Hifi hotspots

[sjorswi]

Hello everybody!

I am a student working on a assignment for an company that sells speakers. They've asked me to find out where they can best produce a new type of speaker they are going to make. Maybe you know where the 'Hifi hotspots' are in Europe? Which country's are leading in Hifi technology? And maybe you've got some sources for me to check things out.

Thank you for the effort!

 

[ID.]

Or you could go for a mix.

British design, scandinavian drivers, manufactured in China, thereby cashing in on British design exoertise (e.g. some Japanese companies use British speaker designers), the technical quality of scandinavian driver manufacturers such as SEAS and the price advantages of production in the far East.

No specific sources, but if you start doing searches by country searching for speakers, drivers, etc. you should be able to get some ideas. Some companies that make speakers will also sell drivers for other companies to use in their designs.

 

[matt49]

The centre of loudspeaker manufacturing is in the southern Cotswolds: AE in Cirencester, ATC in Stroud, and a couple of blokes in a shed in Nailsworth. :shifty:

 

[CnoEvil]

Possibly:

- Britain for good traditional engineering and craftmanship.

- Italy for style and beauty.

- France for innovative, quirky engineering.

- China for value, as a manufacturing base.

- Scandinavia for high quality, cleanly designed, no nonsense speakers.

 

[steve_1979]

The centre of loudspeaker manufacturing is in the southern Cotswolds: AE in Cirencester, ATC in Stroud, and a couple of blokes in a shed in Nailsworth. :shifty:

You forgot SP Acoustics which are in Stroud too.

 

[matt49]

You forgot SP Acoustics which are in Stroud too.

Steve, kind of you to assume I'd forgotten them instead of never having heard of them (which was the case). Interesting: I might just pay them a visit in their shed.

 

[chebby]

They've asked me to find out where they can best produce a new type of speaker they are going to make.

Havant in Hampshire. A legacy of well-known speaker companies (Goodmans and Mordaunt Short), right next to a motorway and a main railway station with regular 1hr 15 minute long services to London. 7 miles and 20 miles (by motorway) to two commercial ports (Portsmouth and Southampton.) Just over an hour from Heathrow and Gatwick. Less than half an hour from Eastleigh airport.

7 miles from nearest University. Thousands of locals with experience in the local defence electronics industries going back decades.

Pleasant countryside surroundings (South Downs especially) only a few minutes drive away in almost any direction. Lots of modern industrial units nearby.

 

[steve_1979]

Interesting: I might just pay them a visit in their shed.

I've never heard them myself but they've had some good reviews. They make both active and passive versions too.

WHF review Clicky

Sound on Sound review Clicky

 

[BigH]

I would say Gloucestershire as mentioned above or Sussex you have B&W and Harbeth, although B&W cheaper ones are now made in China. Out of those manufacturers I may approach AE and Harbeth.

 

[sjorswi]

First of all thanks for your quick responses!

I'm doing this assignment of an company in Holland so Eastern Europe is an interesting option for us. The speaker is going to be pricey and really is a high end product with a very good quality. So what do you think of producing this in Eastern Europe? Got any suggestions for a country over there?

Thanks!

 

[sjorswi]

First of all thanks for your quick responses!

I'm doing this assignment of an company in Holland so Eastern Europe is an interesting option for us. The speaker is going to be pricey and really is a high end product with a very good quality. So what do you think of producing this in Eastern Europe? Got any suggestions for a country over there?

Thanks!

 

[BigH]

Only speaker manufacturer I know of is TAGA Harmony, in Poland, however I think their speakers are made in China.

 

[craig84]

They've asked me to find out where they can best produce a new type of speaker they are going to make.

Havant in Hampshire. A legacy of well-known speaker companies (Goodmans and Mordaunt Short), right next to a motorway and a main railway station with regular 1hr 15 minute long services to London. 7 miles and 20 miles (by motorway) to two commercial ports (Portsmouth and Southampton.) Just over an hour from Heathrow and Gatwick. Less than half an hour from Eastleigh airport.

7 miles from nearest University. Thousands of locals with experience in the local defence electronics industries going back decades.

Pleasant countryside surroundings (South Downs especially) only a few minutes drive away in almost any direction. Lots of modern industrial units nearby.

Bloody hell, never knew that, i work for T.U.V product service (most of your electronics will probably have our stamp on it) just ten miles away and we used to have a packaging test facility in Havant. Learn something new every day...

C

 

[DocG]

Acon speakers are high-end speakers, designed and built in Bratislawa, Slowakia.

Their Ultima 4 MkII is an active speaker with 4 class A triode tube amplifiers!

:cheers:

 

[Alec]

The centre of loudspeaker manufacturing is in the southern Cotswolds: AE in Cirencester, ATC in Stroud, and a couple of blokes in a shed in Nailsworth. :shifty:

You forgot SP Acoustics which are in Stroud too.

They really should consider putting a DAC in them and finishing them in somehting other than red.

 

[steve_1979]

You forgot SP Acoustics which are in Stroud too.

They really should consider putting a DAC in them and finishing them in somehting other than red.

They do them in black too. Clicky

 

[nezbit]

Hi Sjorswi,
Since I live in Serbia, I can suggest some manufacturers that might be of interest:

http://www.raalribbon.com/products.htm

http://www.nnacoustics.com/index.php

http://www.dayens.rs/en_index.html

The first two are hi-end or custom order, while the third beside the pricey stuff also offers affordable products (such as my amp and speakers).
Also, hare are the links to local hi fi forums, communicating in English shouldn't be a problem.

http://www.hi-files.com/forum/

http://www.audiohard.com/phpBB3/index.php

 

[sjorswi]

Thanks again!

I've now found a lot of speaker manufacturers in our region. But I can't find some from Poland, Ireland or Portugal. Maybe you know some?

 

[altruistic.lemon]

When in doubt, try wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_loudspeaker_manufacturers

 

[audioaffair]

Maybe see if you can get a factory tour over at Dali in Deepest Denmark.....

http://www.dali-uk.co.uk/en-GB/About-us.aspx

 

[nezbit]

Dali makes fantastic speakers (used to own a pair) and they are a well established brand.

The closest I can think of to countries mentioned, there is DAS in Spain. They now produce line arrays and stage monitors, some years ago they issued studio monitors (Monitor 6, Monitor 8 ) but only as anniversary models. If you are looking for a manufacturer of drivers and parts but which does not have a hifi line of products, DAS could be worth considering.