Best Audio-Manufacturing Countries?

Hi-end audio is a truly international endeavor. The leading nations are Canada, USA, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, China, Japan, GB and Switzerland. It would be impossible to pick a single nation as "the best". I suspect in few years we'll also start to see interesting designs coming out of India.

I'd like to define best audio-manufacturing countries as the sources of the best manufactured components I've encountered (i.e. highest quality of fit and finish):

USA (Rockport, Wilson, VPI, Rowland, Krell, VTL)
Netherlands (Kharma)
Switzerland (Goldmund)
France (Jadis)
Japan (Accuphase, 47 lab)

The chinese components that I've encountered have often sounded very good, but are seldom manufactured very well. Shanling, Golden Tube, Antique Sound, etc. offer good value for the money, but not the highest level of manufacture.

Hmmm, tend to agree withOnhwy61 & Lourenz (and his Kharma speakers:) -- although I'm sure Golfrok's intentions are really historical and anecdotal.

So, I'll view the question in terms of a global effort and, doubtless forgetting a few manufacturers, I'd mention in no order,

the UK (vinyl, Quads, Linn LP12, Lowther, etc), the US for creating superb ss designs that rival tubes, the garage industry (without which, superlative products would have never seen the light of day), the diy support & availability, and the use of ribbons; France for marketing superlative drive units (incl. true ribbons) & tube gear and quality components, and for mathematical research into digital reproduction; Germany for engineering design & excellent components & innovative use of materials in analogue playback, and for drive units that we find in expensive commercial speakers; Italy for introducing & generalising good looks in hi-end; Holland, beyond the obvious, for innovative speakers design (incl panels), and the digital research amongst enthousiasts; Sweden for its research into innovative analogue recording & playback, and the use of unusual materials in speaker design; Japan, beyond the obvious, for the persistence in refining reproduced sound thru tiny wat amps & the innovative use of exquisitely engineered drive units for speakers, and for insisting in wide-bandwidth reproduction; Belgium, for producing the cdp's that first swamped the world; Russia for instilling extremely solid engineering knowledge and for the designers that we now know (remember the Lamm products?) and for keeping up the tubes production (thanks to their military who use tubes); Switzerland for "absolute precision" engineering (Goldmunds looked/were space age 2-3 decades ago!) and for research into digital reproduction -- not least for trying to market the most expensive ss gear (fm acoustics); Australia for marketing THE most expensive production ss gear (Halcro), and for delving into innovative SS design for "speed" in reproduction, even if it didn't always work (Metaxas); Denmark & Norway for researching, designing, and producing the drive units that are in most of our commercial speakers; the Czech Republic & Slovakia for tubes and tube research, and the use of military production facilities for analogue audio; Spain, for their drive units that are cheap & performant (beyma);
Many others I have forgotten...

1)USA (Theshold,Krell,magnepan,soundlab,etc)
2)Canada (Simaudio, Classe)
3)Japan (Accuphase,Esoteric,Sony etc)
4)Netherlands (Philips)
5)Germany,France,UK,Switzerland,Italy
6)Quickly on the rise; China,S.Korea

Gregm excellent post,very informative.Metaxas components yes were manufactured Down under but the principal designer Kostas Metaxas is Greek , he chose to put his name on the products rather than making up a firm name.
GREECE is currently producing some high-end components but the demand is low and so the production at the moment.
Brands that come to mind:TSAKIRIDIS DEVICES (tube equipment)
TL ACOUSTICS(turntables) NEXUS ACOUSTICS (speakers,power conditioner,interconnects,power cables)
CRYSTAL AUDIO (high-end dipole speakers)
ANALYSIS (full range ribbon speakers)
Regards
George