We had the opportunity to fly to Shanghai where the sE Electronics factory is based. The static and ribbon microphone manufacturer celebrates this year its 10th anniversary.
The AudioFanzine team went to the Asian empire where we had the opportunity to review our prejudice against Chinese manufacturing — so often a synonym for cheap quality and low prices. In fact, we visited a human-size factory and had the chance to observe the different production steps: from development to manufacturing, to testing and quality control. The manufacturer claims not to subcontract anything and to manufacture every component of the microphones by themselves, with the cooperation of famous industry names like Rupert Neve. Once you know that every component is meticulously tested and that the microphones are conceived by gifted engineers, you’ll probably realize that this Chinese brand need not worry about the famous manufacturers on the other side of the globe…
Below you’ll find an exclusive video: an interview with James Ishmaev-Young, English partner of Siwei Zou (sE Electronics’ founder), who explains to us the production steps and process that goes into the manufacturing of microphones, and how the brand tries to distinguish itself from competitors.