[Analog Sound™] has just launched their KT88 integrated tube amp – AS-127 model, with 4 x KT88 for output of RMS 30watts per channel in one of the recent Chinese Hi-Fi shows. It has inherited the looks from the very popular AS-125 (211 output tubes), and it is a perfect match with ‘power hunger’ lower efficiency (below 90dB) speakers.
We have added a new sub-category to our product offering called ’12V Nomad’ – featuring off grid power products, renewable energy storage and nomadic lifestyle products. For the most HiFi related power products, you can find them under Grant Fidelity website category under top menu – [Gear] – [Off-Grid Power Station]. For a full [12V Nomad] catalogue, you can find it all on our separate website – 12VNomad.com
The first offering is EcoFlow brand – it is one of the leading portable battery power brand worldwide, selling globally in 68 countries, with solid reliable warranty. For all Canadian orders, we offer complimentary home delivery and optional pick up from our warehouse in Greater Calgary Area, Alberta.
As you may or may not know, in the past few years, I have expanded Grant Fidelity’s business to bring unique western audio brands to the Chinese market. One of them is PureAudioProject open baffle speakers, as you have seen paired with [Analog Sound™] tube amps at multiple Chinese audio shows.
The founder of PureAudioProject, Ze’ev Schlik, is a vinyl nut, to put it without exaggeration! Not to mention his personal collection of thousands of LPs that he never parted with even during the peak years for digital music, not to mention his routine treasure hunting at vinyl vendor booths while he had his own showroom to attend at audio shows!
Ze’ev as an ex Latavian resident, residing in Israel now since he was 10 years old, discovered Chinese music through Chinese audio shows when marketing his own speakers there.
As he put in the liner notes in this unique LP:
Having spent years in music and audio industry one gets exposed to different genres and cultures, however, Chinese music was always a far and a distant reality. Nothing could prepare me for what I experienced at PureAudioProject first Audio Show in Shantou, back in 2015.
Shortly after setting up the show set and playing few tracks the local dealer asked us to put his CD with Chinese music. The sleeve was very impressive and with the first notes I was totally shocked by the beauty, the sonic presentation and above all the emotional impact of the music. I asked for the CD name and later on insisted to get a copy of it! This was Rhymoi’s album ‘Dream of an Opera’ and the track ‘Dream of the Red Mansion’ isthe opening track of the LP you are now holding in your hands.With time and many more shows to come I witnessed what a deep knowledge Chinese people have with classical music and nothing was any longer a surprise. Thousands years old beautiful traditional melodies, handled by super talented composers and musicians, totally melt the cultural and the sonic barrier that prevented a western guy like me of diving into traditional Chinese music. However, from there on, I gladly allowed myself to take this dive and I did it by exploring the repertoire of a very unique music label, Rhymoi – the Music of China.
Get on the ‘West to East’ music journey with Ze’ev, by owning this unique 180gram, Pressed-in-Germany, super high quality LP:
Grant Fidelity receive emails frequently from people all over the world, asking us about Chi-Fi (Chinese HiFi), who is reliable vendor and which brand is better etc etc..Well, I cannot answer all those questions about ‘other vendors’ and ‘other brands’ that Grant Fidelity don’t deal with, but below is my 15+ years of hands-on experience buying and selling Chi-Fi.
Please note: They are MY personal guidelines for shopping Chi-Fi, as if I were a western consumer who doesn’t read or understand Chinese, but is intrigued by the Chi-Fi pricing and features read on internet.
Rule #1: Know what you are buying.
When you buy a piece of high fidelity tube audio equipment, you are NOT just buying a sum of ‘transformers / capacitors / resistors /faceplates /chassis / vacuum tubes’.
You are buying a sum of ‘Proprietary audio design + manufacturing by assembling transformers / capacitors / resistors / faceplates / chassis / vacuum tubes + Pre-sale consultation + After-sale warranty + Repair service after warranty + Future resale value’.
