Category: Business Updates

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 […]