For our European friends

There is an active audiophile community in Poland with many, mostly small, companies. Not sure about bringing US products into Poland, however. I own Ancient Audio electronics that are manufactured in Krakow. There is also a Polish online magazine.

wow...really cool...I was born and grew up in Krakow..... we left our city back in the Communist era (1990)...but kept our apartment and of course visited frequently....especially my parents.
Now that I am in my late 40's and have had a relatively successful career in pharma I consider myself lucky / blessed by the freedom associated with high paying job, albeit one that requires a lot of personal investment (stress, hard work etc...) - I look forward to balancing my life and starting a more laid-back profession...and so going back to Poland is a serious thought ...though it's with mixed emotions. 

You can start by checking out Hi Fidelity, a Polish audio review site:
http://www.highfidelity.pl/
and
http://hifi-products.com/msearch.cgi?HCountry=PL&search=%20Search%20&Amplifiers_Check=on&Speakers_Check=on&CD_Check=on&Tuners_Check=on&Turntables_Check=on&Headphones_Check=on&Decks_Check=on&Furniture_Check=on&Cables_Check=on&Accessories_Check=on&Page=3
All the best,
Nonoise

The HighFidelity articles are well-written. I knew that there were a number of Polish audio companies. But so many!  There is a group of audiophiles that meets regularly and whose meeting are reported in HighFidelity. 

My my only negative experience was dealing with Polish customs when I had to send my CDP back for repair. Had to pay duty even though I had owned the unit for several years and even though I sent it back only for repair. Jarek - the man behind AncientAudio - is a good person to know. 

Hello all.  My first post here but I felt compelled to reply to this topic.  I'm currently living in Warsaw Poland for a short stint.  I am absolutely astounded at how serious people take audio here.  I am absolutely spoiled for choice when it comes to hifi and record stores here.  I think there are close to 20 hifi stores within a few mile radius of the city center.  Not to mention company stores/salons from Marantz, Focal, Denon,etc.  Coming from a city in the US where the closest audio store was about 200 miles away this is overwhelming and great.  There are even audio magazines on every news stand shelf.  

Many prices for foreign gear is MUCH higher than in the US.  Even the Focal gear from France is a good bit more expensive.  I foolishly assumed that the EU relationship would make the prices at least on par with the US but I dont understand the trade agreements. 

I have not fully explored the Polish brands but it seems as if there are some great manufacturers and great bargains.  My Polish is unfortunately horrible which limits my ability to explore the options fully.

All that is to say, Poland is a wonderful place to live as an audiophile IMHO.

Once in a while I buy one of the British audio mags and it also seems from the ads to be alot of retail audio stores there, likely in larger metro areas I assume. Why is Europe different than the US in this respect? Maybe, based on hard data it is not.

My experience is that the Polish audiophile community is very interested in quality equipment. I know several experts in tube equipment and they are very knowledgeable. I buy most of my tubes from a firm in Poland.
They have NOS tubes that you can be found no where else. In fact, Poland may have one of the best inventories of rare tubes in the world including some exceptional tubes produced in Poland in the 50s and 60s.
So yes I think that you would find that the Polish and the rest of Europe
very supportive of high quality audio.

Contrary to popular opinion in the USA , Poland is a country with a strong
intellectual past and present .  Intellectuals are far more respected  in Poland than in USA and Poland ,in general, is a more refined and cultured
nation .

Stanislaw Ulam, a Polish citizen who became a US citizen in 1941, while at Los Alamos found that Edward Teller’s concept of the thermonuclear bomb, I.e., Hydrogen bomb, then under development, was unworkable. Ulam and Teller developed the workable solution that included Ulam’s lens idea, for which Ulam had done the math. So, in my opinion, Teller was not the Father of the Hydrogen bomb, as he is usually called, it’s Ulam.

thank you guys - Appreciate the kind words about Poland and the people....  

my main concern was due to the fact that in Poland...as it is for the rest of EU in fact, things are taxed like crazy...and often there are some additional taxes on items that are perceived as luxury....be it higher end cars (not talking Ferrari... just better class Lexus or MB) , expensive watches  etc...etc.... it's like a penalty for people who can afford more expensive goods...regular tax is not enough..... Ridiculous. 

Some of the greatest contemporary classical composers are Polish; Górecki and Penderecki, for example. And the Polish National Radio Symphony is based in Katowice, not far from Krakow.

I cannot speak to the cost of the gear and the tax structure; but the interest is high, the quality is good, and the products are unique and easy to audition and worth exploring. I love my AncientAudio CDP (with its own built-in pre-amp); and Jarek resurrected and customized a 300b SET to match. 

The EU in general looks to help ALL the people and high Taxes are the price of that and civillization in general.I lived in Germany a long time and the taxes bothered me at first but I came to realize even my life was better when universities charged no fees, there were no homeless, all had medical and dental care etc etc . Much better as stress level affects even the richest of the rich in the every man for himself lands . Not that they realize it .A kid that can get his orthodonic needs met is a lot more important than my stereo .