"normanstrong" wrote in message
news:_dtQc.231335$JR4.24835@attbi_s54...
Among the many terms used frequently in discussing audio equipment is
the phrase "world-class." Like so many such terms, it doesn't appear
to have any accepted definition. Can anyone throw some light on just
what it is that makes a component world-class?

Norm Strong

I think the term became popular when the U.S. car industry tried to compete
abroad. A car which was good enough for foreign markets was dubbed "world
class" by auto journalists. The term must have been used before this in many
other contexts, as in "world class athlete."

But the term gradually shifted to mean excellent quality. In the case of
hifi, it's rather nonsensical, since everything is sold everywhere.

As far as I can see, what little hifi equipment is still made in the U.S.
has this quality, in spades.