Finding your groove: getting into vinyl with Audio-Technica
I’d like to think that I could’ve been friends with the late Hideo Matsushita, founder of Japanese Hi-Fi powerhouse Audio-Technica. If I could, I’d travel back in time to 1960’s Tokyo, where a young Matsushita curated “vinyl listening sessions” at the Bridgestone Museum of Arts, exposing visitors to the sounds and possibilities of high end audio and the warmth of vinyl records. I imagine sitting with him in a mod coffee shop, listening to the stories of what he witnessed in those sessions, the conversations he had with visitors, and what ultimately motivated him to head back to his small apartment above a ramen restaurant and start an audio company of his own. In the histories I’ve read regarding AT’s humble beginnings, Matsushita’s motives seem clear. Produce high end audio at affordable prices, bringing audio excellence into spaces and to customers that simply didn’t have access to it before. His first two products, the AT-1 and AT-3 phono cartridges did exactly that, and...
Dec 6, 2023
There are website retailers who put the country of origin on all of their listings. Sierra Trading Post (now part of the TJ Maxx family, unfortunately), or Fat Brain Toys (where you can even select country of origin in your search!) Some people could care less where what they purchase is manufactured. Some of us do care, and prefer to direct our funds to countries with common values. I for one am not willing to pay first world prices for second or third world labor. Would you buy a Rolex watch for $10,000 made in China if Rolex moved their operation there? The wealthy population of China certainly would not. They know better.
In today's world, we cannot reasonably escape purchasing products made in China. After all, I am typing this on an Apple keyboard attached to an iMac. Wouldn't it have been cool had Apple's base of manufacturing been kept here in the USA? Or if not here, then Canada? Ireland? South Africa?
It would do no harm for all websites that sell products to put the country of origin in plain view with the other specifications. The word "imported" is commonly used on many websites and in catalogs. This is a veiled attempt at "made somewhere you're not going to be happy about when it arrives at your house." To the retailers I say, If you are not ashamed of where the products you're selling come from, then show us right up front.