[sonci]

I was told once, that the best Audio Equipment, are the one "made in England". This has been the crystal truth for me, for a long time.
Well, I'm looking for a pair of decent bookshelves speakers(around 300€), (PC-Amp). Should I keep on with the "made in England", or its only a myth.
Any suggestion?. I usually play Rock..

 

[Jaska]

I don't know if there's any truth to that, not to deny that there are some great English-produced loudspeakers. A good argument could be made that Finnish-made loudspeakers are some of the best out there. When in doubt, always look for the avainlippu

 

[yeeyy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonci /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was told once, that the best Audio Equipment, are the one "made in England". This has been the crystal truth for me, for a long time.

Not necessary. FM Acoustic is not made in England.

 

[Jaska]

Just to give an example of a specific Finnish-made loudspeaker, here is the pair that I owned for many years:

Olavi Räsänen OR 160Hi

They are priced somewhat beyond 300 euros, but matched with the right equipment, they would leave very little, if anything, to be desired (at least to my ears).

 

[gyrodec]

The UK definately used to be ahead of the word in hi-fi, and speakers especially, due to the BBC research legacy. But these days, there are many great companies all over the world. Most of the best built-for-hire or DIY drive units come from Scandinavia (Scan-Speak, SEAS, Vifi), like the pones in the picture above from Jaska.

I love the products from my home country, but even I wouldn't limit myself to Made in England.

 

[Barock]

I'm not even aware we make anything in this country any more, let alone audio equipment. Love to be proved wrong of course.

 

[HDen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barock /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not even aware we make anything in this country any more, let alone audio equipment. Love to be proved wrong of course.

Rudistor stuff is still made in the UK

 

[LeonvB]

Quote:

Rudistor stuff is still made in the UK

Italy you mean.

 

[HDen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeonvB /img/forum/go_quote.gif Italy you mean.

whoops, you're right. I stand corrected.

I think some of the Naim stuff is made in England though, like the headline

Phono Stages Phono Preamps Headphone Amps Headphone Amplifiers and Interconnects is from uk as well...

 

[1UP]

Thread needs to go to speaker forum.

If you're using a PC, look no further than the Audioengine A2 or A5 - active, so no need for amp.

Re: England rules? False.

 

[onform]

Meridian are still in huntingdon.

 

[sonci]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1UP /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thread needs to go to speaker forum. If you're using a PC, look no further than the Audioengine A2 or A5 - active, so no need for amp. Re: England rules? False.

Seems interesting, but I don't think they can compete with the HiFi speakers.
Any experience with Mission or Mordaunt Short?
Those Olavi Räsänen OR 160Hi, seems pretty, however it would be difficult to find them in Vienna.

 

[Jaska]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonci /img/forum/go_quote.gif Those Olavi Räsänen OR 160Hi, seems pretty, however it would be difficult to find them in Vienna.

I'm not sure what OR's distribution channels are, but I don't think it would be too hard to order them from a trustworthy Finnish online merchant and have them shipped to another EU country.

I sold mine to another Finn here on Head-Fi a few months ago, and really wish I would have been able to hang onto them. My new house is such that there just isn't room to set up a home Hi-Fi system suitably, but if circumstances change down the road, I will definitely try to pick up another pair of the same speakers.

 

[1UP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonci /img/forum/go_quote.gif Seems interesting, but I don't think they can compete with the HiFi speakers. Any experience with Mission or Mordaunt Short? Those Olavi Räsänen OR 160Hi, seems pretty, however it would be difficult to find them in Vienna.

But they're in your budget, have a vast amount of great reviews, and don't require an amp or special setup. A5 also offers a sub option.

My concern with getting dedicated hi-fi bookshelf speakers is they still need quality amplification you could even argue they're a necessity - adding £££ to get the most out of them, including stereo speaker cables and stands/whatever. Otherwise, they'll be significantly compromised.

Active PC speakers thus become more competitive against them, especially when again you factor in space/size for your money. Magnetic shielding is also something not to discount.

In fact, I'd even look into higher quality studio monitors from M-Audio, Yamaha, Adam. Get the right tool for the job.

 

[sonci]

Thanks for the help guys!
1UP, you'r abssolutely right. In fact my second rule is that the speakers and the amplifier should be in the same price range. I already got a Denon PMA-700AE for (350€), the very next day I bought it, my audiophille friend said: what have you done, it's a crap, you should have bought the Rotel(450€). You can imagine the feeling...
However, since I'm going to match it with my PC(EMU 1212M),I dont think it would be a big difference in sound quality. I borowed a pair of B&W DM600S3, but they lack in lows. Maybe they're perfect for classic music..