Hi RayK and thanks for the note. Everything we build at this factory is measured on a very expensive Klippel system which is fancier by far than our own test gear here. Also, this company we work with is one of the top few in the world for quality. Chris has visited them before and of course since they make so many of the worlds’s high end speakers already we’re feeling just fine.
We’ve worked with them now going on two years with samples and tooling going back and forth across the water multiple times. We know everything about the quality of their goods and everything is measured with more advanced equipment than we have.
Near the end of summer 2022 I am guessing the lower cost FR series will be available and then you’ll have your chance to try them out.
@weedeewop I know that first hand—i’m half British and half Indian.
And oh, what about the new world Imperialists, Colonialists, who did treat the indigenous peoples with little respect.?
I tend to disagree (with the idea that there is no Western interest in manufacturing).
Generally speaking, over many years, profitable businesses responded to economic incentives here and abroad and moved procurement and manufacturing functions overseas (including China and other countries) in order to lower cost of goods sold and improve profit margins.
Given enough economic incentive, these procurement and manufacturing locations will move again.
US healthcare is rapidly moving all levels of s/w development, call centers, data center monitoring, data analytics, automation development, cloud migration, and application analysts to India.
Keep in mind that everyone who has a retirement account or invests individually is partially responsible for offshoring skills/jobs. Because we all want our personal wealth to grow (thanks to higher corporate profits).
People who have a huge issue with offshoring need to review their retirement account funds and ditch the ones who partake in it. I don’t own shares of companies that don’t align with my belief system and everyone else can do the same.
A surprisingly large amount of hifi is still manufactured in the UK, as were my Harbeth and PMC speakers. My Devialet is made in France, Innuos in Portugal, my turntable in England except for one tonearm made in Japan. Don’t know about Shunyata. My Wilson in USA with Asian made drivers.
Major brands like Rega, Linn, SME and Chord all made in UK.
Devialet invested in a high tech, low manpower approach, so can make in France at no extra cost compared to Asia. On the other hand, Prima Luna, which is low tech with lots of hand wiring, promote their decision to export manufacture to their own factory in China.
I think it is wrong to generalise, different businesses will make different supply chain decisions depending on their size, costs, technology, skills and sales markets.
Rega has discontinued their whole range of loudspeakers with the exception of their entry level loudspeaker! Rega design and build drive units in-house but outsourced for cabinetry.
We have discontinued our loudspeaker range (other than the newly introduced Kytes) as the price of real wood cabinets has become unrealistic and we decided that we could not continue to offer the performance we wanted at the price we would have to charge so the simple decision was to cease manufacture.
Global warming kills natures largest forests. Low precipitation causes the trees not to have enough resistance to cope with the attacks of bugs that wouldn’t be there in such numbers if it would be colder in the winter.
Global transport is a large contributor to global warming.
Germany, with large forests, a very environmental friendly, highly sophisticated forestry and large volume wood production suffers from this a lot.
On top of that, the building boom in China caused a dramatic shortage of wood on the global market. They buy globally at high prices and harvest our home markets. (We start to feel what we did with our colonies for ages).
Carpentry companies and building companies face the same problems as REGA.
Wood is either sinfully expensive or even not available.
These are some of the many nasty side effects of global economy.
To think I didn’t know this news… Anyway; Rega are planting a forest behind their factory and taking orders for loudspeakers in 2121. I have paid a deposit for a pair!
Imo Rega makes great TT, and I’d strongly consider their integrated amps for a system in the 10-15k range. But I was never a fan of the speakers at all. For that reason, I think this is a great decision by them, focus on what they do very well.
I’m not saying it is impossible to do well across many product types where speakers (by far the hardest) is one of the types, of course. Linn does it very well; I find their speakers excellent. I haven’t heard gryphon speakers but I’d expect them to be good. Mbl is very highly regarded. And there are others. But it’s tough to get right
Especially the last several years, the margins in hi end Hi-Fi have ballooned and consumers of Hi-Fi really value the made in (domestic, wherever domestic is), so many of the hi end have gone that route.
Take speakers, nobody has been able to name another US speaker above $25k (or $20k?, do I hear $15k?) that is made in China, but the entire Wilson, Magico, Rockport, Maggie (most are well under 25k) and so many others made in US.
The group below hi end often outsource for cost reasons or because they don’t have the expertise to do in-house.
But as I said, I would use it as a factor in buying decision but not a deciding factor, not even close. Sound quality most important to me, and satisfying myself that it beats everything else at its price point so that I’m getting the best sound I can for my budget - that’s what works for me anyway
It’s an assumption (based on the skyrocketing msrps of new products at hi end). Could be wrong. Regardless, the point of post is same. But it pertains to the hi end that often choose not to outsource to the extent the FR30 are outsourced. The margin comment can be ignored and point of post won’t change.
Let’s put it this way, for whatever the reason, many hi end manufacturers choose to build locally (echoing the point of poster I quoted).
Note, when I say “hi end” I am talking about the Wilsons and Magicos and Boulders and Audio Researches, etc. of the world. This is a different competition tier that PSA is entering with FR30 than any tier they’ve played in with amps and dacs (by virtue of msrp anyway with FR30, time will tell as to performance)
Understood. Thanks. I just wondered if you were somewhere “inside” the business.
Surely since Covid, hifi sales have exploded according to dealers and manufacturers I have spoken to.
Anyway; Rega are planting a forest behind their factory and taking orders for loudspeakers in 2121. I have paid a deposit for a pair!