Why Chi-Fi Matters And Can No longer be Used in a Pejorative Sense

Reading this, I am wondering if this “stocking up for the future “, (given the high customs duties on imports in India) could be one reason why Indian manufacturers find it a challenge to go big and compete with international brands?
Unlikely. If they wanted to avoid high custom duty they can always manufacture from other low cost countries. Indian manufacturers prefer monopolies that they can have in India. They are unable to complete globally because in that case they would have to innovate and provide good quality instead of the usual substandard service that we normally get from Indian brands. To be fair to the brands, Indian consumers also tend to be brand conscious and don't really care about the quality of sound. I really like norge products and when I recommended them in an audio file WhatsApp group that I am part of, people mocked me because they only consider foreign companies to have good quality products. For the Indian market to develop the mind set up the Indian customer also has to change and the brands also have to be more transparent about things like publishing prices and quality.
 
I am sure they write the price on the actual package, it's just that they don't quote the prices on the website or anywhere online which means we either have to phone or email them to find out the price
So it’s printed on the packaging, and they will tell you when you call or on a email, but not put it on their website?
Strange behaviour.
 
So it’s printed on the packaging, and they will tell you when you call or on a email, but not put it on their website?
Strange behaviour.
What is printed on the packaging is a horribly inflated price to get past the law.
 
I was going through the coverage of HE Munich 2024. There was a million+ dollar system by Chinese company ESD Acoustics. Very interesting!


Chinese are kicking butt, good for them. Let's learn from them and grow ourselves :)
I went through the website link in your post and to be honest the website looks extremely dodgy and suspicious. They have listed speakers for $800000 + and 1 million dollars Plus which can be purchased online on their website and we can make payments via PayPal. Who in their right mind would by a 1 million dollar product online from China and pay via paypal it just doesn't make sense to me. I am not sure if the price is USD or some other currency, it just says $. Also the e-commerce website itself is extremely sketchy it's just not a website which would sell million dollar products. For example there is a testimonial wich says something about good music and then it says "author name". What that means is that they just used a standard website template that is available and they have not even bothered to make any changes like removing the dummy testimonials from the template. There's no way the speakers can be worth a million USD which is approximately 8 and half crores in Indian rupees.
 
So it’s printed on the packaging, and they will tell you when you call or on a email, but not put it on their website?
Strange behaviour.
There are posts in this very forum where FM's don't reveal a price even when this information is explicitly requested for by other FM's. The stock response is - "DM/PM me" or the question is pointedly ignored.

My take is that this behavior is exhibited because: "Nazar na lag jaye" or because they are afraid that the ED will come down on them after reading their post in HFV. :rolleyes:
 
I went through the website link in your post and to be honest the website looks extremely dodgy and suspicious. They have listed speakers for $800000 + and 1 million dollars Plus which can be purchased online on their website and we can make payments via PayPal. Who in their right mind would by a 1 million dollar product online from China and pay via paypal it just doesn't make sense to me. I am not sure if the price is USD or some other currency, it just says $. Also the e-commerce website itself is extremely sketchy it's just not a website which would sell million dollar products. For example there is a testimonial wich says something about good music and then it says "author name". What that means is that they just used a standard website template that is available and they have not even bothered to make any changes like removing the dummy testimonials from the template. There's no way the speakers can be worth a million USD which is approximately 8 and half crores in Indian rupees.
Agreed. Weird website, but they did display it in Munich highend https://whatsbestforum.com/threads/munich-highend-2024.38470/page-48 some say it sucked, others say it was great. But A+ for effort.
 
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Few years back the statement of "Cheap chinese audio products" may have been true. But as of today, they sure have advanced a lot in that regard with the fact that some of their own local audio products have quite a few international customers.
Also considering the fact that a lot of respectable Audio companies like Nad, Rel, Rythmic, SVS, PSB, Dali, Wharfedale etc have outsourced the manufacturing of most of their models over there while maintaining the quality.
In fact some of the cables like Ugreen and Mediabridge manufactured in China that I am using are very good quality for the price.
 
