Ayon - where is it REALLY manufactured ?

Interesting question, I have been looking at some Ayon integrated amps, and will be interested to see if anyone else knows the answer.

I had the same question when I was looking into the Triton III and was unable to get a straight either.

I don't think anything today is made completely anywhere.

If you want a straight answer call Cable Co. They carry that line and I can't see them giving anything other than a truthful answer.

I think the Orion came from China, the rest of their gear from Austria.

I will chime in on this matter, I only know about their digital componets, everything is made in china ,,,EXCEPT, The ayon 2s, the 5s, the 3s,and the top dac they make, all these units are made in Austria, so thet say.

I feel that their lack of a straight-forward answer would lead me to believe that the gear is made in China.

Nearly all the components are made in China, assembly is in China, final packaging is in Austria in a Chinese box. However, they are an Austrian Company.

Who's better nowadays than the Chinese for manufacture?
We have trained one of the world's ultimate cultures to be the best manufactures in the world..and so now they are.

Let me ask you this; anyone in the USA. Do you enjoy your mag-lev trains?? No, you do not but the Chinese do!

The Best sounding integrated amplifier I have ever heard was made by Xindak and the construction made Krell look pedestrian.

All this said if you want truly Euro don't buy Ayon !

PS: Apple bring our jobs back home!!

I've always had the same question...

The same thought strikes me when I think of Hegel. It simply looks like a relabled product from another Chinese high-end audio company that used to have a bit of presence in North America. But hey, why not spend a lot more for something you thought was made in Norway?

Trelja, a simple Google search for Hegel revealed the following quote from a review of their H100 amp: "Hegel has been manufacturing specialty audio products in Norway since the late 1980s."

You obviously were pleased with the product, why worry about where it was made?

Who cares where it was made if built to the same standards. The only difference is the hands that built them ... parts are imported for assembly.

In most cases this is beneficial to the end consumers with lower prices. Companies naturally navigate to regions that are most business friendly.

Interesting. Look at the back of the units.

Hegel ALSO do not state ''Made in Norway"" just like Ayon does not print ''Made in Austria''

This is legally, a clear indication that those companies cannot claim full manufacturing in their European countries of origin. If they could label ''Made in..'' they sure would do it right?

It's all about content laws. American car manufacturers and Harley can get away with stating "made in America" due to content laws. They pay the politicians who approve legislation that determines what is made where by simple percentage factors. Europeans are no different. Every country caters to their base by patting them on the head and telling them that what they believe to be proudly made in their country is true. Very few companies can actually make that claim and when they do, they are very vocal about it.

All the best,
Nonoise

yes, the times of Made in...are gone....we all know where it is made by now. The question will be if it sounds good, is priced reasonably and do not break down in a month....

Check Raysonic (in China)...

Hi, Not to get off the subject, I do own a Ayon 2s, thats the reason of my original post, However, I also own Krell, Krell only makes one cd player, and two intergrated amps that clearly states on the back of the unit, made in china, I respect them for their honesty!, All the other Krell Equipment clearly states, Made in the usa!, like that honesty to, the good ole usa, My amp not only says made in the U.S.A., it also says orange, connecticut and addresse on the back as well, I do agree with everyone here, This, only putting the country of orgin on back appears to be misleading and confusing at best!, lets say the unit is made in the country of orgin, does not say, made in austria, theres the confusion!

Nonoise,
Just read an article that stated most "American" car, meaning most American made parts and American labor is the Toyota Avalon. Go figure.

BTW: Manufacturers are seeking new labor as China's labor prices are rising (as well as severe pollution).
Read another article about the expected future increase in cancer. Maybe there IS no such thing as a free lunch.

Rja, I believe you. If I'm not mistaken, only the engines come from Japan, along with some critical parts that they wouldn't trust to anyone else.

Also, one major manufacturer has brought back assembly stateside for its appliance line (I forget the brand) due to QC problems, lead time, assembly to store floor time, etc., and not to forget, the lower costs of labor here now that it's been decimated.

