STF China parts?

[smartbot]

Hi there I am awaiting my new STF-3 and was starting to wonder if all the parts are made in China. I'm currently a VTF-2 owner and know that it was made in the US. But are the amps and drivers made in China on the STF's? Is the same drivers used on the STF's as the VTF's?

[Ddavidson]

The new Bash amps are made by Indigo in Ontario Canada.
http://www.bashaudio.com/bashworks.htm
The new VTF Mk2 drivers are the same as the STF series. The drivers are custom Dr Hsu designs made exclusive for Hsu in the USA (from what I understand).


Ddavidson

[mendes9]

wouldn't be surprised if it's made in China... pretty soon well have to take a trip over to China to get a hair cut the way things are going.. (by the way I'm not saying that Chinese made means bad quality)

[Michael Bain]

Many of the main components, as you can see, are not made in China (although some companies try to be clever and speak of North American content, which is often ambiguous and deceptive, but it works very well from a marketing perspective). The final STF product is assembled in China. Quality is very good, and the cabinet quality and finish are very good. Part of the reason they are assembled there is because of their good relationship with the cabinet makers/suppliers. This does not happen overnight either. It is obvious that any cost savings from labor is being passed on largely in the form of higher content per dollar.

New products should be made in Mexico. Then they can claim 98% North American content. si?

[CT2]

I don't get it: if it's made in China, you won't buy it?

[Michael Bain]

The natural reaction is surprise, until you sit and think about it more, and then you realize that content for the dollar is higher and you really are winning out in the end with your hard earned $. There are numerous audio manufacturers who are now assembling their products overseas, and incidentally in most cases these new products are better than ever and provide higher performance for the price than ever before.

I just can't think of many people who would willingly agree to pay 5-10% more money for less content and so that the product could be manufactured here (especially internet shoppers who are looking for rock bottom price). It is also almost impossible to find a speaker that is made entirely from parts in the USA, which is really the only way to do it for those who insist on buying such goods and shun imports. There is a lot of hypocrisy regarding this issue too, as nearly every person owns goods manufactured overseas and doesn't think twice about it.

I can assure you that once you start listening to a great sounding product like Hsu, you will quickly forget place of manufacturer as you get lost in the music, which is what this hobby is all about anyway.

[bizombb]

China huh......thats good, with the back orders and Sasha being so quiet, I figured he was making them in his garage......

Is he still on vacation? must have made a big commission check on the compusa deal, I enjoyed the 50 dollar savings and no wait for sure. Keep up the good work!

Jason

[Michael Bain]

Sasha is back (after a year of taking no time off, and he got sick on vacation too), but he probably immediately got tied up from preparation for CES. They have a booth at Alexis Park, and the show is on folks.