I just came upon this and wondered if anyone else has seen this website. I try to support the home team when I can so this is interesting, at least as a resource, and not a sales tool. I apologize in advance if I’m late to the game on this but interesting to hear anyones thoughts, knowledge, etc. Thanks. https://americanmadeaudio.com/
Yes, they sure do a lot of their work right in Binghamton. All of it I would guess. Just for the record though, they do use some parts made in China. I'm not talking about resistors, capacitors etc. Heavier stuff like heat sinks, speaker parts etc. I know, I have delivered a great deal of these things to them. The shipping containers come from China to our warehouse and we deliver them.
I'm not saying this is good or bad. I'm just being factual. Seems like both sides of the "Mac Debate" have some valid points.
The only American Made Amps and pre-amps i use is Atma-Sphere and Classic Audio Loudspeakers Field Coils. Otherwise i prefer now EU or British made Stuff in general.
I think the list is a cool thing. Especially for the smaller, lesser known manufacturers. There is some amazing gear being produced by lesser know folks who need some online exposure to help their product be known by the consuming public.
A lot of times, people who are all about only buying their own national brands, forget that if other countries were to do the same, US made gear would become even more expensive as the world is a lot bigger than the 350 or so million people who live in the US…
Guess my point is, who cares where it’s made? Everything is from everywhere now a days :) A product should succeed or fail based on its merits, not because of where it’s made.
@perkri There are a couple of answers in addition to the responses you’ve already seen. First, I guess a lot of people do because americanmadeaudio.com gets a lot of traffic, generally from people who were specifically searching for "american made... (speakers, amps, etc)."
As for me, first, I’m fascinated with every aspect of the gear I use, and like to know all the details that go into making my gear, including the factory and artisans or crafters who make it. Practically speaking, a lot of the reasons I spend my time and energy on the site are due to being local rather than specifically American. I think there’s a real convenience in being in the same country or region as the maker, both for access to dealers and to ongoing support. I’ve toured factories like PS Audio, Magico and Boulder electronics and it’s so cool to see the gear being made in front of my eyes. If you want that kind of connection with your gear, it’s good to be able to find makers near you. If I lived in Europe, for example, I might have published European Made Audio. That said, the best of what we make in America is indeed some of the very best in the world, and I’m happy to draw attention to these companies.
Now, if none of that means anything to you, then no worries. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ It’s a hobby for most of us, and we each engage with it on an individual level. You do you.
For those of us who are interested, for whatever reason, I hope that the site is a useful resource.
Im not against US made product by any stretch. In fact 90% of my gear is North American made. French CD player, 1959 restored/rebuilt Swiss turntable and a danish phono cartridge are the exceptions.
If I were to replace anything in my set up, I would be looking at whatever works the best for my needs first. If there are two pieces that are a toss up, I will always support local first.
There is a global competition for our $$$’s, and that competition is pretty stiff!
@perkri- personally, the main reason I'd prefer a US-made product, all other things of merit being equal, would be the ease in sending it back to the manufacturer for repair should that be necessary, as I live in the US.
Guess my point is, who cares where it’s made? Everything is from everywhere now a days :) A product should succeed or fail based on its merits, not because of where it’s made.
Thanks for the info darkj! Like you, I’m always buying from the hometown first, then slowly expanding my search nationally, then go north of the border or overseas when it’s necessary.
im just now starting my search for a dedicated 2-channel receiver and looking at your list.
@googoogjoob "darkj, i only checked under DACS... they arent listed there. thanks."
Thanks. The way the site works, I simply tag companies with the categories of products, and then they appear in that category. I had missed that they make DACs (and integrateds) and have updated them. LTA hasn't really been on my radar, but clearly should be. Nice looking stuff.
Tri-planar makes no claims about country of origin. I see that they're based in Minneapolis, but not sure they have a factory there, or whether it's all made locally or parts are imported.
Jim5559 - There may be some equivalent quality items made in Europe & Canada but better? Doubtful. Here's just a few brands that are amongst the very best available in their respective price ranges & American made:
Magico, YG Acoustics, Rockport, Basis, VPI. JBL, McIntosh, Krell, Mark Levinson, Rogers High Fidelity, Audio research, Conrad Johnson, Boulder, Parasound, Benchmark, Constellation, Dan D'Agostino, Pass Labs, Lamm Industries, PS , Audio, VAC Balanced Audio Technology, Ayre, Aesthetix, etc.
That's just a sampling. Of course very few companies can use only American made components but many of these come fairly close.
I watched a McIntosh MC275 being made on “How It’s Made” and a machine punched out the openings on a piece of metal that had been chromed and they used a bend and break to make the rest of the chassis. This was at the Binghamton factory and not in China.
