I'm a big KEF fan - I've owned a few of their tower and bookshelf speakers; now a pair of Walnut R500s. Since I really liked the Altec 604, I consider the KEF Uni-Q driver as a sort of poor man's (or more like smaller listening space) alternative. I've also owned two Wharfedale monitors - the vintage W60 and the newer Denton 80th - and a pair of B&W 805 Matrix speakers. So yeah, I consider myself pretty strong in the British sound camp. One of the best stereos I've ever heard had Quad ESL-63s.
@Wayne Nielson your photo brought to mind my first speakers, Dalesford D Majors, which were configured similarly with a Kef B200 paired with ABR and Audax tweeter in a sealed D shaped enclosure. I replaced those with Linn Keilidhs which I kept for over 20 years then changed out for Epos Epic 5. All of which live on happily with family. The next were Audio Note AZ Threes which turned out to be my gateway drug into AN on most everything else in the chain. I’ve since replaced these with AN Es. I know the AN Es are made elsewhere now and are an evolution of American design, but still a British brand. So, all British speakers for me, though chosen on merit over patriotism if I’m honest. Nice idea for a thread @Tawaun A Williams
Thank you! Those were also purchased from the same UK dealer, Analogue Seduction. They are Custom Design FS-104, made in the UK, and very affordable: Custom Design FS 104 Signature Speaker Stands I filled all five columns with aquarium gravel, and they make my Spendors sound much better than the heavy, high-mass stands they replaced.
Thanks seemed like a good idea considering of English speaker lovers on this forum...even better if we are active in it....
Very recently sold my last British speaker - Monitor Audio Silver S6, but still have a British amp. Closest speaker would be Dynaudio monitors.
Consecutively, I’ve had the Wharfedale Diamond 10.2, Epos Epic 2, Monitor Audio Silver 8, Harbeth C7ES3, Spendor SP2/3R2, Stirling Broadcast LS3/6, Epos M22i, and Stirling SB-88. I still have the Spendors and SB-88s.
I currently own the AN E/SPX AlNiCo, AN K/SPe and AX Two (and formerly the AN J/SPe and AN E/Lexus) I didn't put them in because they are made in Austria and the initial design was from Snell in the US. Audio Note is in England but I would not consider them a typical British sounding and they don't follow the British monitor approach - which for me is a good thing as I have not been a big fan of most of them. Wharfedale brings back models from the past but IMO not the really good ones. Perhaps to save money. The AX Two is the exception as it was designed in the UK by Andy Whittle of Rogers - but still hand-made in Denmark using Danish drivers. Then again, my KEF LS50 was designed in the USA and made in China so...
Clearly a man with tremendous taste..... and a pair of Neats. My last 4 pairs of speakers from oldest to newest: KEF PMC PMC PMC D.D.
Is there such thing as a British sound? Was there ever? I doubt old Tannoys sound much like old Harbeths.
Yeah, its a thing... some say its a BBC trademark thats "nothing more than a 2-3 db dip in the frequency response from about 2K-4K."I don't know. I can see it being more polite, less fatiguing, more pronounced vocals...
That’s what many would refer to as the classic “BBC sound,” though oddly, most BBC-derived speakers don’t have that dip. B&Ws tend to have dips in that range.
For many years my main speakers have been the classic Epos ES14. They've given me years of pleasure on the end on a Plinius 8150 amp, and now are in my office powered by a very nice sounding Marantz AV receiver, fed by an original Apple Airport device for music from hard drive and Apple Music. In the lounge AV system is a pair of Tannoy Saturn 6 speakers, with the matching centre channel. I always thought the Saturn's were underrated, although the big Saturn 10s could roll copious amounts of bass around even a large room. Many years ago I owned a pair of KEF 103.2 speakers, which I have fond memories of. I found a second hand pair for my mum's husband, who always loved them.
