Xone:92 "Made in UK" vs. "Made in China" - any difference?
Xone:92 "Made in UK" vs. "Made in China" - any difference? Posted on: 05.05.2011 by Francina Decosse A friend of mine has a good offer for a brand new Xone:92. Unfortunately, all the new ones are made in China and the rummors say that they're not on par with what they used to be, when they were made in UK.Is there any true difference in the sound quality or the durability or some of the specs between the UK and the Chinese variants (e.g. weight)? It seems that the UK ones are silver, and the graphite ones are the Chinese? I hope some of you guys have played with both variants and can share some first hand experience. Cheers! | |
| Dorie Scelzo 06.05.2011 | Based purely on rumors and hearsay, the Chinese-made mixers have a slightly higher failure rate than the UK-made ones, but I've had enough audio stuff die from bad manufacturing processes that came from china that I trust the hearsay. For some reason |
| Dorie Scelzo 06.05.2011 | Based purely on rumors and hearsay, the Chinese-made mixers have a slightly higher failure rate than the UK-made ones, but I've had enough audio stuff die from bad manufacturing processes that came from china that I trust the hearsay. For some reason |
| Dorie Scelzo 06.05.2011 | Based purely on rumors and hearsay, the Chinese-made mixers have a slightly higher failure rate than the UK-made ones, but I've had enough audio stuff die from bad manufacturing processes that came from china that I trust the hearsay. For some reason |
| Dorie Scelzo 06.05.2011 | Based purely on rumors and hearsay, the Chinese-made mixers have a slightly higher failure rate than the UK-made ones, but I've had enough audio stuff die from bad manufacturing processes that came from china that I trust the hearsay. For some reason |
| Dorie Scelzo 06.05.2011 | Based purely on rumors and hearsay, the Chinese-made mixers have a slightly higher failure rate than the UK-made ones, but I've had enough audio stuff die from bad manufacturing processes that came from china that I trust the hearsay. For some reason |
| Dorie Scelzo 06.05.2011 | Based purely on rumors and hearsay, the Chinese-made mixers have a slightly higher failure rate than the UK-made ones, but I've had enough audio stuff die from bad manufacturing processes that came from china that I trust the hearsay. For some reason |
| Dorie Scelzo 06.05.2011 | Based purely on rumors and hearsay, the Chinese-made mixers have a slightly higher failure rate than the UK-made ones, but I've had enough audio stuff die from bad manufacturing processes that came from china that I trust the hearsay. For some reason |
| Dorie Scelzo 06.05.2011 | Based purely on rumors and hearsay, the Chinese-made mixers have a slightly higher failure rate than the UK-made ones, but I've had enough audio stuff die from bad manufacturing processes that came from china that I trust the hearsay. For some reason |
| Dorie Scelzo 06.05.2011 | Based purely on rumors and hearsay, the Chinese-made mixers have a slightly higher failure rate than the UK-made ones, but I've had enough audio stuff die from bad manufacturing processes that came from china that I trust the hearsay. For some reason |
| Dorie Scelzo 06.05.2011 | Based purely on rumors and hearsay, the Chinese-made mixers have a slightly higher failure rate than the UK-made ones, but I've had enough audio stuff die from bad manufacturing processes that came from china that I trust the hearsay. For some reason |
| Dorie Scelzo 06.05.2011 | Based purely on rumors and hearsay, the Chinese-made mixers have a slightly higher failure rate than the UK-made ones, but I've had enough audio stuff die from bad manufacturing processes that came from china that I trust the hearsay. For some reason |
| Dorie Scelzo 06.05.2011 | Based purely on rumors and hearsay, the Chinese-made mixers have a slightly higher failure rate than the UK-made ones, but I've had enough audio stuff die from bad manufacturing processes that came from china that I trust the hearsay. For some reason |
| Dorie Scelzo 06.05.2011 | Based purely on rumors and hearsay, the Chinese-made mixers have a slightly higher failure rate than the UK-made ones, but I've had enough audio stuff die from bad manufacturing processes that came from china that I trust the hearsay. For some reason |
| Francina Decosse 07.05.2011 | So far, so good. I'm getting more and more confident that the "made in china" should not be a show stopper for a 92 purchase. And you have a good point, mostapha! If it's a new unit, warranty would take care of eventual issues (which hopefully are unlikely to happen). Just feel that I owe an apology in response to the IZN's post:
Originally Posted by IznremiX
Cheers guys and thanks much for your input! |
| Dorie Scelzo 06.05.2011 | Based purely on rumors and hearsay, the Chinese-made mixers have a slightly higher failure rate than the UK-made ones, but I've had enough audio stuff die from bad manufacturing processes that came from china that I trust the hearsay. For some reason |