China is so polluted that it's almost a death sentence for anyone residing in a major city. As much as they love the higher standard of living, they are way ahead of us now that they've realized the human costs of being highly prosperous in a toxic environment so they've got a leg up on us when it comes to solar production. I've heard that our oil rigs are now abandoning diesel generators for solar power and I wouldn't be surprised if they're using Chinese made solar panels, or at least German ones. We could create SO many jobs if we just got our act together.

All the best,
Nonoise

Some care a great deal about a counties ability to regulate manufacturing such as working conditions, material recycling, waste management, and product safety.

Of course today its almost impossible to be a consumer without inadvertently purchasing goods from countries with little or no such regulation. Still, many do the best they can under the circumstances

@ Quad-man, Hi, what is XindaK?, never heard of this, is it a complete line of audio componets or digital only, whats the whole scoop on this brand?, country of orgin, the works, cheers.

Bill_K, you are right. The press has made the point that Hegel is manufactured in Norway. And, we should take folks at their word.

But as Sonicbeauty mentions, the rear of their components doesn't say "Made in Norway", it simply lists where the company locates its headquarters.

How would you react if the claim was false, if Hegel was manufactured in China by another high-end audio outfit?

But as Trelja points out we should just continue to speculate about things we don't know.

Here in the land of speculation:

http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus03-complying-made-usa-standard

I stand corrected. Good to learn from where their gear really comes.

Ayon is to licked for my taste and I don't fully trust the companies that do not have any ABOUT US information. You simply can not find out who the real folks behind, all they do is a huge secret, but why?
Will not surprise me if their mega investments coming from Chinese, as their amps looks like it anyway.

Hi,

Xindak

is an authentic high-end Chinese brand no false origin claims their loudspeaker cables are some of the best on earth their hybrid stereo amplifier along with Bryston's are in my opinion the best sounding available at any price.

I'll be buying another Xindak amplifier so I can test my 40K mono blocks against it as a reference point.

Cheers,

Q

Audiolabyrinth, this is Xindak:http://www.xindak.com/en-us/

Thanks Nonoise, cheers.

Trelja, I'd be surprised if Hegel gear is not assembled in
Norway. My guess is that many companies don't clearly indicate
the country of manufacturing due to the fact that in today's
global marketplace even if a product is assembled in their
home country many of the parts used are manufactured and
sourced elsewhere. In other words, due to legal restrictions.

A while back, the Japanese renamed one of their cities Usa.

Bill_k, yours represents the rational approach, and I think it wise. Given the way things have gone, I, too would feel surprised if the company I believe in turned out not to represent what I thought it did.

Would you prefer I contact you offline about the matter?

Trelja, with all due respect I don't feel the need to continue this dialogue. Thanks.

About Xindak, I did own an integrated a few years ago. It was ok but not great. Sounded like most other chinese integrateds out there, not very detailed. It is of course nowhere near as refined as an Ayon product as the low price would suggest. I got rid of the Xindak after 6 months as I just could not make the sound work for me, no matter how hard I tried. Furthermore, and I wish I had a polite way to say this - looks count for me - and Xindac designs are pretty ugly in my own very subjective opinion. Sorry to call a cat a cat.

Just to set the record straight about Ayon, they do make great gear - just not impressed with their lack of info on product origin and company info.

If it does not say made in Austria you better believe it's made in China!

Hi sonicbeauty, This is Keith, I was currious to know what Ayon equipment you own?, Happy Listening.

@ Quad-man, thankyou for your 8-11-13 post.

Certainly the country of origin conveys a sense of quality but the real question is what is the real quality that you are getting at the end of the day. LM Audio is a Chinese based manufacturer and builds damn fine products with very high quality parts and construction. From a marketing standpoint, it may be advantageous to insinuate that it is made in Austria but from an overall standpoint it may be in the best interest of both the consumer and the company to build things somewhere else in the world to get the quality for price ratio needed. If that is the reality the company should be straight up with its customers and be able to communicate that to its customers rather than hide it. I have been wary of Ayon just because of how they market their products here, seeming to purposely bend and stretch the truth.

