Audiophile Geographic

By: Ferdinand Sy


Yes, it is not a myth that audiophiles around the world tend to have geographically specific tastes and / or preferences. The “preferential” phenomenon is by no means geographically localized by any sense of the word. But a typical audiophile’s preference – wherever in the world he or she may live - can be specifically traced to a particularly geographically localized hi-fi zeitgeist.

Have you ever heard of the “British Sound”? Yes, it does exist and it is a real socially quantifiable phenomenon despite of the overwhelming hordes of non-audiophiles dismissing its existence. Many seasoned audiophiles – especially those who are entrenched in the hi-fi press – cite the existence of the British Sound because Britain had been making hi-fi kit longer (since the end of World War II) and in greater variety than other nations. And also, a typical British audiophile has a living room that does double duty as a listening room which can be described as medium sized in world terms. Has wooden floors and walls made of either plaster or brick.

British audiophiles tend to prefer a more upbeat sound in comparison to their counterparts elsewhere in the world. Hence the term “pace, rhythm, and timing” – the three qualities that seem to be in abundance of a typical British hi-fi system. The British Sound is typified in its more contemporary incarnation of an all Naim system – i.e. the source (CD, tuner, and turntable), amplification, and speakers are made by UK-based hi-fi manufacturer called Naim.

On the other side of the English Channel, the French seem to prefer a more efficient and very exuberant sounding systems that are typically characterized by efficient loudspeakers and somewhat expensive (over 3,000 US dollars) solid-state integrated amplifiers that seldom exceed 50 watts. While the Germans, on the other hand, like a relatively “forward” balance – i.e. an audio system that has really generous sounding midrange frequencies. Another characteristic of most German audio gear tends to be over-engineered to achieve an excellent sound quality that they usually become too expensive for the average European audiophile.

Across the Atlantic, American audiophiles seem to go for firepower above all. Thus preferring instead to operate their British tube amps in pentode and ultralinear mode to achieve higher wattage – as opposed to the more musically friendly triode mode. While in the other side of the Pacific, the Japanese prefer a silky relaxed balanced that in order to achieve their hi-fi preference, the Japanese probably invented the Rubicon Black Gate capacitor and started a single-ended triode revival in the 1970s in order to achieve this.

Even though the preferences of audiophiles can be traced to a particular region in the globe, it is by no means that their sonic tastes follow strict geographical delineation. Your typical Japanese audiophile usually has a collection of American and British vintage audio gear that dates back to the 1950s and the 1960s – i.e. The Golden Age of Stereo. Another very sought after vintage audio gear in Japan is the German-made EMT 927 broadcast turntable built in the early 1950s. So your typical Japanese audiophile can not only be described as having a very egalitarian UN-like preference when it comes to hi-fi, but there are also doing more to preserve the American and the British hi-fi heritage than either the Americans and the British themselves. Unbelievable!