Is it true.....

markmarc

Just heard that all Polk speakers are assembled in China. Say it isn't so.....

dragon1952

Yep....same factory as Monster cables and Bose speakers

markmarc

Damn, that bothers me. I thought Polk would be a true North American speaker manufacturer. Guess I'll stick to buying them used if I get them for my next set. Im comparing them to Totem and Paradigm.

dragon1952

I was just kidding. Actually I don't know where they are assembled. Bose is actually US made I think. Or at least they used to be....in Massachusetts. Klipsch is made in the USA too I believe...somewhere in Kentucky or Tennessee maybe?

markmarc

Mea Culpa, caught me typing before thinking!

hoosier21

Polk - China
Klipsch - Arkansas

Skynut

I sure hope my RT5000p system was made in the good old US of A.
I seriously like to buy American made products whenever and wherever possible.

markmarc

Zero:
I'm surprised that Polk left Mexico as labor prices couldn't be much different than China. My gut tells me though that a consistat labor force was required. In Mexico, many of the border factories have high attrition due to families migrating across the border.
I have auditioned the Totems and found myself enthralled by the Rainmaker. I was originally a bit disappointed in the Arro (boomy bass) until after I left the shop and then it dawned on me that they were laying flat on the floor, no beaks. I plan on going back for a second listen and do a direct comparison against the Paradigm Studio 40's. The shop is going to make sure the beaks are on for my demo.

The Canadian gov't sponsors a national sound laboratory, any company can request a study or lease time. Not much different than what SERI does for the solar energy companies here in the USA.

I have no qualms about stepping into the world of Totem, etc.. Polk has always held a soft spot as I owned a pair of 10B's in college. In addition, the RTi35's seem to follow me as I sold the pair I refinished a few weeks ago, only to find another pair at a garage sale for $40. They now are in my family room as my fronts for my home theater. Right now I am selling my beloved Celestion SL6si bookcases, which were the Rainmaker of their time.

Mike682

I think all the planning and designing are still done in the U.S and then the finished plans are sent to China for mass manufacturing

danger boy

what if.. we only bought products made in America? would it hurt the US economy or make it stronger? That would certainly limit the electronics we could have... why is it so much cheaper to make them in China, or Korea? Please don't just say labor. I know labor is less expensive there..but what about those good old former US brands? Wasn't Marantz at the top of their game at one time?

Doesn't it bother anyone else that probably 90% of what we own was made outside the US?

Mike682

danger boy wrote:

Doesn't it bother anyone else that probably 90% of what we own was made outside the US?

Yes it does.

Wierd thing is that some foreign car manufacturers are actually opening up production facilites here in the U.S.....how do we classify these cars??

Skynut

Mike682 wrote:

Yes it does.

Wierd thing is that some foreign car manufacturers are actually opening up production facilites here in the U.S.....how do we classify these cars??

They are still chinese or whatever, the money/profit goes straight to the country of origin.
We get jobs and they make all the money.
We also give them huge breaks to attract them here and then they break it off right in us when it comes to killing our domestic companies. :mad: :mad: :mad:

Remember "It is better to put meat on our tables than rice in their bowl"
(Not meant to sound racist just patriotic) :rolleyes:

dorokusai

markmarc wrote:

Zero:
I'm surprised that Polk left Mexico as labor prices couldn't be much different than China. My gut tells me though that a consistat labor force was required. In Mexico, many of the border factories have high attrition due to families migrating across the border.

