand in the UK or Europe you might go for a Kef, but if you are in the US a Revel might offer better performance to price ratio.

Note that this is more related to the home nation of the brand and distributor availability rather than the location of manufacturer.

Edit: If the best speaker within budget turned out to also be locally manufactured that would be great, and could perhaps add to pride of ownership. I'd likely consider paying a small price premium for locally manufactured goods if that also had potential benefits in terms of service and support.

 

[Killingbeans]

Would you prefer that your speakers are manufactured in Europe (or the US if you live there) despite the price premium, or don't you really care?

If the quality of the product is the same, and the workers building it are treated well and are given fair wages, then I don't care where it's being manufactured.

I've seen a lot of really crappy stuff from Asia, but I've also seen a lot of horrible "handcrafted" crap from EU countries.

That being said, customer service, returns and repairs are also a thing. As long as I don't have to ship a pair of speakers all the way to Asia just to get them replaced or repaired, and as long as customer service isn't outsourced to people who simply look up their answers in a spreadsheet, it again doesn't really matter to me where it's manufactured.

I guess I'm missing a fourth option along the lines of: "If locally manufactured items gives me higher quality, and makes it easier to deal with unforeseen issues, then I won't mind paying extra".

 

[Mr. Widget]

Would you prefer that your speakers are manufactured in Europe (or the US if you live there) despite the price premium, or don't you really care?

I absolutely care, but what drives my purchase are:

Sound Quality
Build Quality
Aesthetics
Long Term Servicability

Sound quality is critical and most heavily weighted with the rest being equally weighted.

Price is a factor only if there is a product I want but can't afford it. As long as the price isn't beyond my means, I do not give bonus points for a lower cost.

Long term serviceability rules out most products from China/much of Asia where the trend is more like fast fashion. New and affordable are the primary drivers there.

 

[ChrisG]

For me, it's less about where a product is manufactured, and more about how well-supported it is and will be.

For example, I recently purchased a pair of Genelec 8030C, brand-new. One of the deciding factors was not that Genelec is based in Europe, but the fact that their website makes it very clear that they have a 5-year warranty, and spare parts will be available in the long-term (IIRC, at least 5 years after a product is discontinued).

The iLoud Precision series also have a 5" 2-way speaker which has excellent specs etc, but they have a much shorter warranty and no mention of parts availability.

Which one is the safer bet for the next 10 years of regular use?


For similar reasons, I like Schoeps microphones. Scroll down on the right hand side to read further: https://schoeps.de/en/support-service/service.html

I'm happy to pay a premium for manufacturers like those, because I'm granted a level of certainty that the equipment will deliver excellent results for a long time. Further, if anything does go wrong, they'll have the parts and expertise on-hand to fix it.


Chris