andrewski
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Maybe it would have raised the price? I'm okay with made in China if it reduced the price by a grand
SONY NW-WM1Z M2 / WM1A M2
LanceSaintPaul
100+ Head-Fier
You're out of step with the current world.
Swiss watch analogy is specious - if it's designed in Switzerland, made in China, then it's up to the brand to ensure quality standards are met. But generally a Swiss watch means Switzerland period.
Similar with Sony - do you trust their quality control? Their specifications?
On the U-toob I've watched videos about luxury auto production in China that have shown them capable of matching the quality of any luxury car in the world - meeting and exceeding!
My impression is that whatever sort of company is having manufacturing done in China they must be very hands on & attentive to quality control, but China is capable.
Don't get me wrong - I do love the Japanese tradition of deep craft, attention to detail, and Kaizen: the ethic of continuous improvement.
Of course generalizations are fraught with exceptions and inaccuracies.
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that is true, i am sure it would sound better if its made outside of China !
Interesting question, and there is no simple answer. I have the same preference, from having grown up and lived most of my life in Canada. Made in Japan products are a preference, from their association with "quality", and extreme engineering.
- Having used many generations of Apple products, even though they were NOT "made in Japan", and having very few(almost none) problems with them, I have adjusted to the reality that China products can be very good quality.
- At the same time, Japan is making less and less products in country, and have outsourced most. Some of these are definitely worse than other products that have no association with Japanese companies.
- Quality depends on the investment/commitment to products. i.e. When western companies came to Asia, and paid $2 for a shirt, which they resell for $30-$40, who do you blame, the Western branded company who only is willing to pay $2, or the poor workers making a fantastic product for $2? Is it a $40 product? No, it is not, but whose fault is that?
- JAPAN INC = HIGH QUALITY: Go back in history to the 60-70's. Made in Japan was synonymous with cheap, shoddy products. Pick products from ANY country, but not from Japan, if you want quality. This was universally accepted. That Japan managed to reverse that image, is to their credit, and hard work. This is just another example that starting as a low end manufacturer, does not mean that you need to stay there forever. It is up to your investment of time, sweat, and of course, money. This is repeated all through history.
- HIGH QUALITY ONCE, HIGH QUALITY ALWAYS?:
- BOEING: The fallout from their 737 Max fiasco revealed a money focused company, run by accountants, not engineers, where Quality is sacrificed for $
- PHILIPS: Their Dreamstation CPAP, where they left known problems in place for 10 years, that could have been easily, and cheaply fixed. Affected the health, and unknown number of deaths, to millions of their loyal customers.
QUALITY ALWAYS? IT DEPENDS ON THE PEOPLE AT THE HEAD OF THE COMPANY. In today's world, this is becoming more and more of a crap shoot.
So what do I think?
Just like with all the audio questions, try it, and see what the result is. If it is good, it is good. If it is bad, it is bad.
But does Made in China mean it is low quality, and Made in Japan mean it is high quality?
It depends.
Sometimes yes, and sometimes no, to both questions.
The conclusion I have is that Made in China, nowadays, is more and more dependable, and like how I used to think of Japan, while they were making their transition up the Quality ladder.
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It's been a long time since I came into any discussion here so it is nice to see a few familiar usernames.
Global supply chains have become very complex, not only along the lines of cost but also geopolitics (Hence why we even have the perception that production in some places are better than others). If you look across Sony's lineup of products, my MDR-1AM2 itself is made in Thailand, yet in the same box, the cloth pouch for it is made in Vietnam and the cable is made in China. How then are we to put a product in a negative light because the final label reads "Made in China"?
I concur with what @ttt123 brought up. Many forgot that China today is going through what Japan was in the 1960s and 1970s. Renown brands of Japanese quality rose up through "learning by doing", investment and innovation. Now, Japan is at the top of the value chain and its now China's turn to climb up the rungs. And they are doing this with the help of foreign investments like Sony setting up a plant for the Chinese to put together gold Walkmans.
What I wish to convey is simply this, let's not label things based on where they come from but rather the value you can derive from this purchase. If to you, a great part of value comes from where it is "made" in, then by all means buy something else like Astell&Kern which is proudly "Made in Korea" (if you deem that to be superior, of course). However, I believe that we should look at things holistically: looks, feels, sound, spec sheet etc. With so many components sourced from so many places across the world, being "Made in China" is simply titular these days.
So does this mean that "Made in Malaysia" is superior to you than "Made in China"? What if I told you the components were sourced from Japan with final assembly done in China, hence the label "Made in China"?