Hi Keith, I did own an Orion integrated, original model.

I think that Ayon offers fabulous sound for the money, and if it is partly (or wholly) manufactured in China, I'm ok with that as long as I am informed before spending my hard-earned cash.

However, I think that in the upper echelons of high-end audio, the more you spend the more OTHER criteria come into play, such as looks, prestige, pride of ownership and more. And some are willing to pay for near-legendary brands that still are manufactured in their country of origin. They are becoming rare of course.

I was sorry to learn for example, that the entry-level speakers from Sonus Faber are no longer made in Italy. I happen to own a pair of Domus Grand Piano. Handmade in Italy. You know what? There are probably many speakers that sound better for the price just in the Usher line-up.

But since audio toys are expensive, and since my systen is just sitting there except when I can actually sit down and enjoy the music, I find it comforting (not to nention a visual treat) to know that my speakers were handcrafted in Italy. I think that the Domus was the last project supervised by Franco Serblin himself before he sold the company but not sure 100% about this.

Back to Ayon, the Orion remains my all-time favorite sound for a full-tube integrated. It has been replaced by a worthy successor. It has the country of origin thing covered and sounds exquisite. Not bad in the looks department either - Pathos Logos, another Italian beauty.

Bill_k, understood. May I ask in the future you no longer make the "Made in Norway" claim regarding Hegel?

Trelja, I never explicitly made such a statement since I don't know the definitive answer. Others were speculating about it, so I just stated what I found in an online review and clearly identified it as such. I was only trying to be helpful. That's it, I'm out.

@ sonicbeauty, thanks, That was an awsome post you did!, very interesting to say the least!, well said, cheers.

.....Hence, all the tiers of profit are possible.....

'' Bill_k, understood. May I ask in the future you no longer make the "Made in Norway" claim regarding Hegel? ''

Why this request Trelja ?

Unless you have a deep desire to save the Chinese from pollution (and I'm certain few Americans do) I doubt, what with our government being 100% behind what is essentially unfair trade, there is going to be any meaningful backlash against inexpensive Asian stuff. That ship has sailed...what I find distasteful is the "retail price vs. manufacturing cost" gap. I play guitar and noticed "German Made" Deusenberg guitars seemed to suddenly show up in the hands of some successful pro musicians, so I tried out a few in a Santa Cruz shop last year and thought, "meh"...nice but pricey. I have a few Reverend "import" (Korean made) guitars and like them a lot...they're extremely well made and relatively inexpensive...and apparently made in the same factory as "German" Duesenbergs that cost about 3 times as much as Reverends. The story is that Duesenberg claims to only do the bodies and necks in Korea, finishing them in Germany ("finishing" meaning bolting things on to the guitars)...and that information is well hidden.

Good question, Sonicbeauty.

To not want to pursue the potential Chinese manufacture of Hegel certainly strikes me as acceptable and reasonable. However, at that point, does one not cede the potential claim the products are manufactured in Norway as well?

Given the financial, moral/ethical, and other issues many have with purchasing products manufactured in China today, I believe to not have the situation sorted out does those potential buyers true disservice.

Trelja, "The same thought strikes me when I think of Hegel. It simply looks like a relabled product from another Chinese high-end audio company that used to have a bit of presence in North America."

Mcintosh, Wadia & Sonus Faber are now owned and have been owned by a Chinese conglomerate for 6 years now.

Where on the Mcinstosh, Wadia and Sonus Faber site does it state that a Chinese company owns them. Parts, Chassis come from all over the world, everyone know this. When I was at the Munich show, Ayon had an open house and I went to Gratkorn Austria. A real modern super factory.

Jim

Jimphd14,

Thanks for updating this thread, your post confirms my initial understanding of the ayon manufacture.