"Fleetie" wrote in message
...
"Trevor Wilson" wrote
**Chinese valve amps are pretty designed as a fashion accessroy, rather
than a serious audio product. As they say: "A fool and his money......"

An absurd generalisation.

**What I intended to write was: "......amps are pretty much designed....."
I have yet to find one which is designed to provide exemplary performance
(in the same vein as, say, the Audio Research VT100, or Conrad Johnson
Premier 16), but concentrates style over substance.


I wonder if you extend the same reasoning to Chinese people, in fact
anyone non-white?

**The Chinese people (minor cultural differences aside) are no different to
the people of other races. They desire peace, security, happiness and a full
tummy. Entrepreneurs (inside and outside China) have discovered that, due to
the phenomenally low wage levels of Chinese workers, they can build quite
attractively styled products, employing an interesting use of materials,
which, in Western, developed nations, would be completely uneconomical to
do. Due to my position in the industry, I am privy to the practices of many
importers and retailers in Australia. I am, for instance, aware of a Chinese
valve product, which sells for AUS$4,000.00. The FOB cost of the product is
US$400.00. At $4,000.00, the product APPEARS to be superb value for money,
based on the beautiful metalwork. At it's core, however, it is a
bog-standard, Japanese-derived one (RRP AUS$299.00), with fancy, hand built
metal features 'bolted on' and a couple of valves chucked into the mix. I
find the whole thing to be disgustingly cynical.

[ANECDOTE] One of my clients operates a boutique audio (now Audio/video)
store, in a trendy part of Sydney. When I wandered in a few weeks ago, I
spied a new product on their shelves. A Chinese built valve amplifier. It
was attractively styled, using thick slabs of anodised aluminium (aluminum,
for the Americans who still cannot spell), some nice meters, LEDs and bias
switches. All for about AUS$4,000.00. I asked one of the salesguys what he
thought about it. "Oh, it sounds very good. Tight, solid bass, airy highs
and a sweet midrange." I then asked him to compare it to a Rotel RA-02,
before my next visit. I called a week later and he said: "I see what you
mean. The Rotel (AUS$600.00) sounds better." It doesn't look as pretty,
though (though I rather like the clean lines of the Rotel).

BTW: Not that it matters, but I lived with a Chinese woman for several years
in the 1980s. I do not carry racist tendencies about with me. I look at the
facts. Nothing more.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au