Please try not to let your feelings overtake while reading the following, i'm trying to let mind, not heart, lead when talking about this sort of stuff. I do completely understand where you're coming from
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Well it goes deeper than that.. Yea in the end, the sound of the headphone is ultimately what matters most but there's still a lot beyond that which still has some importance. I get a lot more pride and joy out of something made in America, not just because I live here and manufacturing stimulates my countries economy, but also the quality of products in a mass scale are higher here than it is in China and it says something about a company when they care more about making great products in their home country versus saving a few bucks to have it done overseas.
we're still talking about Grado, right? the price of their in ears is quite hefty, and there have been many many quality issues with production in the past (not to say anything about uncomfortable headbands, and the plastic rodblocks)
I agree that it's great that they've been producing in Brooklyn since forever, and providing a steady income for the people that have been working for them for decades.
Chinese factories use lower quality, cheaper parts (part of why it's cheaper to have things made there).. which affects the final product. The quality control is also, on average, less impressive.. and honestly for a company that boasts about family heritage and plastering "made in Brooklyn" everywhere.. I sort of feel slightly lied to.
wood is wood, the plastic used in the stuff i have that's made in china seems to be same quality as that of Grado's stuff. most of the products you use, which will work for many many years have been produced in china/south korea/vietnam/india.
These things don't matter to a lot of people and I'm not trying to bash Grado. (One of the main reasons I even care is because of how much I love Grado and their products). But to me I buy something (in this hobby especially), considering how expensive mid to high end headphones are getting.. I get a sense of pride of ownership and it goes far beyond how they sound. How they feel, where they are made, what materials are they made of and so on all matters to me as a consumer because I love the hobby so much and again.. I look at these great pieces as more than "just a headphone". I get emotionally invested in both the product and even the company.
I care about the product as well, and I care about possible improvements to a product.
I think there are points where Grado should improve their headphones.
At the same time I feel that their cartridges are great, and their amp and phono amp are really good as well (even though these seem very expensive)
Same goes for the sound quality of their headphones.
I know that the cost is part in R&D, storage, rent, webhosting, living, etcetera.
but here's some speculation form my side:
the drivers they had before were (possibly) modified OEM drivers, (if they weren't OEM, why couldn't they get them anymore?)
the GR10 and GR8 were OEM housings, with possibly modified drivers.
the RA-1 is so close to the CMOY amp, that you wonder where the 300$ price difference comes from.
They're a unique company, and I do wish them all the best. but I do feel like they're having a huge markup on a lot of their products.
same
I suppose this is where i get kicked out of the Grado fan club
I forgot to add: the main difference between producers who produce in china, and companies in china , that we as outsiders see, is that the chinese mostly cheaply copy existing stuff. but this too makes sense. It saves on R&D. And if you want to make a profit, you'll have to sell for less money, and skip quality control, for maximum profit. (the previosuly named chinese companies differ greatly in this)
