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Good HiFi from South America?

restorer-john

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So there was only one Brazilian brand called "Gradiente"

Here's a historic disc from Brasil. It came with their first CD player, the LDP-636, a Yamaha CDX-1 rebadge.

One from my early demo disc collection.

gradiente disc (3).jpg


gradiente disc (1).jpg


gradiente disc (2).jpg


gradiente disc (4).jpg

1666346306727.png
 
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Galliardist

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Here's a candidate from Argentina: AudioCord
I was looking for another company called Holimar that I'd heard of somewhere in the past. It seems they went out of business.
 

aedagnino

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It may be necessary, large PA solution considering the large areas, of which there are a number in South America. Because I mentioned AC/DC - Live at River Plate, here's a quick look at their PA rig. Whether it was the exact rig used at River Plate, I don't know, but still::)



To you Xulonn::)

.....Now what that song has to do with Panama? But that's another matter. :)
Panama is Central America though...
 

pseudoid

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I almost pulled the trigger on going to Brazil a few times, could have gotten cheap tix from Varig (we moved a lot of cargo with them) but never did, my loss....
I keep telling myself "It's never too late!"
I even had the tickets... to scuba the Great Barrier Reef... but work got in the way... Although, I did get reimbursed to stay!
No, there were otheres in the 80ies.
How do Brazilian people consume music in the 2020s?
Especially, if audio hardware is so costly and not readily available!
SmartPhones/IEMs?
Radio/SmallSpeakers?
 
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Chrispy

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I keep telling myself "It's never too late!"
I even had the tickets... to scuba the Great Barrier Reef... but work got in the way... Although, I did get reimbursed to stay!

How do Brazilian people consume music in the 2020s?
Especially, if audio hardware is so costly and not readily available!
SmartPhones/IEMs?
Radio/SmallSpeakers?
Yeah but my traveling days by air are pretty much over....altho I might be convinced to go to New Zealand maybe. The guys I chatted with were putting together very basic and somewhat systems, one a 2ch, the other a 5.1. Think both had been using headphones but wanted to go to speakers....but mostly scrounging for deals and with used gear.
 

pseudoid

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....but mostly scrounging for deals and with used gear.
Does/Would online buying of used gear save you any VAT and/or duties for imports?
 

gnat_leader

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like I said, there is no market. it's not only because of the lack o middle class, but also cultural. here in Brazil you manly consume culture outside of your home. in my city for example there are dozens of live music options every single day; big cultural events like every 2-3 weeks.
and if somebody buys a personal sound producer, he will favor a portable design.

Well by *no* market you're just talking relatively speaking right? Because there is a small market for extremely expensive stuff selling to the rich.
But yeah, this was the reason I thought. It's mostly cultural. Brazilians in general are more social and don't want to sit in the house listening to music.
But having a quality music system in or near the churrasco (BBQ) area for get togethers with friends/family, why not?
 

Matias

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I have only seen this thread now. As a Brazilian born and raised the first thing that comes to mind is calling all countries here South American market is hugely over simplifying. It's like calling North American market and putting Mexico, Canada and the US in the same bag, same market, same level of manufacturers. No way. Brazilian market in vastly different from Chile and from Venezuela to cite a few examples. Just like saying US market is hugely different from Mexican market.

Anyways back to Brazil and its eternal struggles. Market is very closed to imports on purpose, high custom taxes, both for individuals and companies. Designing and building Hi-Fi over here is for the brave, as there are several challenges in getting quality parts and reliable suppliers. I know a few more recent like former Exaudi, and currently Sunrise Labs and Audiopax.

There was Gradiente, back in the 80s when the market was closed and local industry was the only way. But when the markets opened in the 90s and China became the factory of the world, Gradiente went broke.

Back to today, customers are few and most are interested in the big international brands we all know. Most of the AV and Hi-Fi products come grey market from Paraguay to save taxes. And since it is still expensive, there are relatively few brands available to choose from.

When I see the availability of Hi-Fi stores, brands and overall parts and suppliers in the US it is mind blowing to us. That is why you see some Brazilians going shopping in the US and bringing stuff back here. Heavy bags in the airplane back from the US are always inspected by customs at the airport and more taxes need to be paid, so no free lunch there too.