Let’s go one by one so you understand why Chi-Fi is cheaper than western brands:
| Pricing components | Western Brand | Chi-Fi |
| Proprietary audio design | Yes. Copy other people’s design is against IP law in the western world! | Not necessarily, except very few brands. Many Chi-Fi brands ‘learnt’ some design from OEM for western brands, then transplanting those design ideas to their own products. Some were implemented well, others terribly wrong as they didn’t fully understand why such design was done in the first place. Design is a wholesome art, not just putting pieces together. |
| Labor: assembling parts to final products | Expensive, if produced in western countries, for complying with western labor & environmental laws. | Much cheaper. Labor was much cheaper before, but not as much now. Environmental laws are often circumvented by some manufacturers. Be mindful that not on one side criticizing Chinese environmental problems and labor rights, but on the other side paying low price to reward those manufacturers. |
| Transformers | Usually outsourced not wound in-house. But transformer design might be proprietary to the brand. | Good Chinese hi-fi brands always wind their transformers in house, because they NEVER fully trust suppliers swapping for lower grade copper, recycled steel core, or not damping the transformer with the right quality material! If a Chi-Fi brand uses outsourced ‘made-in-China’ transformers, final quality is very very questionable. Many cheap Chi-Fi you see online use outsourced transformers that can be under rated, overheat with time, or simply fail in much shorter time than a good quality transformer should last. |
| Capacitors / Resistors | Western brands if made in the west, are EXPENSIVE. It’s simple economics – employees in western countries have to be paid enough to afford western lifestyle that westerners are accustomed with. | Chi-Fi uses lots of western brand caps / resistors, but often use those brands that has OEM in place in China and supply directly to Chinese market. Counterfeits are plenty on the market which looks almost 99% the same, but it’s NOT the real thing. Or, it is the real thing, but OEM factories didn’t pay the western brand royalties for marketing with their brands, and ‘such branded products’ flew out of OEM factory backdoor to the market for cheaper price. This is NOT ethical business practice and should NOT be supported by western consumers. |
| Faceplates / Chassis | Expensive if made in the west. Also expensive if made-in-China then ship to the west to assemble, due to international shipping cost and tax & labor expenses. | Cheaper. These types of suppliers are often small shops who respect no environmental regulations, pop up and disappear if they are fined by local government. It’s an ongoing ‘catch me if you can’ game. Overall, environmental regulations are getting tighter in China and cost is rising significantly, but still cheaper than made in a western country. |
| Rubber feet | If made in the west, it’s likely ok and won’t be a health hazard. | If made in China and the brand is not well known with established branding and reputation, change them out right away! I found many low priced Chi-Fi use cheap rubber feet that are made with recycled rubber. They not only leave an oily stain on your pricy equipment rack, but also gives out a nasty smell – VERY BAD for health! |
| Vacuum tubes | If manufacturer screens tubes themselves before putting into their amps, likely they throw out the bad half and keep the good half. So tube cost at the end will likely double. It will often cost more to return those bad tubes to Chinese tube factory than simply throwing them out. | Chi-Fi uses Chinese tubes. If there are not-so-good-quality tubes, they quickly return them to Chinese tube factory to swap for a new batch. Because Chi-Fi is made in much larger quantity for a larger Chinese market, they get cheaper pricing on tubes from the tube factories, than their western counter parties. |
| Pre-Sale consultation | Yes, usually done very well. It was priced into the product and conducted by dealers or manufacturers with in-depth knowledge. | Not as much. Not many HiFi dealers in China are as knowledgeable as dealers in the west. Dealers there are primarily ‘vendors’ who has enough financial dough to stock up expensive HiFi inventory (which is often required by Chinese HiFi brands to get dealer status) , rent prime location retail storefronts and hire ‘price quoting, and brochure repeating’ sales clerk to keep retail operation going. |
| After-sale Warranty | Yes. It was priced into the product and conducted by combination of dealers & manufacturers. Consumer rights are well protected by regulations. | Yes, but it was only priced for warranty conducted inside China – ie. Chinese domestic shipping cost, Chinese domestic repair labor. This is much much cheaper than what such activities will cost if they are conducted by a western service provider, or a western distributor or reseller. Be prepared to pay extra 15% or higher if you expect your western reseller to offer a local warranty. |