Quality control was one issue. The tight veneers on the new RTi's for example was not possible in Mexico.

screxer

the money/profit goes straight to the country of origin

So then why are people getting all butthurt about Polk having their speakers assembled overseas?? The profit comes back to the US right? Thus helping the economy. I may be the only one that honestly could care less where my speakers were made....they sound good to my ears, they have good cabinetry, and they are a brand I know and love (at least their home audio stuff). We are in a world economy now...like it or not, this is the way it is. So the speaker is manufactured in China....big deal. It is still a speaker designed and tested by Americans. It all comes down to cost. It is cheaper to assemble overseas and Polk is not the only company do it. As long as Polk can continue to design well made speakers at reasonable prices, I could care less where they are made (unless of course they are put together in a sweatshop which I can't condone)

markmarc

Screxer:
Maybe its due to the fact that at one time those manufacturing jobs belonged to Americans. History tells us that once a nation loses its manufacturing base its status slowly fades.
I bet that that if people were told that that a pair of RTi40's cost $50 more because they are USA made, people would still buy them. That percentage of price increase goes across the entire line up.
This country needs to wake up to the fact that the loss of $10hr manufacturing job is not replaced by a $6.50 hr Walmart/Home Depot job. I say put an American flag label on every USA made product. I know more would be bought. That is not protectionism by tariff, just marketing.

dorokusai

Unless you've pursued formal education about Business and Economics, most people don't know anything about what globalization means let alone the actual effects of it on our society and abroad.

When someone talks about jobs going overseas, you always hear the standard rhetoric of the "patriot"....These jobs should have been for Americans....We can do those jobs just as well as they can....blah blah blah.

Suggested reading: The Lexus and the Olive Tree - Thomas L. Friedman

Globalization exists, and it isn't going anywhere.

tonygeno

markmarc wrote:

Screxer:
Maybe its due to the fact that at one time those manufacturing jobs belonged to Americans. History tells us that once a nation loses its manufacturing base its status slowly fades.
I bet that that if people were told that that a pair of RTi40's cost $50 more because they are USA made, people would still buy them. That percentage of price increase goes across the entire line up.
This country needs to wake up to the fact that the loss of $10hr manufacturing job is not replaced by a $6.50 hr Walmart/Home Depot job. I say put an American flag label on every USA made product. I know more would be bought. That is not protectionism by tariff, just marketing.

Why do you think Walmart is the largest retailer in the world? Because it sells high quality, American made goods? It sells stuff that Americans want to buy at the prices they want to pay. You may think that people will pay $50 more because they are USA made, but you are sadly mistaken. Americans want it cheap, and most don't give two hoots where it's made. Bottom line: there are companies that still make speakers here but they're niche players. Most stuff that's available in quantity is made overseas. And the quality is there.

RuSsMaN

Last time I talked to Stu Lumsden, the cabinets are now made in China, vs Mexico. Anyone compare the old RTi to the new RTi? Great move, in my opinion - night and day for fit and finish.

dorokusai

Just adding to Russmans' comment....quality control killed the Mexico hangout.

markmarc

Tony:
You know what Walmart's most successful ad series was? When they pushed made in America products about 7-9 years ago. They had their highest rate of growth. You be surprised at how patriotism can influence buying decisions. Now, obviously it won't change everyone, but it will sway many at all price ranges.

DarqueKnight

markmarc wrote:

Screxer:
History tells us that once a nation loses its manufacturing base its status slowly fades.

Nations have historically lost their status in the world primarily due short-sighted leadership and the inability to change with the times.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, countries that were able to efficiently shift their economies from agriculturally based to manufacturing based became prosperous and influential on a global scale. Countries whose economies remained agricultually based at the beginning of the 20th century became less prosperous and marginalized with regard to global influence. During those times, most agricultural workers lost their jobs to machines. Some of those workers adapted to the times and sought jobs in industrial facilities. Others sat around and bitched about "those damned machines taking all the jobs".