Of course there are several other brands for live PA audio and car audio, usually with low price and high SPL, but not much into sound quality.

Other countries like Chile have a much more open market for importing, but then the small population and lack of economies of scale makes things difficult in other ways.

As with the rest of the world, Chi-Fi IEMs and electronics from AliExpress are getting more and more popular here, since they are small and light and usually can be imported without paying taxes.

You see, when regular international post packages get taxed by 60% (sixty, not a typo), and courrier packages (FedEx, UPS, DHL) get taxed even higher at 95% (ninety five!), avoiding taxes is crucial. No Laffer curve for taxes here...
 
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Matias

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There was no major response in this thread, but that doesn't matter. There may not be any sensible HiFi made in South America?

But damn, what concerts in South America, what an enthusiastic audience and so many! This classical concert for example. Around 200,000 concertgoers.
Upload the fat bass cannons and watch and listen to this, preferably via a large TV screen.:)


"Live at River Plate is a live concert film documenting AC/DC’s Black Ice World Tour. The DVD includes footage from three concerts performed in December 2009 at the Estadio Antonio Vespucio Liberti in Buenos Aires, Argentina,[1] which is the home stadium of Argentine football club River Plate. It was directed by David Mallet, with Rocky Oldham as producer.[1] The recording of the concerts required the use of 32 HD cameras; a company called Serpent Productions was responsible for filming and then producing the footage of the concerts.[1] It was also the band’s last live album to feature rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, before his retirement from touring due to dementia five years later and his death in 2017.

Live at River Plate
ACDC Live at River Plate.jpg
Video by AC/DC
Released
10 May 2011 (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Recorded
2, 4 & 6 December 2009 at River Plate Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Genre
Hard rock, blues rock, rock and roll
Length
111:48
Director
David Mallet
Producer
Rocky Oldham
Singles from Live at River Plate
"Shoot to Thrill (live)"
Released: 16 April 2011"


Then, price goes to today's technology. Think how easy it is to explore music nowadays. Really nice.:)
View attachment 238034

One of my favorite songs::)

What Brazil lacks in Hi-Fi market it compensates with huge audiences when famous artists come here. Big names in Pop, Rock and Metal are always getting huge crowds filling stadiums and arenas for multiple days of concerts. Let alone festivals like Rock in Rio.

And not only filling them with audience, but the energy of the audience! Weeks in advance camping in line before the concert, screaming their hearts out during the show, things can get very fanatical here. Some first time artists get quite surprised by how popular and loved they are here. Same goes for actors and directors when they come to a Comic-Con (CCXP). They are treated like gods!

Since people here are usually very social I thing most people prefer to spend everything they have on concerts rather than solitary Hi-Fi.
 
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OP
DanielT

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I have only seen this thread now. As a Brazilian born and raised the first thing that comes to mind is calling all countries here South America market is a hugely over simplifying. It's like calling North America market and putting Mexico, Canada and the US in the same bag, same market, same level of manufacturers. No way. Brazilian market in vastly different from Chile and from Venezuela to cite a few examples. Just like saying US market is hugely different from Mexican market.

Anyways back to Brazil and its eternal struggles. Market is very closed to imports on purpose, high custom taxes, both for individuals and companies. Designing and building Hi-Fi over here is for the brave, as there are several challenges in getting quality parts and reliable suppliers. I know a few more recent like former Exaudi, and currently Sunrise Labs and Audiopax.

There was Gradiente, back in the 80s when the market was closed and local industry was the only way. But when the markets opened in the 90s and China became the factory of the world, Gradient went broke.

Back to today, customers are few and most are interested in the big international brands we all know. Most of the AV and Hi-Fi market comes grey market from Paraguay to save taxes. And since it is still expensive, there are relatively few brands available to choose from.

When I see the availability of Hi-Fi stores, brands and overall parts and suppliers in the US it is mind blowing to us. That is why you see some Brazilians going shopping in the US and bringing stuff back here. Heavy bags in the airplane back from the US are always inspected by customs at the airport and more taxes need to be paid, so no free lunch there too.

