An old chap I knew in Southborough had a couple of British Renaissance amplifiers, made I don’t know where… never seen them anywhere else.
Much like hefting a New Classic box I imagine. 
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I had a pair of Heybrook Trios for a few years - superseded by Dynaudio Contour standmounts.
With hindsight, the Heybrooks never really had the best opportunity to shine on the end of a MF Electra E100 amp.
I used a Lentek mc headamp for a while.
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I had a pair of Heybrook HB2s in the 80s, on the end of an RP3 and A&R A60 amp. The tweeters kept blowing (probably because of my liking for NWOBHM). I phoned up Heybrook in Plymouth and who should answer the phone but Peter Comeau, MD and Heybrook’s founder. We had a chat and he admitted the tweeter’s power handling wasn’t great.
Would you include LFD in that list? I bought a LDF Integrated Zero as my first amp back in 1994. The local shop (Christchurch) was mad for Naim and LFD.
The Zero was a bit cheaper than the Nait, which was what I really wanted at the time but couldn’t afford. I’ve always liked the Olive logo lighting and it did look very fancy against the LDF’s bog standard yellow LED.
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I thought the Kraken looked so much better in its original grey-green crackle finish…
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Who produce excellent phono stages, one advantage /disadvantage they have given themselves is they do not make phone stages that offer both MC and MM , it must be one not the other .
Also we could add in Sugden, still going strong
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I do remember, yes. IIRC There was B&W connection. I recall they were reported to have reliability issues and ended up heavily discounted through one of the big chains.
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There was a joke that the 100VA was not watts but 100c. Because the top of the case regularly used to reach boiling point.
Based on both the name and the looks, I think the Kraken must have been designed by someone with a great love for either Gerry Anderson:
…and/or Ray Harryhausen:
Mark
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I do remember those. I’m pretty sure they were well reviewed at the time?
Yeah the Aura was a WHF 5 star lovechild.
Yes, I had a black VA50. Made by B&W if I recall as Richard states.
I had a pair of Heybrook sextet speakers till about 5 years ago.
I thought they looked fantastic.
However time took its toll on them, and I traded then in for Audiovectors.
I had a Crimson 510 pre and 520 power amp for quite a long time coupled using a Michell Focus one for source and Mission 770 speakers. I really liked that system and wish I still had it as a second system.
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Compromises sound quality…
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I posted the initial query about obscure British audio brands when I discovered that a company called Artisan Silver Cables was located less than a mile from my house on the Isle of Wight. I had never heard of them, never seen a review of their product, never seen an advertisement until today when a review appeared in HiFi Choice. This is a strange coincidence and I must stress that I in no way endorse their product as I don’t know anything about it. I simply have a lifelong interest in the perpetually ingenious British audio industry.
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I recollect when SME was a small hi-fi (TT) concern, with (allegedly) the main business of aero and other engineering, effectively X-subsidising the hi-fi side, all due to ARA’s passion for music. Sadly (for us consumers), the economics of reality appear to have caught up with many nowadays.