Are you representative of LS3/5A collectors today or has it moved more towards the stereotype of an Asian collecting items of perceived high value based on some local inscrutable assessment based on prestige and divorced from any technical function? I don't know.
I’ll pick up on this bit too… I’m representative of absolutely no one but myself/pfm, though I do seem to have more in common with the Japanese, Hong Kong, South Korea audiophile mindset than the modern high-end, which based on shows and dealer dems etc I find surprisingly uninspiring, unnatural and hyped. As such I have basically lost interest in the modern audio market (beyond digital which I have obviously adopted) as to my ears it has nothing that equals, let alone betters, what I like about vintage/classic Tannoys, Quad ESLs, BBC monitors, valve amps, idler decks etc.
It is not my field but the embarrassing actions of the last few years has reduced the status of British abroad at least among the Europeans I know and the articles I have read. I would not be surprised to see strongly British items with a high perceived value but low intrinsic value fall as a consequence. Again this is speculation from a baffled onlooker rather than someone actively involved in collecting vintage audio hardware or new retro hardware.
Sure, the UK is a political disgrace, but to my mind it always has been. It is built upon wealth, exploitation, elite privilege, colonialism, slavery, imperialism, nationalism, monarchy and religious tyranny. This long bloody history has never to my knowledge had any impact whatsoever on the international perception of our pioneering audio (and countless other) products and innovation. It is no more relevant than say the KKK & Trump is to McIntosh, Magnepan, Klipsch, JBL, Fender, Gibson, Moog etc. People buy the best vintage audio because it sounds great, is reliable, serviceable, and holds value due to its ongoing desirability. Nationalism etc doesn’t come into it at all. The late Peter Walker, BBC research department etc etc can’t possibly be blamed for the corrupt Tory/Brexit mess.
PS I suspect there is a huge misunderstanding about Japanese/Eastern audiophiles being primarily collectors as so many pictures exist of rooms full of similar kit. These are very often pictures of audio-club meetings, home ‘bake offs’ etc. The people who buy this sort of kit do so because they love it and use it day to day. They are no different to the rest of us and usually have superb record collections too. It looks like an amazing community to me based on what I have read.