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  1. #1
    Join Date: Apr 2015

    Location: Southampton, United Kingdom

    Posts: 619
    I'm Paul.

    Default Pronunciation of manufacturers' names

    I sold my Rega Jura IIs yesterday to a very nice chap called Will.
    We spent nearly two hours listening to and discussing music and I'm happy I got a good price (£130) and they're going to a good home where they'll be appreciated.

    Weird thing was, he pronounced Rega "Ray-gah" while I've always said/thought "Ree-gah".
    Then on his way out he saw my Grado headphones and said "Oh, nice pair of Gray-dohs" and that bugged me because I'd always thought it was "Grah-doh".

    I know it's tempting to just write "Toe-may-toe" "Asparagus" at this point but which is it for those two ? Am I right or is he ?
    And are there any other weird ones you've never been sure about ??

    Sennheiser = Sen-high-zer is how it should be pronounced if it's Germanic in origin because you say the second of the "i" and the "e" depending on the order (either "ie" or "ei")
    NAD = as in gonad, not N.A.D., right ?
    KEF = K.E.F. not "Keff", right ?
    Aiwa = Aye-wah, right ?
    Thorens = Torrenz (like torrent), right ?

    Anymore for anymore ??
    Linn Sondek LP12, Ittok, AT-F7
    Schiit Mani MK1 Phono Pre-Amp
    Nobsound NS-08P Bluetooth pre-amp
    Marantz CD5004 CD Player
    Pure DAB tuner
    2 x Meridian 205 monoblock power amps
    Tannoy T225 "Mayfair" speakers
    www.paulridgeblog.com

  2. #2
    Join Date: Aug 2010

    Location: East Midlands

    Posts: 426
    I'm Hugh.

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    I'm with Will on the Ray-gahs and the Gray-dohs I'm afraid.

  3. #3
    Join Date: Apr 2016

    Location: Gravesend and France

    Posts: 1,498
    I'm paul.

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    Quote Originally Posted by narabdela View Post
    I'm with Will on the Ray-gahs and the Gray-dohs I'm afraid.
    That's it then, I'm either going to sell my headphones or never say what they are to anyone ever. Gray- doh indeed. Sounds ....oh can't say that any more in this nanny state.
    Bakoon 13r Denon DP80 Stax UA-70 Shure Ultra 500 in a Martin Bastin body with jico stylus, project ds2 digital Rullit aero 8 field coils in tqwt speakers

    Office system, DIY CSS fullrange speakers with aurum cantus G2 ribbons yulong dac Sony STR6055 receiver Jvc QL-A51 direct drive turntable, Leema sub. JVC Z4S cart is in the house

    Garage system another Sony receiver, cassette deck


    System components are subject to change without warning and at the discretion of the owner.

  4. #4
    Join Date: Apr 2009

    Location: Near Saffron Walden, Essex

    Posts: 7,087
    I'm Dave.

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    Rega is a combination of the names of the two founders - Relph and Gandy. So, it's whatever you want it to be. I have always said Reega.

  5. #5
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Quote Originally Posted by hifi_dave View Post
    Rega is a combination of the names of the two founders - Relph and Gandy. So, it's whatever you want it to be. I have always said Reega.
    Hang on, Dave... Is Tony's name definitely 'Relph'? In Wiki it looks more like 'Reiph', as if it was 'Relph', then the three first letters would've been capitalised thus: 'RELph', not' REIph'..

    If it is 'Relph', then 'Rega' should be pronounced as 'Reh(h)-gah', which is different from 'Ray-gah' or "Ree-gah'.

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

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  6. #6
    Join Date: Apr 2009

    Location: Near Saffron Walden, Essex

    Posts: 7,087
    I'm Dave.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    Hang on, Dave... Is Tony's name definitely 'Relph'? In Wiki it looks more like 'Reiph', as if it was 'Relph', then the three first letters would've been capitalised thus: 'RELph', not' REIph'..

    If it is 'Relph', then 'Rega' should be pronounced as 'Reh(h)-gah', which is different from 'Ray-gah' or "Ree-gah'.

    Marco.
    I knew him as Tony Relph. He left the company around 37 years ago and it is now still owned and managed by Roy. He takes more of a back seat now but still has his hand in.

    Back in the day when I spoke with Roy a couple of times/week, he pronounced it "Reega" and this is what everyone I have worked with at Rega say.

  7. #7
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Fair enough, although technically, if using 'Relph' as the phonetic guide, it should be pronounced a little differently, more like 'Reh(h)-gah'.

    'Ray-gah' is definitely NOT right, though!

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  8. #8
    Join Date: Aug 2012

    Location: North East

    Posts: 3,670
    I'm Steve.

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    Quote Originally Posted by hifi_dave View Post
    Rega is a combination of the names of the two founders - Relph and Gandy. So, it's whatever you want it to be. I have always said Reega.
    Me too Dave.

  9. #9
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Quote Originally Posted by rigger67 View Post
    Weird thing was, he pronounced Rega "Ray-gah" while I've always said/thought "Ree-gah".
    Then on his way out he saw my Grado headphones and said "Oh, nice pair of Gray-dohs" and that bugged me because I'd always thought it was "Grah-doh".
    Ok, let's first of all take 'Rega'.. From Wiki: "Rega Research Ltd. is an audio equipment manufacturer based in the UK. Rega was founded in 1973. The company's name was formed of the initials of its two founders (Tony RElph and Roy GAndy)"

    Like you, I'd also always thought that is was pronounced as 'Ree-gah', but if based on the above, with the 'I' of the first founder's name also capitalised [which suggests it should be stressed], it would indicate that the name should be pronounced as 'Rye-gah', which doesn't sound right, but there you go!

    *But* is Tony's surname pronounced as 'Rye-ff' or 'Ree-ff'? If it's the latter, then 'Ree-gah' is correct.

    However, 'Ree-gah' is still more correct than 'Ray-gah', simply because there is no 'a' in 'Reiph'.

    In terms of 'Grado'... From Wiki: "Grado Labs was founded in 1953, by master watchmaker Joseph Grado.". Now as it's an American company, and American's would almost certainly pronounce 'Grado', as 'Gray-doh', I'd suggest that's how it should be said.

    Now this:

    Sennheiser = Sen-high-zer is how it should be pronounced if it's Germanic in origin because you say the second of the "i" and the "e" depending on the order (either "ie" or "ei")
    See here:



    There appears to be a slight silent 'T' at the beginning, followed by 'sen-high-zer'.

    Lastly:

    NAD = as in gonad, not N.A.D., right ?
    KEF = K.E.F. not "Keff", right ?
    Aiwa = Aye-wah, right ?
    Thorens = Torrenz (like torrent), right ?
    I'd say:

    'Nah-d'
    'Keff'
    'Aye-wah' (although one would have to understand Japanese properly to be sure).

    As for 'Thorens', have a go yourself, lol:



    Not sure what (if any) the Swiss influence would have...

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  10. #10
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: gone

    Posts: 11,519
    I'm gone.

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    It's eye-wer for me
    .

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