As the global economy shifts from a manufacturing base to an information and service provider base, semi-skilled labor has become a commodity and can be purchased more cheaply elsewhere. Those who are able to adapt to the changes will prepare themselves for gainful employment in other fields. Others will sit around and **** about "those damn foreigners taking our jobs". Actually the jobs were never ours to begin with. Those jobs, along with the buildings and office furniture, belonged to the companies paying the wages. As such, companies are free to spend their labor dollars as they choose.

unbridled_id

All the equipment I have has some made in china in it sans the rack and powerline filter. I was considering going with a B&K amp but went with a NAD because of cost. In fact I went with NAD components simply for the price/performance they give. I like Pat Buchanan but his protectionist and high tariff ideas are probably outdated. Try and buy textiles (reasonably priced) that say made in the USA, and do not hold your breath looking. Eventually in China just like in the United States the workers will demand higher wages and health benefits, but until then made in China is the wave of the future. Perhaps our buying all these good will create the middle class necessary for political reform. Remember when many audio components were made in Indonesia or Malaysia? China offers a more stable and business friendly government and an endless supply of labor. From a business perspective it simply makes sense to tap into the Sino labor market.

tonygeno

markmarc wrote:

Tony:
You know what Walmart's most successful ad series was? When they pushed made in America products about 7-9 years ago. They had their highest rate of growth. You be surprised at how patriotism can influence buying decisions. Now, obviously it won't change everyone, but it will sway many at all price ranges.

Sure. But that ad campaign was shown to be the fraud that it was...and Walmart is now the largest company in the world.

nadams

Everybody thinks Walmart is still this all-American company.... take a look at most of the products sold in Walmart the next time you're there.... it may surprise you what you find.

Andrzej

I cannot believe what I am reading here. Namely, that buying stuff "Made in the US" has anything to do with patriotism. Actually, maybe I should not be so surprised. After all, many of us are audiophiles and as all kinds of "philes" we are not normal. Do normal people believe in such poetry as, I quote: "Rendition of harmonic colors was suave and smooth, with a believable sugar coating" or "It felt like I had crawled into a warm and inviting sonic womb."

marker

What is more American, a Dodge made in Mexico or a Toyota made in Kentucky?

DarqueKnight

The Dodge made in Mexico, of course.

Although Dodge is owned by Daimler-Chrysler, which is a German company, most Dodge employees are Americans. Furthermore, Dodge's American employees have important and influential roles in the senior management of the company and the design, manufacturing, and marketing of its products.

Toyota, on the other hand, has relatively few American employees. Fewer still are involved in the senior management of the company and in the design of its products.

DarqueKnight

nadams wrote:

Everybody thinks Walmart is still this all-American company.... take a look at most of the products sold in Walmart the next time you're there.... it may surprise you what you find.

I was just in Walmart yesterday. I didn't ask any employees for proof of citizenship, but, just judging from physical apperance and the sound of voices, all of the cashiers, floor managers, and customer service people seemed to be American citizens. Also, as I understand it, Walmart is owned by an American family and the vast majority of their United States employees are Americans.

Walmart does employ a lot of "foreign labor". They have over 330,000 employees in 1500 stores scattered among nine countries outside of the U.S.

Walmart is a great All-American success story. I am proud of what they have accomplished.

LordSpeakaMinch

Many years ago I had an older coworker who was bitterly critical of my intent to purchase a Japanese automobile. When I asked him why he was so vehemently opposed to Japanese automobiles, he explained that he does not buy anything made in Japan because of "what they did to us in World War II".

The ironic thing is that this person owned a Mercedes. When I reminded my antagonist of Germany's role in World War II and asked if he wasn't applying a double standard to the Japanese, all he could do was stand there like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. He eventually muttered "I,...I...never... thought of it...that...way".

marker

RuSsMaN wrote:

Last time I talked to Stu Lumsden, the cabinets are now made in China, vs Mexico. Anyone compare the old RTi to the new RTi? Great move, in my opinion - night and day for fit and finish.

Was this a big reason why the previous series of RTi (RTi150. RTi70, RTi38, etc.) so short lived?

Andrzej

DarqueKnight wrote:

...
Walmart is a great All-American success story. I am proud of what they have accomplished.

I guess by "they" you mean the Walton family? Are you also proud of the long list of scandals associates with Walmart practices? For example using RFID spy chips in consumer products? Or using increasingly brutal labor conditions in communist China? Not to mention a series of embarrassing incidents such as its recent fine for employing illegal immigrants and a class action sex discrimination suit. I am not proud.