| Repair service after warranty | Available from manufacturer or specialized repair service provider. For extra ‘parts and labor’ cost. | Available from Chinese factories, but international shipping cost will kill it, let alone dealing with Chinese customs. Chinese customs do NOT allow import ‘used goods’ into China. You should buy from authorized sources and try to obtain factory schematics for your own record, in case you need it down the road. Repair service can be done by western service provider of your own choice, as ‘Pay as you go’. But some very badly designed Chi-Fi is not repairable – they have to be redo entirely to operate well for long term. |
| Future resale value | If 2-3 years used, you usually can get 60% of full retail price for a well known well marketed western tube amp brand. Buyer will have some peace of mind for future repair service availability. | Because of the lack of after-market service by the Chi-Fi manufacturer in the western world, resale value is encumbered in this aspect. But you get a lower price on Chi-Fi to start with! If 2-3 years used and you bought it at ‘Chinese domestic retail price + international shipping cost’, you can price it for 70% of the Chinese domestic retail price you paid, but not on the international shipping cost. |
| Dealer Margin | Built into retail price as per cost of doing business in the western world. Usually starting from 40% of retail price. | Built into Chinese retail price as per cost of doing business in China (which is cheaper). Usually starting from 30% of Chinese domestic retail price. Please note this 30% margin isn’t enough for a western full service dealer to operate a normal high end audio business, and provide all services a western consumer feel entitled to. |
| International distributor margin | Built into pricing if the brand was from another western country. | The internet Chi-Fi price you see on eBay or other Chi-Fi website doesn’t include international distributor margin – it is simply Chinese domestic retail price + international shipping. So expect to deal with problems on your own since there is no middle-man who has been paid to solve those problems for you. You have to pay to get these problems covered by someone for an extra cost. |
I hope the above will equip you a little bit better when shopping Chi-Fi online, and have your expectations set right, knowing exactly what you are buying and what you have paid for.
It’s always true that ‘You get what you have paid for’. If something is too cheap, it’s likely someone, somewhere in the supply chain, has cut corners – then usually the bargain hunting buyers will have to pay extra to get it right later on.
Happy Shopping!
Rachel @ Grant Fidelity
[This post has been updated as of Jan 4th, 2021 to reflect business changes]
[Line Magnetic®] is no longer an unknown Chinese Hi-Fi brand name – over the past years, it has gained serious reputation worldwide with its tube amps.
However, many in the western world are confused about the company structure – because it always had two separate operations, run by each of the two founding Zheng brothers, always completely independently.
One operates from Zhuhai, a city adjacent to Macao (known as the oriental Vegas with luxury casinos) – We refer this one as ‘Line Magnetic Zhuhai – the Modern’ (LMZH); the other from Foshan, a city next to Guangzhou – we refer this one as ‘Line Magnetic Foshan – the Vintage (LMFS)’.
Line Magnetic Zhuhai (LMZH) is an incorporated company, used to be operated by the younger brother of the two founding brothers, focusing on production of “modern” tube amps and their product models named as ‘LM-XXX’. The initial team were from Cayin (another Chi-Fi brand that is still around today). These LM amps are the popular reviewed ‘Line Magnetic tube amps’ that we see & read often in western media, dealers showroom etc. One of them, LM-518IA (a 845 SET tube amp) made to the front page of Stereophile magazine a couple of years ago, confirming their excellent sound and quality.
Line Magnetic Foshan (LMFS) – more specifically, ‘Line Magnetic Western Electric Replica Design Studio’, (was a sole proprietorship and still is today), used to be operated by the older brother of the two founders, initially only focusing on Western Electric Replica “vintage” amplifiers, drivers and large horn speakers etc. This was the founder’s passion and lifelong pursuit.
Unfortunately, till March 2019 both founding brothers have sadly passed away at relatively young age, and left the audio business, both operations, to each of their children, two cousins to continue.
Line Magnetic Zhuhai (LMZH), the corporation, is left to a young lady to continue operation with assistance of a team of factory engineers. It continues exporting Line Magnetic tube amps through a worldwide distributor dealer network today. It has a USA / EU / Australia distributor right now that you can easily find through Google search.
Line Magnetic Foshan (LMFS), the successor sole proprietorship, is left to a young male guitarist & engineer who continues its operation of offering Western Electric Replica vintage line of products.
Teamed with a non-family related financing partner, who provides funds injection and marketing / sales support, the young successor formed a new PARTNERSHIP with the investor, INDEPENDENT FROM LINE MAGNETIC, THE CORPORATION, and launched a new independent tube amplification line called [Analog Sound™] a few years ago and it is marketed inside and outside of China.
