Even though Beijing had resumed rare earth metal export to Japan, does the Mainland Chinese monopoly on rare earth metals bad for the hi-fi industry in the long run?
By: Ringo Bones
When it comes to the use of rare earth based ultra powerful permanent magnets, the hi-fi industry is probably without equal. From the relatively large samarium cobalt and neodymium boron iron magnets used in dynamic loudspeakers to the tiny magnets used in tape-based analog tape record / playback heads known for their glorious non-fatiguing warm analog sound. Not to mention the CD / DVD player and LP turntable motors that contain rare earth magnets, come to think of it, the hi-fi industry is probably the most rare earth dependent consumer electronic industry on the face of the planet.
Even though Mainland China’s quotas of rare earth metals being exported into the global market has more or less returned to the pre-conflict with Japan levels back November 24, 2010, Mainland China’s virtual monopoly of the global rare earth metal industry is not only detrimental to the world’s high-tech industry that’s very much dependent on rare earth metals but also its concept of “quality” – especially when it comes to hi-fidelity audio – is wholly different that of the Japanese obsession with Single Ended Triode amplifiers or of the Western concept of absolute sound quality in general. I mean had Mainland China ever produced its own version of a cost-no-object CD player set to rival the sound quality of a 7,000-euro German made Burmester CD player?
With Mainland China’s proposed 120 nuclear reactors it plans to operate to lower the country’s carbon footprint, rare earth metal export quotas might further be reduced. After all, they would probably be using their mined dysprosium and holmium as burnable poisons for their fission-type nuclear power plants. Not to mention the use of other rare earth metals for the magnetic relays, making the hi-fi industry yet again raise prices due to rare earth metal scarcity and pass on the expense to us hi-fi enthusiasts / capitalist consumers.
Add to the recent Wikileaks revelation that the Beijing government wants a North and South Korean reunification with the Seoul government in charge wold pose a rather significant geopolitical risk in the security of Mainland China's ability to maintain the commercial trading of rare earth metals. It would be sooner rather than later that Mainland China’s virtual monopoly on the rare earth metal industry won’t allow it anymore to keep up with global rare earth metal demand since all the rare earth metals it produces will only be enough for domestic consumption.
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If Mainland China cannot keep up with the world's insatiable demand of rare earth metals, anything made with rare earth metals will soon become prohibitively expensive. In the hi-fi world that means dynamic loudspeakers, CD / DVD players and almost everything else.
What about using Alnico magnets for hi-fi loudspeakers? Alnico magnet hi-fi loudspeakers are famed for their gorgeous midrange and many hi-fi enthusiasts swear by them as the soulmates of single-ended triode amplifiers.
Mainland China's virtual monopoly on the commercial rare earth metal production is probably the greatest conundrum ever faced by the high fidelity industry since the growing apathy on sound quality became fashionable. Alnico magnet speakers tend to occupy a large volume - unlike their rare earth based neodymium or samarium cobalt magnet compact cousins - which could spell bad news for Hong kong based hi-fi enthusiasts who lives in homes were space is considered an absolute premium. Alnico magnet hi-fi loudspeakers may be gorgeous sounding with single-ended triode amplifiers, but their capabilities at the bass end of the audio spectrum necessitated the need for a rare earth metal magnet subwoofer.
Alnico magnets can't handle the motor effects inherent in those compact acoustic suspension seal box hi-fi loudspeakers. Alnico magnets are too weak despite of their gorgeous midrange sound quality.
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