"American Sound" Speakers

Brf, good explanation. The American sound had its roots in Bell Labs/Western Electric whereas the British sound was derived from the BBC.

My apologies, Muzikat. I did not mean to debate you. My point was that if both speakers are "the American Sound," I'm unsure what that sound is, since the North and GMA strike me as quite different, and I'm not sure what the have in common, other than being made in the States. Unfortunately, I don't have anything to contribute the OP; I'm still quite unsure what the American Sound is, and was trying to get clearer on your contribution. No harm done, I hope.

John

Trying to pigeon hole the 'American sound' is, I believe, for naught. Our country is too damn big with too many points of view that to narrow it down would be academic, at best.

Yes, there were ground breakers, earth shakers, and revelations of all sorts but I don't think any particular one caught on as the definitive.

Long established, though they were, the older brands were displaced. Some of the essence has carried on since the designers of new had them for a reference but with advances on other fronts, contributions from those other links in the music chain have all contributed to and limited what can be 'that' sound.

The only exposure I've had to something old enough to be considered a contender for the American sound is the PHY drivers in something like the Tonian Labs line.
It started as an American speaker and was abandoned many years ago only to be realized and picked up by a Frenchman who saw the potential in it (if I have my story correct). He succeeded so well that the original maker asked if he could build the speakers for them but he was so busy, he had to decline.

Now, those speakers can qualify for contender of the American sound.