Which country produces the greatest speakers?

[DannyBoyNYC]

Nationalism and speakers?
Canada First! MCGA! (kidding of course)

 

[carewser]

^That's no joke, Canada has many great speaker makers

Energy
Kanto
Edifier
Paisley Research
PSB
Mirage
Paradigm
Totem

 

[Ron Texas]

^That's no joke, Canada has many great speaker makers


Totem

Canadians have a saying, it's not what you do with it, it's how big you are. NB, I have family in Canada.

 

[Jim Matthews]

I would venture a SWAG that BBC derived designs set many of the standards now widely consider as fundamental to good sound reproduction. There was a time when Tannoy was synonymous with Public Address systems.

To deviate from the obvious, I would say the French PHY wideband exceeds my expectations for a speaker and would get my nomination.

 

[DannyBoyNYC]

Yay! Go Canada!

 

[Sal1950]

Yay! Go Canada!

Just a shame that like the USA, so many of our native companies farm out the labor to Asian builders for cheap labor.

 

[norcalscott]

^That's no joke, Canada has many great speaker makers

Energy
Kanto
Edifier
Paisley Research
PSB
Mirage
Paradigm
Totem

It was only for a short while, but I have a pair of Tannoy PBM-8 speakers that were designed in the U.K. but built in Canada. I like these very much, by the way and use them in my surround setup.

I am partial to UK speakers - I just bought a set of Wharfdale Lintons (designed in UK, made in China)

 

[DannyBoyNYC]

Why a shame? American and Canadian workers make things that are exported to Asia which are far more valuable than commodity stereo components. It takes an reasonably educated worker to fabricate a computer chip but it takes an MIT materials science grad to design one.

I'm sorry for the assembly line workers in the US and Canada who got left behind, but that's capitalism for ya!

 

[DannyBoyNYC]

Just got a set of Lintons last week. They replaced a pair of 5' tall Infinity Kappas. I'm enjoying the Lintons despite the comparative lack of bass but I wouldn't really call them British sounding (whatever that means - https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2021/05/20/the-occasional-podcast-asks-what-is-british-hi-fi/ )

 

[Sal1950]

I'm sorry for the assembly line workers in the US and Canada who got left behind, but that's capitalism for ya!

The death knoll for the middle class, where only the rich and poor are left.

 

[norcalscott]

Just got a set of Lintons last week. They replaced a pair of 5' tall Infinity Kappas. I'm enjoying the Lintons despite the comparative lack of bass but I wouldn't really call them British sounding (whatever that means - https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2021/05/20/the-occasional-podcast-asks-what-is-british-hi-fi/ )

I've found the bass in mine to be quite adequate. I thought I might need a sub, but for the music I play the most (alternative/rock/downtempo) I have been quite happy with bass performance.

I'm not completely sure what the British sound is either, but I have found the design cues to emphasize a more natural sound - I imagine designers tuning them to sound good playing Pink Floyd in a smoky room with lots of wood on the walls and the smell of Shepard's Pie wafting through the damp air

 

[DannyBoyNYC]

lots of wood on the walls and the smell of Shepard's Pie

LOL - Shepard's pie or shepherds pot?

I associate the British sound with BBC monitors designed for vocals (not in the sense of music vocals but news reading etc. - like talk radio). It's not really full range.

In fact, one of the old school purveyors - Rogers - just announced a sub woofer for their classic LS3/5A BBC style monitors - https://darko.audio/2021/05/rogers-preps-ab3a-subwoofer-system-for-ls3-5a/

 

[Sal1950]

In fact, one of the old school purveyors - Rogers - just announced a sub woofer for their classic LS3/5A BBC style monitors

A sub woofer for the 3/5A sacrilege!
But your right, they're the Brit sound exactly.

 

[carewser]

Just a shame that like the USA, so many of our native companies farm out the labor to Asian builders for cheap labor.

Is it a shame though? Before covid the unemployment rate in the US was ~3% which economists say is actually too low

Getting back to the topic, Canada is clearly the winner here as the country that makes the greatest speakers on earth as I've owned a few Canadian speakers and can testify as to their quality and as a Canadian you can be assured of my objectivity in this matter

 

[DannyBoyNYC]

I worked on assembly lines in my youth in Vancouver BC - Schlage lock, SparPack and a funky foundry that made manhole covers. Didn't take me long to get back into college and pick up a marketable trade. Now I stare at a computer all day and code complex web apps.

Feelin' sorta like I'm back at square one!

It is a shame though. Back in the day you could pick up a job, work for a few months and then travel to exotic lands. I guess the contemporary equivalent is depicted in Nomadland - be a picker at Amazon and then roam the country in a van, sleeping in Walmart parking lots.

Its just too easy to blame one's misfortunes on foreigners or foreign powers. Simple answers are comfort food & that's how populist wannabe dictators get elected. It worked in the Weimar Republic - and everybody's been stealing the playbook ever since.

 

[orangejello]

China is without competitor for the mass market production. You send to them the design and they manufacture it to the specifications for a very low cost.
But on the side of innovation and high end products, I do not even think about them before a long time.
May be in one generation (25 years).

I wouldn’t overlook China. The upper end of HiVi’s house brand Swan speakers are a pretty serious attempt. The build quality of some of their stuff strikes me as first rate. HiVi manufacturers an enormous number of drivers some of which are used in very good and/or expensive speakers

 

[DannyBoyNYC]

"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer." - Frank Zappa

I'd add speaker drivers to Frank's list. Canada definitely has the speakers but I wonder if they've outsourced the drivers like they did with vaccine production.

China makes excellent products. The current situation reminds me of the post war era when "Made in Japan" was erroneously synonymous with poor quality. That didn't last too long! I still use my Japanese 70's receivers - built like tanks!

 

[Frgirard]

One brand, one name, number one ATC.

 

[dfuller]

One brand, one name, number one ATC.

ATC makes good stuff for sure - they're a result of the BBC's R&D and their need for monitors. Same as PMC, Harbeth, etc.

It's arguable which brand has the best engineering of the bunch but I would definitely say either ATC or Harbeth.

 

[mononoaware]

Nationalism and speakers?
Canada First! MCGA! (kidding of course)

Norm Macdonald is from Canada.
One of the greatest speakers. . .