The Usual Suspects
Some tools are universal.
China 2006
Burn-In Bench
Everything gets cooked before packing, as a final quality assurance measure.
Board Stuffing
'Nuff said.
When He Says "Hand-Made," He Means It
This is not the fastest way to heatshrink trannie leads, but this guy obviously takes his job seriously.
Listening Lab
Original's listening room is extraordinary. The reference system when I was there was Thiel CS 2.2s, a pair of Mark Levinson No. 29s, an XLH preamp, and an Original A9.2 CD player.
The Battleground
Du calls this conference room, "the battleground, because we argue about designs all the time. It gets pretty heated."
Design Is Key
Original employs four full-time design engineers.
York Du
This is York Du of Original, which makes "CD players and only CD players."
David Zheng
This is David Zheng of ETKG Co. Ltd. He manufactures the metal-work for most high-end Chinese brands, as well as many US, and European companies.
Industrial Park
ETKG is located in what used to be a farming village near GuangZhou. Now it's considered to be in GuangZhou, although, as you can see, the streets retain their rural feel.