Quote Originally Posted by kexodusc
I dunno guys - I'll pick on Canada because they have a few popular brands these days. I can put Axiom, Paradigm, PSB, Energy, Totem Acoustics, and Focus Audio side by side and I hear quite a variety in presentation.
PSB, Axiom, and Paradigm are a tad similar in presentation, though I find Axiom and Paradigm a bit more on the bright side, and PSB a bit warmer, but without that upper/mid bass exaggeration
Totem and Focus Audio have what I'd consider a more distinctively European sound - great bass, solid mid-range, not too forward, I guess in line with the Scandinavian description you provided. Nothing like Paradigm or PSB.
Energy is maybe somewhere in the middle? I'm only familiar with their old Connoisseur line and the Veritas though.

I don't understand how something can sound "analytical". I've always felt the listener hears "analytically". Seems to be an almost derogatory word for a sound some people obviously enjoy a great deal

Maybe at one point in time there were some natural similarities in different regions. If Japan had a hot model, one would expect a few local competitors would attempt something similar.

Didn't' the US go through this with Boston Acoustics and the east coast sound?

I think it's less true now. It's more common to see European drivers in an American or Japanese designed speaker, assembled in China, for example. Globalization and all that.
Agreed on Canadian speakers. Axiom and Paradigm are similar (but not completely), PSB is definitely the warmer of the three and IMO a little less colored and Totem and Focus are (like you said) a very different sound from the rest and that's part of why I love my Totems.