British Hifi

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No, I mean the manufacturer - i.e. Teac Esoteric.

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Oh, I understand now. :)

I think every country had it's range of products from mass market to high-end low-volume brands. Britain I see as a country of great innovation and diversity. But I feel the past success of British Hi-Fi owes as much to post war austerity and the relative difficulty and high cost of bringing foreign products to the UK as it does the quality of British Hi-Fi itself. Exactly how do you profitably market foreign made products against products stamped with "Made in Britain" when that was considered a byword for the 'best in the world'? In effect Britain was a closed market for such a long time.

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Originally Posted by stupinder

Ok popint taken. I was a bit pissed when i wrote the initial post!

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:lol: And that one by the looks of it. ;)

I can think of examples of cottage industry and large scale hi-tech manufacturing in all the countries mentioned. I also don't go with the stereotypes of sound that each country goes for, except in as much as the local products frequently cater for the types of homes that are typical for that country.

So small SET amps and horn loaded speakers are a cult in Japan because their homes are so small (trust me, some are hardly larger than shoe boxes). The diametric opposite are American homes with large rooms but mostly timber construction, which need larger speakers to energise the space, thus giving them the reputation for muscle amps. British homes fall somewhere in between and have mostly brick construction, requiring a different kind of speaker and lower power overall.

The stereotype but wayward enthusiasts (e.g. American huge bass, German boom 'n tizz) are in a small minority in comparison with the large majority who all appreciate good, neutral, sound quality.

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Originally Posted by stupinder

We build highly engineerd, but tempremental, products in a cottage industry stylee, which create a loyal fanbase.

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It can apply to most French hifi manufacturers...

I would have imagined that by definition, most cottage industry products only ever really sell in their home market, so we barely ever see those from other countries.

patriotism plays a big part i would think as well as dedicated followers in the know

Backing up some to the first post, I have always looked at British styleing as pure & simple My favorite cars are in fact all Brittish with nothing else in the top 10 at all.
My last Bike was a 1979 Triumph Bonni. After the Jaguar E type I'd be happy with any of the TR3 to TR6 Triumph cars.I often wonder why Lucus built such horable switches and made all the wireing harness an inch to short? Then it was explained they had to meet very low price points.Sad even in later modle high end cars like Jaguar they where plaged with electrical problems.My uncle told me when you own a Jaguar,you learn part of the personality of the car is one day the driver side window won't roll up the next day it will for no reason,but your tail lights won't come on.
I used to have the wireing harness come unplugged makeing turns in my bike till I removed the head light bucket and extended every single wire by two inches.
Brittish rubber tends to rot faster because it's mostly real rubber with little else mixed in.

The Brittish seem to go with old standards,the time tested approch more than the U.S. we are always trying something differant mostly to make it cheaper these days.

Noone has ever made a coach on any auto that compaires to the classic Brittish styles of Rolls Royce,Bently,Jaguar,Rover,ect...

Off topic from hifi & cars there is one more thing the Brits make I think is truly brilliant and I am a huge fan and I have over bought a whole lot of it.

Avent/Phillips for babys is the most advanced thinking for a compleate system that interchanges to grow with child.It is horrably expencive in the US compaired with other simaler products but well worth every doller I've spent.
I'll bet I have spent at least $1,000.00 US dollers on 20 bottles,3 sippy cups,the steralizer,2 formula dispencers,2 bottle brushes,more than a dozen pacifires,4 packs of sippy handles,the breast pump,and extra valves & parts,20 extra nipples for each size 1,2,3,4 meaning over 80 totle not mentioning yet the sippy soft spouts 20 of those extra,also 12 bottle caps,10 extra bottle rings,10 extra lids and last 10 extra caps so we could pre make ring,nipple ,cap set ups,2 teething rings,my wife also liked the breast pads we where getting a new box every 2 weeks.

I like that all there bottles 4oz, 9oz, 11oz can all be made into sippy cups by just adding a set of handles and swapping the nipple for a soft tip.

My son was able drink from his own bottle at 5 months because the little 4 oz. bottle with handles was just perfact for him.No one elses product is so well thought out.

They also clean up easy as hell unlike some US bottles and they really vent off air so babys don't get gas.

But some whinny Americans are always complaining they leak,Because there to stupid to put the lid on streight,insert the nipple while wet and not over tighten like King F ing Kong.

We like idiot proof products here in the US. for the most part because commen sense is out of fashon here.