I’d never heard of these fine folks before, namely because the companies is quite new. The banner outside their room which declared ‘The Hollywood Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music’ was not just creative marketing however, the folks who run British Audio Guys are in fact BBC broadcast engineers who have found business providing top-end hi-fi systems to the well-heeled Anglophiles of Beverly Hills.
Words and Photos by Grover Neville
I spoke with British Audio Guys Neil Strickland and was impressed by his knowledge of the history and heritage of the brands carried, from Graham Audio, to Naim and beyond, he has worked for the BBC Broadcasting arm and has a serious insider’s scoop on all things Brit-Fi. The Graham audio speakers inside their room were putting out some seriously impressive bass, and of course, that sweet midrange they are known for. If you’re on the west coast and in the market for anything from the UK, the British Audio Guys strike as quite possibly the most knowledgeable British Hi-Fi dealers out here.
More on that listening experience – The room was a combination of Moonriver Audio 404 integrated with the new Graham LS5/5f which is a revival of an old BBC design – the LS5/5, which was shelved back in the early 60’s. The new design is unusual – but the slot is designed to linearize the drivers, and to my ear worked quite well, while still having all that harmonic richness I’ve heard with other Graham Audio speakers. These were quite impressive for the price, with deeper bass than I’ve heard from any Graham speaker previously.
System Components and Pricing
- Graham Audio LS5/5f loudspeaker – $24,995/pair
- Moonriver 404 Reference integrated power amplifier with phono – $5550
- Bergmann’s Audio Modi turntable with air-bearing platter and Thor air-bearing, linear tracking tonearm – $17,000
- Hana ML cartridge – $1200