Of course there are several other brands for live PA audio and car audio, usually with low price and high SPL, but not much into sound quality.

Other countries like Chile have a much more open market for importing, but then the small population and lack of economies of scale makes things difficult in other ways.

As with the rest of the world, Chi-Fi IEMs and electronics from AliExpress are getting more and more popular here, since they are small and light and usually can be imported without paying taxes.

You see, when regular international post packages get taxed by 60% (sixty, not a typo), and courrier packages (FedEx, UPS, DHL) get taxed even higher at 95% (ninety five!), avoiding taxes is crucial. No Laffer curve for taxes here...
Different countries in South America differ in terms of different cultures, traditions, history and so on. That in itself I am fully aware of, but seen from a HiFi perspective? To be honest, it was my prejudice that guided me when I thought that there is not much HiFi in South America (own construction and or manufacturing of HiFi) thus there wouldn't have been much written if I just said Chile or Argentina for example. Hence the clustering of all of South America. So far, my prejudice has proven to be in line with reality. If the reality is that expressed by those who write here on ASR.

But in South America (or if you are talking about Brazil),you don't have manufacturers of sounds that are made for the masses? Sound to get sound in radios, as example. Simpler, cheaper devices, that is. In Sweden, we had this company, Luxor, that produced audio and TV devices for the large mass of people. When the country through the decades was filled with sound and TV Luxor provided that:

"Luxor was a Swedish home electronics and computer manufacturer located in Motala, established in 1923 and acquired by Nokia in 1985. The brand name is now owned by Turkish company Vestel and is used for televisions sold in the Swedish market.

Originally a manufacturer of tape recorders, radios, television sets, stereo systems, and other home electronics, it launched its first home computer, the ABC 80 in 1978. The succeeding ABC 800 series was introduced in 1981 with new releases in 1983 being produced until the ABC line was terminated in 1986."


"Interior of Luxor Radio Factory in Motala, Sweden, 1934":
Luxor-factory-1934.jpg


Here bothu writes about Luxor
(he lives 30 kilometers from Luxor's factory, his own stuff in the picture), #25::)

Screenshot_2022-10-22_081909.jpg


 
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Bjorn

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But in South America (or if you are talking about Brazil),you don't have manufacturers of sounds that are made for the masses? Sound to get sound in radios, as example. Simpler, cheaper devices, that is. In Sweden, we had this company, Luxor, that produced audio and TV devices for the large mass of people. When the country through the decades was filled with sound and TV Luxor provided that:
PA was mentioned DanielT. Brazil has had a Christian revival for some time now. The charismatic movement gather large crowds both indoor and outdoor. Line arrays and other PA speakers would be common in those settings.
 
OP
DanielT

DanielT

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PA was mentioned DanielT. Brazil has had a Christian revival for some time now. The charismatic movement gather large crowds both indoor and outdoor. Line arrays and other PA speakers would be common in those settings.
Aha, but wait, I just want to clarify, when I wrote the large mass of people, I didn't mean when people are together in large masses, but the mass in the form of large parts of the population. For example, a radio, even if we are talking about a simpler model, should in the era before the internet in any case exist in basically every home, right? Who made those radios? Imports only?

There were quite a few radio stations and many had radios::)
Screenshot_2022-10-22_090039.jpg
Screenshot_2022-10-22_090112.jpg



Edit:
HiFi, or sound reproduction in general, as devices intended for that is produced on a mass market basis. That's what I meant.:)
 
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Thomas_A

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I listen quite often to Brazilian music but ”””HiFi I don’t know really. Early country-inspired Paula Fernandez :p, Cico Cesar (good kick-drums),Legiao Urbana etc

Have seen also Para Lamas, Chiclete, Ivete Sangalo live. A lot of party a the time :)
 
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Matias

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There are still brands for people buying their regular stereos or Bluetooth speakers and such, but these are either big international names or local brands with OEM manufacturers from China.

Designing and building Hi-Fi is almost non existing.
 
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