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Let's learn from them and grow ourselves :)
For Hard work and dedication yes. But for their type of growth a big NO. The growth came from 'Revolution' which killed around 30 million innocents. (Millions were persecuted directly and others died because of policies)
 
For Hard work and dedication yes. But for their type of growth a big NO. The growth came from 'Revolution' which killed around 30 million innocents. (Millions were persecuted directly and others died because of policies)
Not really. The growth came from the fact that they spend decades solving the basic but hardest problems to solve: sanitation, public health, and public schooling; something we in India still haven't fixed and are going about doing it now, 50 years late. And with an efficient, forward-looking government that looks at problems from a long-term horizon (20-50 years), for e.g its impressive how they are the world beaters in EV and can kick Tesla ass anytime they want. Anyways won't post anymore on this, I am not a China fanboy -- infact am quite disappointed by their policies esp in the Xi era, and would prefer freedom and poverty to authoritarianism and affluence -- but one has to marvel at the economic miracle they have achieved, I do admire it. Too bad they are stuck with Xi Jinpeng who seems to be frittering it away by making enemies out of everyone.
 
Interesting poll. Good to keep in mind these are opinions and nothing more than that even if a majority thinks one way or other.
As we know opinions change over time as circumstances inevitably change.
Not to be mistaken for a scientific study.
 
Some of the posts on this thread made me smile. I've had some interesting experiences with manufacturing in the PRC courtesy of my day job and I think many would benefit by keeping an open mind. The PRC is a tremendous manufacturing hub in almost all industries that are of any significance. The narration that has been fed by Western media is pure propaganda or ignorance (more likely).

Even locally we have been given this notion that we have to compete with China and that Chinese goods are to be treated with suspicion. The harsh reality is that many big name manufacturers source the majority of their components from China. There are no exceptions. India has developed a reasonably good manufacturing base in Automobiles and Aerospace, etc. but even in those areas China is way ahead of us. In many spaces like EVs and electronics (Phones, Consumer Goods, Chips, etc) China pretty much owns or controls the entire supply chain right from the minerals and the mines.

Coming to the electronics industry of which audio is a small subset, China owns everything. All the "big" Swiss, German and American companies are in reality small cottage industry operations in comparison to what is available in China. Most of them have been sourcing all their components from China under private label agreements for years. Many of the new Chinese brands that we have been seeing recently have emerged from the shadows of that supply chain.

This is a long discussion but it would help India to get off the Western propaganda bus and deal with China in a fair manner. All China wants from the world is to trade their goods. It is up to us to decide in what manner we trade and do business with China and by extension Chinese companies.

Sharing an interesting YouTube channel that some may find interesting



.
 
I do agree with @essrand that Xi jenpeng is unnecessarily ruffling feathers with everyone, but that is how monarchs have always consolidated power. They always need an outside enemy to justify their actions.

Having said the above, the chinese in person are lovely people. And Iam surprised how fairly they treat us Indians in china despite our political differences. Almost like they dont know or dont care about their government's actions. And that includes the government officials I routinely deal with. They treat us fair and on merit. And I sadly cannot say the same about how we treat the chinese with suspicion and disdain in India.

I just hope we can overlook the western media, and not get swayed into their fold. We need to have a good relationship with China on our own terms. We both are the super powers of the future, and we do not need a cold war between us, that the entire west is trying to create. India and China have accounted for 60% of the world GDP for 6700 years. Right from 5000 BC to 1700 AD. We both are civilizational countries that have peacefully coexisted over such a large span of time. And we could do it again.

In my 2 decades of travels inside China, I always come away thinking, that at the very core, every Chinese is just concerned with succeeding in his chosen business. And at a personal level, they dont care about their governments political views. They just want to do business and go home happy. So I would label them as simple and uncomplicated people. In fact, I like the people so much, that Iam open to my daughter moving to China for her higher education if she so chooses. Way better people, and a much safer society than the West anyday :)
 
I do agree with @essrand that Xi jenpeng is unnecessarily ruffling feathers with everyone, but that is how monarchs have always consolidated power. They always need an outside enemy to justify their actions.

