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LHLXD
12
Nov 28, 2015
Are these made in China ir are they sticking to Japan. Would love for them to be Japan.
NERV
25
Nov 28, 2015
LHLXDI believe these are made in China.
LHLXD
12
Nov 28, 2015
NERVIf the TH-900s are made in japan, why would they shift it to China? Is it because of the Collaboration with Massdrop and to keep the cost and expense low? Can MassDrop confirm this? That is if they cared to look at this post.
NERV
25
Nov 28, 2015
LHLXDMost likely to keep the costs low I would imagine.
It was mentioned in passing here (http://www.head-fi.org/t/788776/fostex-x-massdrop-th-x00-review#post_12102875) that "The TH-X00s are made in China, as are the TH-600s, and most components of the TH-900."
DeathbyMusic
157
Nov 28, 2015
LHLXDD5K were also made in China. The decision to keep production in Japan for certain Fostex models may have to do with the Urushi lacquer wood cups and the general expectation for products at that price. For example, Toyota could never agree to build Lexus in China because of quality concerns. Toyotas for the Chinese and regional markets, yes. Lexus? no. Same for TH600 and TH900. I'm also a bit surprised that the Denon D5K were made in China while my Q701 are made in Austria.
ZALHERA
843
Nov 28, 2015
DeathbyMusicThose got moved to China too I believe. Unless it was done down the road and not right off the bat, then there should be some Q701s made in Austria.
DeathbyMusic
157
Nov 28, 2015
ZALHERAYup they did. The cost factor is as real as the quality though. Austrian Q701 are regarded as very well made but cost 285-280 at the time when I got mine but are now 200 for the Chinese ones. Although complaints about quality are not necessarily common, I've seen a few for the Chinese versions. Anyway, would have been nice had the TH-X00 been made in Japan, but definitely not a deal breaker considering how well made my D5K are put together. But had these gone above the 500 price range, I'd definitely expect made in Japan.
DeathbyMusic
157
Nov 28, 2015
I really don't want to be misunderstood here. I am not trying to imply that Chinese goods are not worth the money. I blame myself for not making this clearer. If a Chinese branded item from say HIFIMAN, iBasso (I own a DX90 and love it) or Fiio was to come up with a stellar product and charged 1000 and above, I wouldn't have any problem with that. But foreign companies tend not to do as well when it comes to choosing partner companies or factories to subcontract for their products. These can be due to various reasons. When a company like FOSTEX decides to build their headphones outside of Japan, like in China, that begs the question of how well implemented their QC is in China to meet Japanese standards, which are EXTREMELY exact and demanding. If the subcontractor meets the client's demands, then the result is a good quality product that is identical to the original (or intention). But sometimes you end up with less scrupulous OEM manufacturers that result in somewhat poorer quality goods. Which has been the case with some of the Q701s that moved out of manufacturing from Austria to China (manufacturing can have teething problems early on which may become resolved as production progresses and improves). I've already mentioned that I don't have any problem paying 1000 plus for a Chinese product, but if the product is Japanese, Korean, or whatever, then I expect that item to be made in the country where that company best understands the manufacturing process and the industry's culture. Which would more often than not, be their native country. See where I am going? Lastly, all this was in response to another MD participant who asked why the TH-X00 are not made in Japan. So let's not get into a whole debate over nothing.
DeathbyMusic
157
Nov 28, 2015
One more thing. I happen to respect China's talents in the area of HIFI. I own a LOT of Chinese made audio products. Several Fiio, iBasso and Fidue. In fact, I wish Korea made as many HIFI stuff that I would actually buy cause I own pretty much zilch. A few Cowons but that's about it.
slaine
23
Nov 28, 2015
DeathbyMusicOne thing to remember is that Fostex has a lot of experience with Chinese companies. Their parent company (Foster) is a massive OEM and they no doubt do a LOT of contract manufacturing in China.
Also this is not the first time they have done manufacturing of the TH series in China. Their TH-600 is made and assembled in China and this is more an evolution of the TH-600 so I am pretty comfortable that they have their QC down pat and with the same standard as the TH-600 (I have never heard anyone complain of the build of the TH-600).
DeathbyMusic
157
Nov 28, 2015
slaineI never stated that Fostex has issues with Chinese OEM. I own the Denon AHD5K and I said the same thing. That the D5K is well made and that I have no issues. I don't even have any issues with the TH-X00 being made in China. So I agree with you that this is not a problem. I'm merely pointing out that due to perceptions of quality of products made in China, that the more expensive stuff ought to be made in the country where the company resides (such as the TH900). This doesn't mean that the Chinese made TH900 would be bad. Just that consumers expect that high-end foreign brands should be made where they're from. Like Ferrari should be made in Italy, and Audi from Germany. You know that this isn't always true, as the BMW 3 series are made in Africa and certain VW models are produced in Mexico. These cars attract criticisms from consumers as well as a result. It's not unique or limited to China you see. It has more to do with consumer expectations than reality necessarily. The example with AKG is that the opposite case also exists, wherein the product made in China doesn't meet standards. This may have been true of early production Q701s that were previously made in Austria but are now made in China (and this is based on what I've read, not personal experience). I have not heard of any major quality concerns regarding the more recent production run of Q701 or the K7XX.
dwane5
292
Nov 28, 2015
LHLXDif they were made in japan they might actually cost $1000
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