[Analog Sound™] sets outright ambitious goal to be ‘THE best Chi-Fi brand, Period’.
[Analog Sound™] line of tube amplifiers capitalize on the knowledge and know-how that LMFS had accumulated through their decades of research, restoration, reproduction of ‘Western Electric Replica’ vintage amps, components etc, but this is a line of ‘new design’ tube amps UNDER DIFFERENT OWNERSHIP FROM LINE MAGNETIC COMPANY. It revives the glory of tube sound to the best as in 1930’s to 1940’s, and bring such to the music and hifi lovers in 2020’s. This line of products are named with model number as ‘AS-XXX’. ‘AS- stands for [Analog Sound™].
Below is a picture how this [Analog Sound™] line looks like.
[Analog Sound™] are sold by ‘factory direct’ from China, not grouped into the ‘Line Magnetic Zhuhai’ distribution network, so you cannot see them at Line Magnetic dealer stores.
Outside of China, this line of very fine high end tube amps are available through direct order with Grant Fidelity, then we place production order to the PARTNERSHIP. We are setting up very few selected showrooms, and possible ‘peer-to-peer’ listening via our [Where To Listen™] platform.
[Analog Sound™] is the cream of top of all Chi-Fi tube amps that we have seen / heard since we started sourcing tube amps from China back in 2006. We have arranged [Analog Sound™] co-exhibited with a popular western Open Baffle speaker brand – “PureAudioProject” multiple times and still ongoing at Chinese high end audio shows, with performance that has never disappointed us.
So how do [Analog Sound™] line of tube amps sound compared to what its sister company produces?
Let’s put it short: Coupled with Western Electric replica transformers and vintage design know-how, the [Analog Sound™] line is at ‘A WHOLE NEW LEVEL of TUBE HEAVEN‘.
Its performance even tops many world’s best tube amps we have heard at many Hi-Fi shows worldwide, but still at a reasonable price, thanks to its ‘Factory Direct’ sales model, and ‘Made-in-China’ origin. Once this line of products are put through retail channel, its price is likely to shoot up significantly. When comparing this line of amps to other brands, make sure you are comparing it horizontally with its MSRP Suggested Retail price, but not the ‘factory direct’ price. Factory direct price is literally equivalent to other brands’ dealer price!
Grant Fidelity are honored to have been authorized by [Analog Sound™] to offer their products to western world, through online orders and factory drop shipping to ultra fidelity audiophiles in the western world.
All warranty services of [Analog Sound™] line of products will be coordinated by us and provided by the factory with authentic components only.
Welcome to our new website with better functionality and experience!
We will continue adding products & services in the coming days… please check back often and see what’s new.
How to explore this website?
Happy Listening!
Rachel @ Grant Fidelity
We from time to time receive inquiries about Chinese HiFi speakers, including for some so-called ‘vintage replica’ speakers. Below is the typical information we provide to the inquirer – it might help you better prepared for buying large expensive speakers but only find it somewhat disappointing after the HUGE shipment is delivered:
“When a Chinese branded speaker is listed with the brand’s overseas distributor, we don’t sell it by a parallel channel to undermine the brand’s own dealers. We only arrange ‘factory direct’ orders with brands who wish for direct sales to North America, without compromising their existing dealers.
For buying Chinese speakers, a few things to keep in mind:
1) Cabinets could be subject to humidity damage. North American homes typically have much lower humidity especially in the colder climates.
2) Chinese speakers’ tuning are done by Chinese designers – they tend to overemphasize high frequency and deliver not enough bass to western listeners’ taste, and frequency balancing is not the same as by western designers. This is my personal impression – not sure a certain speaker is an exception.
3) Grant Fidelity had toured many many Chinese audio dealer stores and factories along with professional live event sound engineer, and high end audio designer. Honestly none of these western sound pros were overly impressed by Chinese speaker ‘tuning’. I personally think this is due to listening habits differences and music genre differences between cultures – a raving review of Chinese speakers by Chinese audiophiles is not of the same merit to a western listener. A western buyer should keep this in mind when shopping for Chinese speakers.”
Hope this helps your ChiFi adventure. These are entirely personal impression and listening is a very subjective matter. Please read this with a grain of salt :）
Rachel@ Grant Fidelity
