The Special Relationship - US/UK

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rewster

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The Special Relationship - US/UK
« on: 21 Jun 2004, 02:50 pm »
:D Hi all,

  I have to say it really is a fascinating thing to read all you have to say on HiFi, although much of the conversation centres around subjects which get covered this side of the pond, I also note that you buy and use a lot of equipment which is practically unheard of this side of the 'pond'

  Out of interest, what UK products do you feel are most desirable in the US, and which brands have made the journey most successfully to your shores.

mcgsxr

The Special Relationship - US/UK
« Reply #1 on: 21 Jun 2004, 04:32 pm »
Well, I have a Sugden, and that is desirable to some over here.

Other stand outs that I see are

Naim
Castle
Royd - UK aren't they?
Micromega - OK, a few years ago, but they were around
Rega
Creek
Spendor

Those leap out at me, off the top of my head.

As for used gear, it would seem to be a growing industry over here, with sites like this that support folks swapping goods - I got my start buying and selling motorcycle kit on the Net, and then recently began buying items for audio this way too.

Risky to some, but I have had a rewarding go of it thusfar, so for certain items, at certain price points, off certain boards, I will do C to C eCommerce.

Mark

TheChairGuy

The Special Relationship - US/UK
« Reply #2 on: 21 Jun 2004, 04:54 pm »
Quad seems to leap out at me as an unqualified success in the US high end community for decades.  Tho now owned by mainland Chinese.

Musical Fidelity doing well because of both a nice product range...and love affair with our highest circulation hifi rag, Stereophile.

Music Hall and a half-crazed (half-brilliant) Whiskey drinking Scot named Roy Hall has done a great job with marketing Creek, Epos and Goldring in the US.  He was the original importer of the Revolver line waaaay back, too.

mcrespo71

The Special Relationship - US/UK
« Reply #3 on: 21 Jun 2004, 08:09 pm »
Neat Acoustics pops to mind.
Rotel

Michael

_scotty_

The Special Relationship - US/UK
« Reply #4 on: 21 Jun 2004, 09:39 pm »
Linn
Wharfdale
Meridian
J.A.Mitchell Engineering
Ruark
Rogers LS3/5a
dCS

EDS_

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The Special Relationship - US/UK
« Reply #5 on: 21 Jun 2004, 11:02 pm »
My father had a Papworth tube amp. Really nice gear.

Did anyone mention Bowers and Wilkins? Or Audio Note UK?

ZooDog

The Special Relationship - US/UK
« Reply #6 on: 22 Jun 2004, 12:40 am »
I think Naim has done quite well over here.  I hope the same level of success happens for ATC.

WEEZ

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The Special Relationship - US/UK
« Reply #7 on: 22 Jun 2004, 02:27 am »
...and Arcam

WEEZ

Emil

The Special Relationship - US/UK
« Reply #8 on: 22 Jun 2004, 07:14 pm »
Quote from: mcrespo71
Neat Acoustics pops to mind.
Rotel

Michael



I think Neat has never really taken off here in the US and is virtually unknown except to naimers (naimites?) .
I own a pair of Mystiques and enjoy them immensely. If sounstage and imaging is important to you, look elsewhere. This may be the reason they really havent caught on here.

mcgsxr

The Special Relationship - US/UK
« Reply #9 on: 22 Jun 2004, 08:23 pm »
I don't want to hijack the thread, and since this is certainly Brit Audio related, I will proceed, recklessly abandoning caution!

Since you mention what the Neat Elites are not good at, could you expand on why you like them?  This is not a crack at them, I am an avid fan of what I will call world audio (my system is comprised of pieces sourced and modded from all over) and I am always interested to hear about gear people have, and love, and why.

I do read most any audio mag I can find, but have a big spot in my collection for HiFi mag, one I quite like, though there are others.

Just wonderin about the Neat sound!

mark

ohenry

The Special Relationship - US/UK
« Reply #10 on: 23 Jun 2004, 12:16 pm »
No one usually thinks of Cambridge Audio when considering UK audio, but they fill the mid fi niche in a respectable way with good styling and sound per dollar.

Smeggy

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The Special Relationship - US/UK
« Reply #11 on: 9 Jul 2004, 11:35 pm »
Don't forget Mission and ProAc, also B&W... definately high profile.

mcrespo71

The Special Relationship - US/UK
« Reply #12 on: 10 Jul 2004, 12:36 am »
Cyrus
Chord
Origin Live
Harbeth

GordonJ

The Special Relationship - US/UK
« Reply #13 on: 23 Jul 2004, 03:14 pm »
Interesting thread from a UK point of view.  I suspect we don't get nearly as much stuff coming this way apart from the more high end makes like say Krell and Wadia, and quantities are relatively low.  UK pricing tends to make it look like the pound-dollar rate is about 1-1, so US gear tends to seem relatively expensive.  How do US prices for UK gear compare? There is a growing interest in digital amplification here I think, and none of the UK manufacturers seem to have gone far down that road yet, so you see a few Bel Canto's around for example.