Classe move to China


I've just learned that Classe has moved production to China. Has anyone taken delivery of a Made in China Classe product?

Will moving to China devalue the brand? Will quality suffer?

I am thinking of purchasing the new CA-M300 monoblocks, but this move has me hesitating.
fundsgon
This is so sad because if any industry was still capable of manufacturing here in the west, it is High End Audio. These companies are tiny and turn out very few components a year compared to someone like Sony, etc. This small production applies itself very well to old school manufacturing methods and ecomomics. We desperately need to keep these jobs right here at all costs. Not doing so shows me Classe is being greedy and gutless. You know that Classe prices won't drop as a result of this move and the concerns about "teething" problems are very real despite China's ability to deliver the goods when given the proper specs, budget, and guidance.
Perhaps Classe should build the same amp in Canada and China and sell them at $5,000 and $3,000 respectively and see what people end up buying - I suspect money talks.

Does seem like rising labor costs for "skilled" labor in China, and with increasing transportation costs, that the cheap labor model which has been China's comparative advantage is diminishing over time. I've read some companies have notice and have or are planning onshoring.
If you buy things made by slave labor you too will be enslaved.
We ALL know Lenin was not a nice guy ,on the broken clock is right twice a day factoid it doesn't bear mentioning.
Yes there are shades of gray but the people who harp on this are usually trying to excuse themselves for acting on
the many things that are just black and white.
An aside about 2012 Ford Focus IS built in Detroit.
The auto tranny is still made in Mexico, but the car itw=self is made in the motor city. I do not know right off where the manual tranny is made (like mine).

As for China, they are smart and predatory.
As soon as they have eliminated competition, they raise prices to the highest the market will carry.
They have already done so in several commodities.
This is a real war, and not some fantasy.
If America loses this secret war, we (as a world leader) are finished.
Seems America is dedicated to a global economy. Trouble is China sees it's future in the position we USED to be in: as world dominator. Trouble is China is NOT going to be anywhere near the nice guys we were. (Trouble is we were really not very nice guys,..China will be way worse.. but that gets into the political and better to avoid it before this thread gets removed)
Perhaps Classe should build the same amp in Canada and China and sell them at $5,000 and $3,000 respectively and see what people end up buying - I suspect money talks.
01-03-12: Pubul57
LOL, you cannot be that naive. Why would any person in business drop their price $2000 on what is supposedly a $5000 amp. The only reason for lowering the the price of the amp would be to compete with your competition and maybe get a bigger piece of the market pie. The rest of the savings would go in the wallet.....