The British Sound


Ok I know this sounds ridiculous but hear me out. The British sound is characterized as being laid back, mellow and unagressive in the treble. It struck me that England is a very humid environment. And in high humidity conditions, the treble is more pronounced and shrill. Musicians playing outside before a rainstorm call this condition the bloom before the thunderstorm. Ive read that this state can be explained by physics. The reason I thought of this again tonight is because right now the weather is extremely humid in central NC tonite. I listened to my stereo and I had to turn down the treble on my speaker controls. My AC has not run all day. I ask, is this why they tweak their designs. They are only trying to make musical equipment perspective of any environmental influences. Am I way out in left field? Then tell me why their products including speakers sound that way. Mike
128x128blueranger
First, why are British speakers doing on an amp forum? ;)
I live in the hot and humid tropics, does that mean the American sound (speakers) will not suit me? I am curious too.... Cheers!
If anything it is more likely that British homes are smaller and the treble is what attenuates most with distance. The closer you are to the speaker the less treble you need.

The other possibility is the Boom Boom Tizz factor - simply put there is huge competitive pressure on American designs to get the speaker to sound as impressive as possible. The bass and treble are how most designs are evaluated and compared.
A thought from a different perspective. When there is high barometric pressure pushing on the eardrum treble clarity is reduced. During periods of low barometric pressure treble clarity/harshness is increased. Next time you are listening on a sunny/high pressure day just equalize your ears like you would when you fly on a jet airliner or scuba dive (hold your nose, close your mouth, and blow outward). You will experience an increased level of treble extension. As to your question: the British sound is the result of studies commissioned by the British government as to how to make natural sounds, not laid back, mellow and un-aggressive. The result was the BBC monitor produced by companies like Spendor, Harbeth, Sterling, etc. Upfront, etched and aggressive sound is the trademark sound (regardless of nationality) from manufacturers trying to create something which is actually unnatural but distinctive in order to attract customers, thereby creating the need for AudiogoN.
Brit speakers have evolved over the past decades and
The mellow tag is less applicable today. in fact box speakers have improved to the point everything sounds remarkably similar.
Part of this is due to the fact that British ears are voiced differently then other cultures. Many years ago an excellent article appeared in FI magazine that covered the issue in great detail. So, yes there is a British sound, tuned to British ears.