European -vs- US high-end

that's more than a little like asking whether it's better to marry a bulgarian or a hawiian. fact is, several of the highest-of-high-end u.s. manufacturers design their gear to match the taste of europeans, since that's their largest market. the same is true, to a lesser extent, of european makers who sell into the u.s. market. so, "it's a small world after all." -cfb

I think that Kelly's statement can be summed up as "The Grass Is Always Greener On The Other Side" syndrome. Then again, you'll always have "loyalists" that prefer their "homegrown" to what can be bought overseas.

My take on it is that speakers are typically the most "telling" of where they come from. This is due to the fact that the manufacturer typically voices them for where they will be used and the type of rooms that they themselves have to work with. As such, they tend to carry a specific flavour representing the region that they are from. This is even true of America itself, where we used to have the "west coast" and "east coast" sound.

On the other hand, electronics can sound good or bad wherever they are from. This all boils down to system synergy and personal preference whereas speakers are FAR more variable depending on their design and the individual room interaction that takes place. Sean
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Are you referring to the owner's or the equipment? I see no difference as "music is music" and "ears are ears". The only difference between Europe/Asia and the US is the power supply, the average room area and the humidity (though there are many like areas). The continental Indians lost the battle long ago - NOT!!! (Viva recent "gaming" trends!!!) but we are pretty much made up of people of European/Asian/Latin decent. My favorite male singers are Frank Sinatra and Jacques Brel for crying out loud and I am a mixture of English, German, Syrian and Scott's-Irish. English/European trends have conformed, in the past, to smaller (for the masses) rooms, and such, where softer is better, but "most" of us are getting a bit cramped here as well, and I do not see a trend either way other than that softer and/or a bit more aggressive within a short distance (listening area) such as Naim might be just the ticket for smaller listening rooms that are popping up here for people that can afford and are aware of this type of equipment (if only they new of SET's in their predicament:-). Anyway, to answer your question I would say that there are few differences as most of the "informed" people who are into this hobby are "as always" looking for the best bang for the buck. The "others" as "always" are mostly influenced by the advertsising $$$dollar$$$ and/or the whim of their local dealer/shop. As CornFed says "it is a small world".

Slawney, to my mind the gap which there was, especially with British hifi and US gear seems to be closing. For a long time the Europeans (France, Germany, Switzerland, the UK in part) had the better vinyl play back gear in practically all price ranges, but that has changed. The same goes true for loudspeaker designs. There might be Danish, as well as German solid state components which are designed more for the eye than for the ear in a degree of workmanship you will only rarely find across the atlantic. But I find that of minor importance.
There used to be a typically "German" sound in speakers from Deutschland, with an emphasis on highs and a forced transparency, which has fortunately disappeared as well.
In short, Cornfed is right, its become a small world. When I talk to the cognoscienti here in Zurich or converse with my US friends, we all talk the same language....also the hype is the same, on both sides of the Atlantic. A small world indeed.