Tír Na HiFi

I know I'm stating the obvious here but with sterling so weak this is the best time in many years to buy from UK websites and sellers. So if you have any vinyl, CD or download needs now is the time to be browsing! Obviously hifi hardware is a consideration too
Your friendly currency conversion site is at http://www.xe.com

I think the biggest swing in Sterling was in the STG / USD. The Euro has weakened a touch as well.

But 81 pence / euro is good.

However if the British Govt do go for pushing the Article 50 button.... then I predict that the UK will become a economic wasteland within 10 years. Sterling will be much cheaper in the future than it is now.

I do fear for the traditional British speaker manufacturers (and other UK Hi Fi makers), Castle, Harbeth to just mention few.

Selling their goods into the EU will be much harder now, taxes, duties and tariffs can be imposed which will push these prices up.

Of course, as Adrian alludes, there will be duties & vat to be paid.... Still a trip up North could be attractive.

Suppose that will bugger up parcel motel too
Interesting to see how ye think brexit will affect us .....
I mean hifi.....

Not sure what the upside is I would prefer not to have any upside the UK do the right thing. UK I find shocking. North of Birmingham seems to have low wages but saddled with prices that are eye watering. Sterling moving to 81p is not going to make much difference. Prices are generally off the wall with a few exceptions.

BTW Castle stopped production in the UK years ago possibly 20+ The name was sold by the owner and a chinese company have released new models. Harbeth Spendor and well established companies that are still selling enough to survive should survive.

One just needs to travel to Northern England to see what has happened there over the last 20-30 years. Easy to see how they would vote for change in the vain hope it will lead to some sort of recovery there. The startling thing is the cost of living. It is mad.

Ivor wrote:I know I'm stating the obvious here but with sterling so weak this is the best time in many years to buy from UK websites and sellers. So if you have any vinyl, CD or download needs now is the time to be browsing! Obviously hifi hardware is a consideration too
Your friendly currency conversion site is at http://www.xe.com

My thoughts on this development, unwanted as it is, is maybe now Irish Audio Dealers and importers can source European and U.S. audio equipment directly from the manufacturers without having to go through a British Importer who has the distribution rights for the Irish Republic as well! It is something that has angered me for a long while. We are hit with a Sterling surcharge and our European neighbours can buy the same components for less all because the importer/dealer here has to source the component through the United Kingdom. I was really dumbfounded recently to see that I could buy a Jeff Rowland Continuum S2 integrated amplifier in Latvia, of all places, but if I wanted to buy it here the Irish dealer would have to get it from the U.K. We are seen all over the world as being part of the United Kingdom but of course we do not have the benefit of their [strong] currency. The same applied to the Mark Levinson No 585 which costs about €1,200-€1,500 more in the U.K. than in the Netherlands, when I checked at the start of the year. I cannot see any sense or reason whatsoever for a country which has a different and highly valued currency (U.K./Sterling) having distribution rights for another country that uses a different currency!! Maybe this situation will bring about a long awaited change and we can support our local dealers rather than sourcing components abroad, out of economic necessity?

Ivor wrote:Of course, as Adrian alludes, there will be duties & vat to be paid.... Still a trip up North could be attractive.

That won't be for 2 years or more, though? There will be ample opportunity to source British equipment in the meantime with the benefit of a devalued Pound Sterling versus the Euro. The bigger picture though is that this is, in my opinion, a disastrous decision by the British voters albeit understandable for many reasons.

Satrus is making an excellent point.
The Republic of Ireland will be the only native english speaking country in the EU.
That should puts its back on the map for everyone :)
It will obviously has an impact on American compagny who have/considering to have, their HQ in the UK.

-Sure there will be tax and VAT with the UK, but that's the case with the USA... and there'll be some good old smuggling accross the borders :)

The 2 years of negociation is... the time limit. It could go faster.
In theory, it could go slower, because you can renew the 2 years period once.
Highly unlikely.
In the short term, sure, the UK will have to face some unpleasant consquences.

Cheers,

As Panda mentions Ireland is now the only English speaking nation in the EU, apart from Malta perhaps.

With UK gone Ireland has lost its wingman.

Will our voice be weaker or stronger when at the negotiation table without UK?

Bank of America / Merryl Lynch expect the UK to enter recession quickly.

Personally I am appalled that the UK has voted to leave, its economic sucicide IMO.

Not only is UK leaving but there is now great political uncertainty in London. With the U.K. Rudderless and isolated I cannot see it as a attractive place for FDI.

Dark times ahead I think.

Satrus wrote: My thoughts on this development, unwanted as it is, is maybe now Irish Audio Dealers and importers can source European and U.S. audio equipment directly from the manufacturers without having to go through a British Importer who has the distribution rights for the Irish Republic as well! It is something that has angered me for a long while. We are hit with a Sterling surcharge and our European neighbours can buy the same components for less all because the importer/dealer here has to source the component through the United Kingdom.

Honestly, that was one of my first thoughts on Friday morning as I drove into work. Is it possible that this will mark the end of Absolute Sounds' stranglehold on the high-end marques?