[Mad Max]

Ha ha, resembles older 'phones like K500.
I would have liked dark blue in place of that red.

 

[Renato-CWB]

Quote:

It's going to be incredibly disappointing if they don't make the K612 in Austria as well  

Can't really agree with that, or better, the concern that I understand behind the phrase. The question is not where certain product is assembled, but rather HOW.  I'd say that 90% of all our electronic stuff (some very good, btw) are manufactured in emerging countries.  Nowadays, if a company is willing to invest in skills, infrastructure and quality assurance in these countries, product quality tends to be the same as if it were produced in countries having the traditional fame of "high quality" production.
 
I once had the opportunity to assist a speak of Mr. Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan and Renault.  He said that once his top management staff wanted to convince him that they couldn't produce certain car parts in certain country because of quality concerns.  His answer:  "Just TEACH them".  That's how it was done and apparently the referred parts achieved the same quality indicators as the ones produced in the traditional plants.
 
Returning to AKG, the build quality of the K612 will depend more on AKG's quality committment than the country it'l be manufactured, at least in my opinion.  Quality is a choice, not the result of "random" factors.

 

[Impulse]

There's nothing random about some of the labor and QC issues you'd often face in certain countries. "Just teach them" is a hell of a lot harder than it sounds, specially when you're talking lower end consumer electronics with relatively short lifespans or production runs... If AKG was a much larger company (and not the red headed HK stepchild) and we were talking about something more substantial (or at least a flagship product) then that might make more sense.

 

[RamblinE]

I'm familiar with globalization. I just have trouble out-weighing the disadvantages and I'm not speaking of quality per say. I don't like it based on labor concerns but that doesn't belong here. 

 

[plakat]

Its not like its impossible to make good products anywhere else... Nevertheless I prefer headphones produced more or less in front of my doorstep: its just nice to purchase something manufactured locally (like vegetables, bags, headphones I'm living in Vienna...
 
I guess if the K612 were manufactured here they'd say that on the product page though.

 

[Renato-CWB]

Quote:

I'm familiar with globalization. I just have trouble out-weighing the disadvantages and I'm not speaking of quality per say. I don't like it based on labor concerns but that doesn't belong here. 

I agree with you and sympathize with your concern, but taking this point into consideration, you (as well as everybody) will probably have to throw away a big part of the clothing in your wardrobe.  Unfortunately a reality nowadays, unless one is willing (and capable) of paying much higher prices. :-/
 
Quote:

I guess if the K612 were manufactured here they'd say that on the product page though.

 
If I am not completely wrong, the AKG representative mentioned the production in China in a video posted somewhere back in the thread. So it's definitely not produced in beautiful Austria.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

I really don't care where anything is made in if the quality is good.  I love all my Apple gear and those are all made in China.

 

[Impulse]

Apple works on a much larger scale y'know, which allows them to be more demanding of the OEM and parts suppliers... I'm not saying a headphone made in China is inherently crap, far from it, but there's a reason AKG's higher end model is made in Austria and the lower end one isn't.

 

[RamblinE]

I know my K550s were made in China. My Blackberry was made in Mexico. The silk shirt I'm wearing right now was made in China. Dress shoes? Vietnam. Work boots? Thailand. Preamp? US. Cartridge? Japan. 
 
This process started LONG before AKG began moving production from Austria to China. I just personally don't like seeing the jobs leave. Maybe the K550s are better headphones for less money then they would have been if Harman had to pay some Austrians a decent wage to put them together. On the other hand when the K240S quietly switched from Austrian to Chinese production it's not like the price dropped.... 
 
Regardless I like AKG's sound and will probably buy the K612 Pro new at some point after it comes out. My feelings are just mixed. 

 

[kellte2]

Ultimately, the quality is what counts.  I've received very defective items from Austria, Germany, Italy, USA, etc.  The assembly location is only part of the story.

 

[roguegeek]

Quote:

Ultimately, the quality is what counts.  I've received very defective items from Austria, Germany, Italy, USA, etc.  The assembly location is only part of the story.

 
Yup. This is the bottom line.

 

[matthewpl]

K601 was made in china :rolleyes:

I have K601 and it was masę in Austria.

 

[elwappo99]

Quote:

Apple works on a much larger scale y'know, which allows them to be more demanding of the OEM and parts suppliers... I'm not saying a headphone made in China is inherently crap, far from it, but there's a reason AKG's higher end model is made in Austria and the lower end one isn't.

 
These aren't really event comparisons. Apple's products procure parts from manufacturer's and apple assembles them. 
 
AKG oversees the manufacturing of every portion. They aren't buying the pads from Sennheiser and the drivers from Beyerdynamic. AKG oversees every portion of production.

 

[HaVoC-28]

Quote:

I have K601 and it was masę in Austria.

 
ya but it was for the early batchs , the laters were made in china ^^

 

[HelIish]

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/970888-REG/AKG_2458Z00140_K712_PRO_HI_PERFORMANCE_HEADPHONES.html