I have to agree on China. Whenever humanly possible I avoid buying anything Chinese, simply because they always fail or poison the people using it. A large part of why I bought my Outlaw Amp was because it was made in the US. I had, mistakenly it seems, assumed the 997 was also made in the US. I would have paid an extra $500+ if it had been made in the US. As it is I'll have to take a much harder look other products. You always have to wonder if a Chinese electronic component will cut a corner and burn your house down.