Colin,
A good topic to discuss! Thanx for the links.
My 2 cents: Yes, i have seen chinese amps make inroads into the market, in the last 2-3 years. I am going to list below concerns folk may have with amps made in china (esp SET amps). I do not mean to single out any cutlure or country, just listing concerns some folk here may have:
1. Maybe using fake parts, esp. the trannies. Having grown up in a third world country myself, I can definitely say that the temptation to save3 bucks by putting in fake parts is a big one.
2. Maybe using poor solder..again..saving a few pennies per amp, maybe unavailability of good solder
3. Maybe unreliable workmanship...always a problem when you are paying low wages
4. No warranty coverage...at least not as reliable as a USA based companyIf you build an amp yourself, clearly that's most cost effective. BUt if you get one built here in the USA, you pay more, but you may have a little more peace of mind.
Again, these concerns may go away as these amps get some reputation. AS of now, I think they are a GREAT price, with a little bit of uncertainty. Colin, hearing your positive experiences with them is a good item of info to have, at least for me. Takes away some of the uncertainty.
thanx
-akhilesh