What Country Is Your Gear From?

[GrimSurfer]

I look more at the country of manufacture. That's where the plant and workforce will be, environmental practices, quality control etc.

The HQ location is typically in a tax haven country... or the state/municipality that bids the highest. Means nothing to me as a consumer but can irritate me as a tax payer.

 

[RayDunzl]

The older (now antique?) big stuff here (amps, preamp, speakers, power) is from the USA, the newer little stuff emerged mostly from the far east.

SPEKAER : JBL M2 -USA

Maybe not all of them...

 

[The Equalizer]

I believe my four Adcom amps were made in Japan, as was my circa 1988 JVC CD player. Proton 440 FM tuner was made in Taiwan. NHT speakers and Oppo BDP-93 made in China. Tisbury passive attenuator made in the UK. Music Hall turntable from the Czech Republic. Benchmark DAC1 (two) from the USA, and I recently bought a JDS Labs EL DAC and OL Switcher, also US-made. Grado headphones made in Brooklyn. Some say Brooklyn is, in fact, a foreign country.

On the recording end I have an assortment of microphone preamps, all of which I'm pretty sure were made in the USA, including a Benchmark MPS-420 that looks like it has been through the wars (I bought it used; all the headphone amp circuitry had been ripped out of it, but otherwise it functions) and a John Hardy that was made just north of Chicago, about 20 miles from here. Benchmark ADC1 made in the USA, no longer available new. (Benchmark seems to be getting out of the recording side of things. I don't think you can get a mic preamp from them anymore. Hifi playback must be more lucrative.) I think my Electro-Voice RE20 comes from the US. Oktava stereo pair with various capsules was made in Tula, Russia.

I was made in the US from German and Canadian parts.

 

[STUDIO51]

The older (now antique?) big stuff here (amps, preamp, speakers, power) is from the USA, the newer little stuff emerged mostly from the far east.





Maybe not all of them...

View attachment 33587

In fact, the Haman Group was taken over by Samsung, so it may be right to say that Korea ....

 

[Julf]

There may or may not be some truth in that, how much I don't know.
What I do know is if I have a choice it will be for a domestic corp, whatever the amount is.
Better that money stays at home than to go somewhere else. If you don't look out for your nations welfare, who will?

But what if it goes to a tax paradise? Anyway, governments exist for the explicit purpose of looking out for your nations welfare.

 

[Frank Dernie]

But what if it goes to a tax paradise? Anyway, governments exist for the explicit purpose of looking out for your nations welfare.

They should but since tax loopholes are hugely exploited by those in power they never get closed.

 

[Jim777]

USA (amp)
Italy (speakers)
Germany (DAC)
China (oppo)

 

[Julf]

They should but since tax loopholes are hugely exploited by those in power they never get closed.

Indeed. Which is why "better that money stays at home" doesn't really work.

 

[LTig]

Our flat is littered (3 audio systems, and old components in storage) by a wild mixture of brands from different countries, in alphabetical order:

• Canada (AV preamps)
• China (TV sat receiver)
• Germany (speakers, DAC, sound processor, TV, EQ)
• Finland (speakers)
• Japan (CD and BD players, cassette deck, beamer, tuner, AV preamp, ...)
• Jugoslavia (preamp - yes, it's that old)
• Netherlands (TT pickup)
• UK (TT, DAC)
• USA (speakers, mixing console, power amp, speakers)

 

[Sal1950]

Indeed. Which is why "better that money stays at home" doesn't really work.

I find that there are always excuses not to invest domestically whenever possible.
Usually it actually boils down to going the cheapest way possible, damn the consequences.
Your money, your nation, your decision.

 

[Shepherd]

DAC : RME adi-dac Germany
AMP: THX 789 USA

 

[Julf]

I find that there are always excuses not to invest domestically whenever possible.
Usually it actually boils down to going the cheapest way possible, damn the consequences.
Your money, your nation, your decision.

Buying locally makes sense. Buying something that nominally is made in the country you live (or for a company that happens to have a HQ in the country you live) is based on (false) nationalism that fails to understand global trade and interconnetedness - and above all a belief that it is a zero-sum game.

 

[Sal1950]

Buying something that nominally is made in the country you live (or for a company that happens to have a HQ in the country you live) is based on (false) nationalism that fails to understand global trade and interconnetedness - and above all a belief that it is a zero-sum game.

BS, and President Trump is working to fix some of that.
Give your cash to China if it pleases you.

 

[Julf]

BS, and President Trump is working to fix some of that.

Indeed, he is busy (and being pretty successful) at dismantling the global trade systems and bringing us back into the 1800's.

 

[Sal1950]

Indeed, he is busy (and being pretty successful) at dismantling the global trade systems

Thank God, it's about time we quit sending US wealth to every one else.

 

[Julf]

Thank God, it's about time we quit sending US wealth to every one else.

I suggest you read a basic textbook in economics. Then, as an useful exercise, try to live without anything that was produced outside the US, or using parts that were produced outside the US.

Anyway, I am glad you are supporting stopping the annoying US practice of forcing their trade arrangements, laws and conventions (such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) on the rest of the world.

 

[Julf]

Thank God

Ah, but which one?

 

[Sal1950]

I suggest you read a basic textbook in economics. Then, as an useful exercise, try to live without anything that was produced outside the US, or using parts that were produced outside the US.

That would have been easy in post WW II years, not today and that's the problem
But one which can be fixed.

Ah, but which one?

Which ever one you chose. Great leadership needs to be recognized.

 

[Julf]

That would have been easy in post WW II years, not today and that's the problem
But one which can be fixed.

Indeed. I suggest building a wall. Around all of the US. You can probably get the Chinese to pay for it.

Great leadership needs to be recognized.

I do, when I see it.

 

[raif71]

Receiver (Yamaha, Pioneer - Japan)
BD Player (Pioneer - Japan, Oppo - China)
Media Player (Mediacloud/Popcorn Hour - Malaysia, Dune - Taiwan)
Speakers (Mission, Mordaunt-Short -UK, PSB - Canada)
Display (LG - Korea, Optoma - Taiwan)
DAP (Sony - Japan, Fiio - China)
DAC/AMP (Fiio, Fx-Audio - China)
Headphones (Sony - Japan, Sennheiser - Germany)
IEM (Fiio - China)