Best High End Audio Manufacturer???

Audio research and Macintosh based on number of paying customers I'd guess.

For speakers Klipsch magnepan and Ohm would get my vote based largely on longevity and number of happy customers.

For the absolute best overall I'd say Mbl. I could also make a strong case for Yamaha.

For turntables I'd have to vote for linn and thorens based again on longevity and number paying customers. Also technics.

And toss in Denton and nad for honorable mentions.

Denon that is. Darn that spell checker. 😡

There are many exceptional companies these days, both large and small. Internet makes more accessible to more people. So its harder than ever to single any one out as the best.

Having been at this many years and having researched and experienced many in recent years as well, I can list the ones whose products I currently own and that are well established and I find myself still willing to go back to repeatedly.

Those are OHM , Bel Canto, Dynaudio, Audio Research, Triangle and Sennheiser. mhdt is another but a smaller lesser known more niche foreign vendor.

They are many others at all price points I have heard and think highly of and could easily recommend but do not own currently.

Tbg, since no two systems ever seem to be exactly alike, even at a particular price point, its a safe bet to say that most people do (go their own way).

Its also safe to say that some vendors have a much larger and well established reputation (over time) of delivering quality products that sound good than others.

The "best" is a purely subjective term. Impossible to quantify, but people tend to know a good thing when they see (or hear) it.

Its true that someone raving about a product, even declaring one best of show, is not a reliable measure.

Lots of people jumping on teh bandwagon over an extended period of time... a safer bet you might like it.

is Hershey's or Nestle's the best chocolate? Probably not, but frankly there are few other I have tried that prevent me from still really enjoying those.

Have A Nice Day, Andrew.

Good point about Bryston. Excellent service means a lot and is one of the best ways to differentiate one companies products from another. nothing is so great when its not working right. Companies with a reputation for product reliability as well are special.

Most companies with a long standing record of good service most likely also deliver high quality products initially. Otherwise they are not likely to survive. That's why the length and quality of a companies track record has to be a a major consideration in determining "the best".

Its always cheaper to get things right initially than to have to go back and fix them later.

Good things survive. Bad things seldom do over the long haul. Funny how that works....