Nothing against Transparent, many love them. With Wilson speakers, always wanted to try their cables. I use Nordost Valhalla and the Transparent dealers seem reluctant to send me anything for comparison. I see Nordost is on the list. As is Conrad-Johnson. Been there and it's all done in Virginia. Thanks for compiling this information for us.
@coppy777 "Not a fan but what about Transparent audio, the cable folks."
I did not include them because they don't make specific claims about where their cables are made, except for the Magnum Opus, which is Made in USA. As for the rest, they're clear that they design them, and they have a "custom lab" where they'll handle any termination you want, but it's not clear where they source their wires, etc. I have not reached out to them. Incidentally, Transparent Music Wave Super (or something link that) were my first high-end cables back in '97 or so.
Schiit is definitely listed. I particularly think their Yggdrasil is a very good value in DACs. You're right about Legacy. I'm not sure why I forgot them, I had considered purchasing speakers from them before I bought my Vandersteens. I'll add them now.
@darkj Suggest you check out Legacy Audio loudspeakers (Illinois) and Schiit Audio (amps, DACS, equalizers) in CA with some production in TX. "Designed and built" in US; can't vouch for all parts.
@jimijack, we’ll, it appears then tha McIntosh has gone to great lengths to perpetuate a lie then. I’ve seen videos of the stainless steel plate fabrication, autoformer manufacturing, soldering of circuit boards, and more, all done by Americans. Not to say capacitors may be from overseas, but to me it looks as if the majority of the value is done right there in Binghamton. What am I missing?
Have always found that buying by how things sound a more sure method than where they were made, although for awhile I had a completely Canadian system (Classe electronics and Oracle TT).
Yes McIntosh makes some great gear but it's assembled in America.I worked there for 23 years so yes I know,despite their claims The mirrored stainless steel,China,capacitors,and all parts inside China power transformers Shumex'Shumacher moved production to Mexico as did Plitron bought out and made in China,everything made to spec in other Countries......
It is risky, difficult and expensive to ship a heavy amp. several times I have had to send electronics - amp or preamp - back to the manufacturer for repair, so for those things I buy American. It’s true that not every part inside was made here, that’s virtually impossible, so what?
@styleman I would assume that the Swiss, German, Spanish and Scandinavian companies do the same.
Bang & Olufsen use Scanspeak drivers probably exclusively. Not a bad thing. Scanspeak is one of a handful of companies in the world specially equipped to make beryllium tweeters.
I was once informed that Burmester sources it's AMTs from Elac and I know they also use Mundorf. Definitely not a bad thing. They also use Scanspeaks mid-range drivers for sure, and probably woofers as well. Very few speaker manufacturers in the world make all their own drivers. That said, usually outsourced drivers are heavily modified to bespoke specifications.
There are a lot of great audio products on this list. Thanks for compiling.
Sutherland phono pre-amps are as made in the USA as they can be.
While many of the individual components are made over seas (resistors, op amps, capacitors, for example, come from Germany, France and Asia) the components are all hand assembled and soldered in the USA. All steel and aluminum metalwork and machining are also USA sourced.
We don't have boards assembled overseas then assemble modules.
As everyone knows we live in a global economy and much of the design, testing and manufacturing along with parts / sub - assemblies often come from different parts of the globe for all types of products. As such, I’d wager ~10% of the list of companies truly meet "Made in America". And that’s completely OK, because if everything were truly made in America you’d pay 3x the price and have 1/3 of the companies based in the U.S.A.
Also, for me (and likely many others) I look for the best products at the most reasonable price that meets my needs. Ask yourself - do you only buy "U.S made" vehicles? I could care less if it was built on Mars, may the best company with the best products win (and btw, they won’t be "made" in any one country anyway).
While with some designs it’s hard to get all American-made inc fasteners etc. But on a few loudspeakers, I build every year I use 80% American no Chinese parts. All my cabinetry is hand-made in the WI USA with American materials glues and fasteners. Many of the speaker brands listed as American use Chinese cabinets crossover parts wire fasteners glues and drivers. So what is really made in America the McIntosh XR100 is 100% Chinese made. One needs to do research if country of origin matters.
@darkj, great website! It is a significant amount of work for a consumer to understand when a product is “Made in USA”, versus “Assembled in USA.” I had this conversation with Dan Airens from Airens snowblowers about ten years ago, and that conversation led Airens to change the labeling on their line of snowblowers they were selling at Home Depot at that time. They misunderstood the FTC rules regarding labeling.
What makes me chuckle are the “Designed in California” labels I often see. Many of the items we used that are made in a China, are designed in the USA. But to own items that are made in the USA, or any advanced economy, is a source of pride.
Thanks again.
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