Global supply chains have become very complex, not only along the lines of cost but also geopolitics (Hence why we even have the perception that production in some places are better than others). If you look across Sony's lineup of products, my MDR-1AM2 itself is made in Thailand, yet in the same box, the cloth pouch for it is made in Vietnam and the cable is made in China. How then are we to put a product in a negative light because the final label reads "Made in China"?
I concur with what @ttt123 brought up. Many forgot that China today is going through what Japan was in the 1960s and 1970s. Renown brands of Japanese quality rose up through "learning by doing", investment and innovation. Now, Japan is at the top of the value chain and its now China's turn to climb up the rungs. And they are doing this with the help of foreign investments like Sony setting up a plant for the Chinese to put together gold Walkmans.
What I wish to convey is simply this, let's not label things based on where they come from but rather the value you can derive from this purchase. If to you, a great part of value comes from where it is "made" in, then by all means buy something else like Astell&Kern which is proudly "Made in Korea" (if you deem that to be superior, of course). However, I believe that we should look at things holistically: looks, feels, sound, spec sheet etc. With so many components sourced from so many places across the world, being "Made in China" is simply titular these days.
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If someone in EU is looking for an uncapped WM1A M2, i have one for sale
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/sony-nw-wm1am2-jp-version.60324/
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/sony-nw-wm1am2-jp-version.60324/
ericp10
Sits up all night comparing IEMs.
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Mine says made in Japan.
I totally agree with you. Sony did the same with its cameras. Moved production from Japan to Malaysia/China + raised the price.
Sony is and always was heavily priced and is way above the competition.
Just for the sake of example
Sony G-Master II 70-200 F2.8 Made in China: 2999€
SIGMA 70-200 F2.8 Made in Japan: 1699€
The SIGMA has even better image quality, the only downside is that its marginally heavier. There is absolutely zero reason why the Sony G-Master should cost 3000€, the only reason is, people pay it.
We all are the reason why the products are so expensive. We buy them for these prices.
Why should Sony be stupid and not take our money if we give it to them?
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#PicsOrDidntHappe
Ashler
New Head-Fier
Hi guys,
I have a bit of an issue here.
I bought a WM1ZM2 from Japan and it’s locked. I recalled this subject had already been discussed before, so tried the full Android recovery process. I could access the recovery menu alright and reset the device to factory settings (with a cache wipe for good measure). That however did not solve the problem at all, for when I rebooted the player it was still locked, and the initial configuration menu prompts me to enter either the previous pin or the Google account/phone number that was previously synched with the device. So the pin and user data are still there somehow and I can’t use the device.
Why is this happening? Is there anything I can do about it that does not involve sending the device and paying their ransom/recovery fee? Am I basically screwed?
And if it can't be helped… does anyone know how much is that infamous fee?
Thanks.
I have a bit of an issue here.
I bought a WM1ZM2 from Japan and it’s locked. I recalled this subject had already been discussed before, so tried the full Android recovery process. I could access the recovery menu alright and reset the device to factory settings (with a cache wipe for good measure). That however did not solve the problem at all, for when I rebooted the player it was still locked, and the initial configuration menu prompts me to enter either the previous pin or the Google account/phone number that was previously synched with the device. So the pin and user data are still there somehow and I can’t use the device.
Why is this happening? Is there anything I can do about it that does not involve sending the device and paying their ransom/recovery fee? Am I basically screwed?
And if it can't be helped… does anyone know how much is that infamous fee?
Thanks.
Attachments
Hmm, based on my past experience with android phones, see if you can boot into the bootloader by holding the power button and volume up or down key from when its turned off. I know Sony's Xperia is power button plus volume down key.
Failing that, try a combination of power button + one of the media control buttons, I am sure one of them will bring you to the bootloader screen.
Sadly, I dont have an android walkman to test for you.
Edit: For the reason, I believe it will be because the previous owner had security features in place like Find My Device activated when he set it up. There is no ransomware inside the walkman. If anything, people will hold you at ransom for your gold walkman if they knew how much it was.
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Ashler
New Head-Fier
Thanks. Like I said, I already accessed the hidden Android menu and successfully reset it to factory settings. But the issue is still there. I would have thought that by doing that the device would start anew and ask me to enter my own pin, but no. As you can see in the picture, it’s asking me for the previous PIN instead. It’s quite frustrating, to be honest.
Oh, and the “ransom” bit was just an attempted joke to say that, in my opinion, it’s ridiculous to ask for a fee to unlock a device that is so expensive to begin with.
Morphology77
New Head-Fier
Someone posted video on Youtube how to bypass Google FRP on Walkmans - so it can be done.
Check this one and read the comments:
Not sure if it was this exact video but you can get the idea what to look for.
Amber Rain
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Have you tried contacting the person you bought it from and asked for the PIN code?
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