Japanese Audio

yes

small listening areas

legacy of better japanese brands stem from making the music sound beautiful 

listeners value refinement in sound over volume capability (the japanese value refinement in just about everything)

listeners listen to vocals chamber music jazz pop more than louder genres

+1, larryi & jjss49

Add Shindo and Audio Note to your esteem list of Japanese Audio. They all seems to share a common philosophy, “Enrich Life through Technology”. Music is soothing, exciting, exhilarating and Japanese designers have mastered the art of invoking emotions through their musical instruments (electronics).

Having worked and lived in Japan off and on over the last 25 years or so. To me it fits the culture... supremely considerate, conforming, traditional, and meticulous in iterative in pursuit of perfection. Crafting the essence of the music not slapping you in the face with slam and noise. I wish I could justify another audio system, I would love to put together a Shinto system.
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I am starting to feel like going back to Japan for a while. Just thinking about it relaxes me.

Most brands in audio are born out of necessity or solving particular problems. 

bjesien,

Speakers that are locally sourced (USA), small, and efficient is a tall order.  By far, the best I've heard in that category are Charney Audio speakers.  The "Companion " models I heard (with AER or Voxativ drivers) were among the best speakers I've heard at any price apart from custom builds).  Volti makes a few models that are not that compact, but, they also sound good.  In my local area (Washington DC), Deja Vu Audio makes custom built speakers; some are surprisingly compact (not really compact, but small for the kind of sound they deliver).