European -vs- US high-end

Go for the Hawaiian!
I run an all American system here in Germany and not because doing so is considered cool. There are some nice European approaches like AudioPhysics, Audiomeca, Audio Aero, Linn, Electrocompaniet, maybe even Burmester - but in my experience American gear does the long jump.
Cheers!

Dont forget made In Canada gear.
Most of which is supperior to US and European made.

natalie: wow! i guess canada's winning a couple of olympic medals has engendered a reinvigorated national spirit. best thing about canadian gear is that it's priced by loonies. :o) -cfb

Natalie, the only Canadian companies that come to mind for me are Classe' and Bryston. While both solid products, i would not rank either of them as being "top notch". Then again, that is a personal opinion that may / may not be shared by others. I'm sure that there are other brands out there that are Canadian based that also deserve a mention. Sean
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Solen caps are nice and their prices are competitive
and the Oracle TT was once (almost) SOTA. Thats all, except for those Sean has mentioned, that I can think of. Cheers,