Cheap Canadians

I agreee that PSB and Paradigm offer tremendous dollar value. I know one of the guys selling on-line (canada hi fi.com)? He is excellent to deal with and extremely customer oriented. I purchased a pair of Stratus mini's from him and was very satisfied. His professional approach and the great product makes for an unbeatable combination.

Uh-oh, the cat is out of the bag. To sweeten the deal, I understand that products made in Canada and USA can be shipped duty free because of NAFTA. I also understand that you can also claim the 7% GST back if you are a visitor to the great (and humble) Dominion of Canada. Regards,

I changed the subtitle to the post, because I think the Canadian audio industry is cranking out some of the best and highest-value sound gear being made anywhere! Those who have read my posts over the past year know (and maybe are sick of hearing) that I really look for high value in my audio gear. Equipment such as Bryston sounds great, is reasonably priced, and has a bullet-proof warranty. The many Canadian speaker manufacturers (Paradigm, PSB, Coincident, and others) have benefitted from the use of the Canadian National Lab which has excellent design facilities that are available to private manufacturers. So, when it comes to Canadian high-end audio gear, we have the felicitous situation of excellent design, highly skilled and committed labor, and a weak currency exchange rate. No, I'm not a Canadian citizen, but I am sure impressed with the contribution that Canadian high-end audio is making to our hobby. Go Canucks!!

Not to badger your praise of "things Canadian" and yes "I am Canadian!" but do try to get your facts straight. First and foremost it is true that Canadian speaker manufacturers have had the beneficial use of the National Research Councils(not the Canadian National Lab... it's not a Railway !) acoustic research facilities to aid them in the development of better loudspeakers. This has helped to yield a better speaker for the money than some competing products that haven't had access to this world famous facility.
You are correct in pointing out that Canada has put out some big names in high-end audio business. There are also ones you may not associate with Canada, such as: Classe, or Verity Audio, Oracle, Blue Circle, SimAudio, Gutwire, and of course Sonic Frontiers. As well don't forget API, who builds and sells the Mirage, Energy and Sound Dynamics brand speakers. Apologies to those not mentioned...
SD is right that probably the largest factor contributing to the perceived value of Canuck-Fi, is the weak Canadian Dollar. Something most Americans don't even think about.. or care about for that matter.
But hey, we here in the Great White North will quietly go on building great electronics and speakers for you Americans to enjoy.
Just remember where it came from !

I think maybe its not just the Canadians. I was in Europe 2 years ago and a lot of non-American gear was cheaper there.