Having said the above, the chinese in person are lovely people. And Iam surprised how fairly they treat us Indians in china despite our political differences. Almost like they dont know or dont care about their government's actions. And that includes the government officials I routinely deal with. They treat us fair and on merit. And I sadly cannot say the same about how we treat the chinese with suspicion and disdain in India.

I just hope we can overlook the western media, and not get swayed into their fold. We need to have a good relationship with China on our own terms. We both are the super powers of the future, and we do not need a cold war between us, that the entire west is trying to create. India and China have accounted for 60% of the world GDP for 6700 years. Right from 5000 BC to 1700 AD. We both are civilizational countries that have peacefully coexisted over such a large span of time. And we could do it again.

In my 2 decades of travels inside China, I always come away thinking, that at the very core, every Chinese is just concerned with succeeding in his chosen business. And at a personal level, they dont care about their governments political views. They just want to do business and go home happy. So I would label them as simple and uncomplicated people. In fact, I like the people so much, that Iam open to my daughter moving to China for her higher education if she so chooses. Way better people, and a much safer society than the West anyday :)
As long as they don't claim swathes of Indian territory as their own, and actively aid and abet Pakistani terrorists. I have high regard for Chi-fi but wouldn't buy stuff from them if I could help it.

Not that it makes much of a difference, though - my Elac floorstanders are made in China, as are my Swans bookshelves. I wouldn't have been able to afford these if they were made in Germany / USA. That's the reality of our situation - China benefits in every situation.

India has to raise its manufacturing game. And R&D, design and engineering as well. Today, tomorrow, ten years later ... but this is something we have to accomplish as a nation.
 
On thing which I have observed is that to compete with China in terms of price , everybody else has to compromise on quality . Even Made in Japan , no longer has that Quality it once had prior to Made in China started . Even If you have the money and are willing to pay , you may no longer get that quality which was once available.

TV sets used to last for 12 to 14 yrs , What is being sold as Vintage amps today used to last for 20 yrs . CD players without replacing the lens used to last for 15 yrs or so . Now everything comes with a shelf life of 3 to 5 yrs .
 
TV sets used to last for 12 to 14 yrs , What is being sold as Vintage amps today used to last for 20 yrs . CD players without replacing the lens used to last for 15 yrs or so . Now everything comes with a shelf life of 3 to 5 yrs
Isn’t intended life of a product a function of the design quality, and not manufacturing quality? Except a few, most consumer electronics companies, while they manufacture in China, design elsewhere (usually in their home country).

I believe the shorter planned lifespans of products today is due to the consumers’ preference to keep upgrading frequently unlike previous generations who used a product till it worked, and even beyond, till it was repairable. This works for the companies too as it moves up the sales. It’s the era of planned obsolescence.
 
Isn’t intended life of a product a function of the design quality, and not manufacturing quality? Except a few, most consumer electronics companies, while they manufacture in China, design elsewhere (usually in their home country).

I believe the shorter planned lifespans of products today is due to the consumers’ preference to keep upgrading frequently unlike previous generations who used a product till it worked, and even beyond, till it was repairable. This works for the companies too as it moves up the sales. It’s the era of planned obsolescence.
What you point out is true in many modern products like PCs, magic phones and such. But in Hifi we have tech from the 1920s and 1950s like Vacuum tubes and Turntables still being produced in contemporary avataars albeit for a minuscule market. I am not entirely sure any Hifi product that gains wide acclaim was made with obsolescence in mind. The need to upgrade and the March of tech innovation will never stop as long as human society evolves and global market supply chains exist.
The tightly regulated Chinese labour system does manufacture goods efficiently at costs that most other countries can not compete with. The range includes poor quality products to very high quality ones.
Western companies who get their products made in china may not like the human rights abuses that is inherent in this but their desire for profit overrides such concerns.
I think they call it being “pragmatic”
 
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