| Ashley Bernhoft 05.05.2011 |
Originally Posted by BradCee
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| Dorcas Bassignani 05.05.2011 |
Originally Posted by BigUns
and a prerequisite of all manufacturing that the country of origin needs to be identified |
| Antonetta Wikel 03.09.2012 | "HolyNecro Batman!!!" |
| Nanci Loup 03.09.2012 | Mr. Allen & Heath rep, I would love to have a choice as too where I spend my money regardless of where the item is made. I understand that it's the same item whether made in UK or China, but if you had the money and were told that Ferrari's are being built in China too, would you spend your money in China or Italy for that Ferrari? I want my mixer to say made in the UK. Not in China!!! Are the silver Xone 92's made in the UK? |
| Francina Decosse 07.05.2011 | So far, so good. I'm getting more and more confident that the "made in china" should not be a show stopper for a 92 purchase. And you have a good point, mostapha! If it's a new unit, warranty would take care of eventual issues (which hopefully are unlikely to happen). Just feel that I owe an apology in response to the IZN's post:
Originally Posted by IznremiX
Cheers guys and thanks much for your input! |
| Dorie Scelzo 06.05.2011 | Based purely on rumors and hearsay, the Chinese-made mixers have a slightly higher failure rate than the UK-made ones, but I've had enough audio stuff die from bad manufacturing processes that came from china that I trust the hearsay. For some reason |
| Branden Wentler 06.05.2011 | Mine is silver, built in China and has a special place in my heart...well at least my table top. Dew eet! Get zee mixxa naow! |
| Lisa Lochotzki 06.05.2011 | So far, so good Someone confirm RTFL then |
| Suzanna Paddock 05.05.2011 | this is Bullshit. I have a silver A&H and it's made in china, built like a tank, sounds fantastic. Fact is, if you want the 'made in UK' you're gonna have to dig deep cos they don't make em there anymore. I once rented an older made in uk unit, didn't have them side by side, but seems to me they sounded and felt the same. |
| Ashley Bernhoft 05.05.2011 |
Originally Posted by BradCee
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| Paulette Stolhand 05.05.2011 | Its UK and Silver faceplate |
| Francina Decosse 05.05.2011 | cool, thanks for checking! so it's the china one, I guess. is it silver or it's graphite/black? lol, we have a theory that the silver ones are the UK made, and you have a chance mythbust it |
| Paulette Stolhand 05.05.2011 | Ahh yes got it, its on the back, no problems at all with mine but I have nothing to compare to. |
| Dorcas Bassignani 05.05.2011 |
Originally Posted by BigUns
and a prerequisite of all manufacturing that the country of origin needs to be identified |
| Francina Decosse 05.05.2011 | should be written on the back, I guess is it a silver/light grey or it's black/graphite? |
| Paulette Stolhand 05.05.2011 | how do I find out if mine is UK or China? |
| Dorcas Bassignani 05.05.2011 |
Originally Posted by Ando
trust me, no one gives a fuck in factories (more so in food production) and everything is just seen as that thing i need to assemble/fill/pack/seal etc... there are the odd 'sick' individuals that somehow enjoy it, but few and very far between |
| Francina Decosse 05.05.2011 | @BigUns: Thanks for the reference! It's an expected statement by a company representative. We still hope to get some real first hand feedback by an actual user! @IZN, having 10+ years of professional experience with various companies in the high tech industry, I can only second Ando's post. Most of my HiFi gear originates from Germany and is mostly from the late 70s/early 80s - I have Telefunken, Grundig, Braun, Revox units. Man these are all built like tanks - they are amazing. I've also had UK built staff over the years and they are also great, engineering and manufacturing wise. Working for a company, it's all about the feeling that you are part of the thing - involvement. Think about it, A&H has never been a company to produce tons of gear. Their Studio series are mostly custom built - R&D engineers sits with the technicians and work together, side by side. The DJ division is probably producing a bit more units, but not that much for sure. It's like a higher-scale workshop. The engineering team, the production team, the marketing, the support - these guys drink their beers together, very likely they know each others families too. They are all involved. Well, what would that involvement be when speaking for a remote factory in China - it just can't be the same. When working with Chinese, it's a very different story. They want to get the job done and "eventually" meet the expectations (read the westernies demands). It usually takes several iterations before the customer says "i'm satisfied, please proceed". This is a very irritating process, just because the level of involvement is not as high as one could wish and expect it to be. In most cases, after many demo units flying back and forth, you just get an "acceptable" quality assembly/product at some point and you sign the "proceed" statement with it. Can it be better - "Yes", is it the same quality as we were doing it before - "it's close, and it's times cheaper. let's move on". And believe me, it's a tough job to negotiate with Chinese from China - quite often, they just don't get the point (or pretend to not getting it). But you always end up satisfied with something "acceptable for less". |
