Why don’t the British use Tannoy and KEF speakers anymore? What’s the reason?

Some audiophiles asked why they didn't see Tannoy and KEF in the stores in London. I asked several sales managers indirectly what brands of equipment the British like to play. Their answers were basically the same, and their main opinions were:

1. Marantz/Denon/Onkyo AV amplifiers are all toys.

2. NAD/Rotel/Arcam/Rega/Mission/Quad/Cyrus are all affordable equipment with large sales.

3. Domestic brands such as Sugden/Chord/Naim/Linn/Meridian/B&W are the main players in the HIFI market. Some foreign equipment such as Krell/Mcintosh/Martin Logan/Dyaudio also sell well.

4. There is a small market for audiophile models such as Wilson Audio/Halcro/Sonus Faber/Naim/Mcintosh/Meridian/Krell/Mark Levinson, etc., and they are only played by rich people.

When talking about Tannoy/KEF, they said: "KEF has died and Tannoy is dying here. Nobody buys them. They have sold their brands to Asia." What it means is "KEF has died and Tannoy is almost dead, no one buys their products. They have sold their brands to Asia."

As we all know, KEF is a product of Hong Kong, and I am quite surprised that Tannoy is no longer able to make it in the UK. No wonder I checked Tannoy's website and found no list and address of local agents in the UK.

In addition, among the German equipment, only MBL has an agent in the UK, which is not in London, and you must make an appointment to audition. Burmester/Acapella/Audionet/Accustic Arts do not have agents. Stores like West KJ One can order them, but the price is more expensive.

Today I asked two British JS who have worked in the HIFI industry for 30 years about the current situation of Tannoy speakers among British audiophiles.

Their reply was mainly: Tannoy's Prestige series is a very good box, and the British still like it very much, but the price has risen too much. In the UK, Stirling sells for more than 3,000 pounds, which is equivalent to more than 45,000 yuan, and Cantebury sells for 6,000 pounds, which is equivalent to 90,000 yuan. It is too expensive, so Tannoy's Prestige series has become a box for the rich. Ordinary people don't buy it.

The British don't like Tannoy's other series of boxes. They think they are not Tannoy's products, so few people use them.

I also asked what the British used to drive ProAc, and the clerk said that the low-end models such as the Studio series and R8S are mainly driven by Arcam and MF amplifiers, and the high-end Response series are mostly driven by Naim. They know that the ProAc manufacturer uses tube amplifiers for sound calibration, but not many people in the UK use tube amplifiers, firstly because they are expensive, and secondly, many British people are afraid of tube amplifiers.

Every time I go to the UK, I ask what kind of audio equipment the British audiophiles listen to. I am surprised to find that they all listen to cheap audio equipment made in China or exported from China. This shows that Chinese audio equipment is better than British brands in the UK. Our audiophiles are so good at playing bang bang when they see foreigners.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.