British Hifi

[stupinder]

It crossed my mind that British Hifi equipment is very much like Bristish Sports cars. We build highly engineerd, but tempremental, products in a cottage industry stylee, which create a loyal fanbase. the Americans build muscle cars and muscle hifi. The Japanese build mass produced hifi and mass produced cars - some of which are very good but they aren't going to create the same kind of emotional attachment.
i think it must be something to do with the British psyche - we don't care if something takes an age to set up and is likely to go bang if the wrong oil/speaker cable is used. We do care that the car/hifi has soul!
Just a thought - a badly articulated thought - but a thought none the less

[Filterlab]

Kind of see where you're coming from, although I've had many many British components and not one has ever failed, in fact I've never even had a day's trouble. American hi-fi is also incorrectly viewed, it's no longer about muscle and thunder, it's actually some of the finest hi-fi made these days.

Maybe the British psyche is that we just EXPECT British hi-fi to be as you've described.

[jcbrum]

I'm told that Rolls Royce were often in awe of american cars and the engineering involved.

But British coachbuilders are the essence of pre-war Brit motoring style.

Although I didn't own much of it, I'm told Radford was good Brit hifi.

My earliest real hifi was Quad ll's in stereo config with the control box and dedicated cabling, driving big, flat, square Wharfdale thingy's. (pre-esl57's).

I sold the lot in the late '80's for £85. and bought new Quad stuff.

[Vinyl Grinder]

Na British Hi-Fi equipment was mega reliable, isn't this why people wanted british gear? You'll find the original, Quad, Radford, Armstrong, Leaks still running as strong 40 years down the line. I don't think of British equipment these days in the same light of by gone days...There's just something about the old british gear, the sound, the asthetics what ever british was the best choice you could ever make...Just as an example i bought an A&R Cambridge 'A60' in 1983/4 i think it was, i still have the same unit now & believe me it's has some serious use in it's time, still works as good now as the day i bought it, how many amps today would you place a bet on will still be functioning in 25 years time let alone 40 years of the older gear still in use...i wouldn't

[Lowrider]

When I started buying hifi, the word on the street was, British speakers, American amplifiers and European sources, My first serious system was KEF, McIntosh and B&O CD (their first)...

Next system, Sonus Faber, Bryston, TAG processor, Arcam DVD, then new SF, BelCanto amplifier, Krell processor, Theta DVD, only the American amplifier rule survived...

Now, speakers are German, Schallwand, Chinese amplifier, LINN DVD/processor...

I guess it means there are no rules any more, there is good and bad kit from every where, I still tend to prefer European speakers, every thing else I dont really care, if it sounds good and the price is right...

[Rick O]

I wouldn't say Accuphase was mass-production hi-fi.

[Filterlab]

...or Esoteric.

[Chris Frost]

...or Esoteric.

I think that's the first time 'Esoteric' has been mentioned. Is an A&R A60 or a set of Quad II's more esoteric than an Accuphase amp then?

[Filterlab]

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

[stupinder]

Ok popint taken. I was a bit pissed when i wrote the initial post! I think the point i was trying to make was that British hifi, like british sports cars, concentrates on the end product be that getting an exhilerating performance from a small engine or superb sound. What it isn't about is bells and whistles! There are obviously going to be exceptions and i'm well aware this is a massive sweeping statement!
For the record everything i own is British and my first real system was predominently British - Musical Fidelity The Preamp, Crimson Electric amp, Wharfedale Diamonds oh and a Technics SLDL1 linear tracking turntable.