| Ashley Bernhoft 05.05.2011 | because they do feel like this is their company and the mixers is theirs. if the management did everything right the people identify themselves with the company they work at. unbelievable but true, some of them love the job they have and feel like they have to give it there all. experienced some people like that in factories and shops in germany at least, i doubt that this is different in the uk. edit: spell check |
| Valeri Holderness 05.05.2011 |
Originally Posted by loop
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| Paulette Stolhand 05.05.2011 | http://www.allen-heath.com/xonecommunity
...?TID=3583&PN=2 An admin posts on that thread:
Folks
The misnomer about China built unit is warring a bit thin and, tbh, borders on xenophobia. Units built in China use the same components, are subject to the same production standards and go through the same Q&I procedures as our UK built units. The high volume of units manufactured, however, inevitably means that, sometimes, products can get out into the field with some minor problems. Unfortunately, this is something that all mass production processes can suffer from, though this is something we always try to address. It is, however, less to do with geography than it is logistics of high volume production. If you have purchased an Allen&Heath product that you believe isn't up to standard, please contact your supplier who should be able to check the unit out for you and make any arrangements to have problems addressed if necessary. If you feel that they can't help, or if you also have a problem with more than one unit, then please let us know (especially if it's a replacement for a previously faulty item); You can do this either by contacting our distributor in your region, or by contacting us, directly, via the established A&H support systems HERE giving us details of your unit's serial number. This way we can ensure any concerns are addressed and fully resolved and if the problem was in any way due to production issues, it would give us the opportunity to ensure Q&I are made aware. Unfortunately, spurious comments, anecdotes, or claims about what you've heard 'on the grapevine', or posted here can't be substantiated by us and may often be completely without foundation. We're proud of our products and both sound and build quality are well established. We also want our customers to feel the same so, if you have a problem with your A&H product, talk to us about it and we'll help to get it resolved. On the other hand, if you have issues with 'China built' products, you might want to have a look at the other electrical goods you use... or if you're complaint is about how the global manufacturing industry has developed, you might want to talk to your local political representative (about 30 years ago) rather than perpetuating some, westernised, urban myths that don't hold water when considered objectively. Thanks |
| Lisa Lochotzki 05.05.2011 | I heard the Gray/Silver one are made in UK, while the Black model are made In China. Well, it's A&H, I wouldn't be affraid. |
| Francina Decosse 05.05.2011 | @sarasin - dude, it's a legit & original A&H product. @IznremiX - The 92's superb reputation comes from the original units made by A&H in UK. And ... it's not enough if a unit is made under the direction of an original company in China. What's made in Europe is usually much higher quality, but it costs much more The main difference is that we (as europeans) somehow value and honor these pieces of technology. We love them and want them to be made as perfect and durable as possible. For a chinese guy, that is just the next product on the line for the next couple of weeks before the next contract comes in place. It's all about personal attitude, it's not that chinese cannot make quality stuff, they can, of course, but only if they care ... well, they usually don't ... at least not as much ... |
| Valeri Holderness 05.05.2011 |
Originally Posted by loop
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| Lilliana Perris 05.05.2011 | I would not buy directly from China..... It it says MADE in CHiNA....i would beware.... Grey Imports...and fakes fro that area....are just NUTS! |
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