Wharfedale (company)
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Wharfedale is the name of a prominent audio equipment manufacturer from the UK, famous for its loudspeakers. It is currently part of the International Audio Group.
[edit] History
Wharfedale Wireless Works was founded in 1932 by Gilbert Briggs, and became one of Britain's leading manufacturers of audiophile equipment, particularly loudspeakers. In addition to winning awards by groups such as the Bradford Radio Society, mass public testing at Carnegie Hall proved Wharfedale speakers indistinguishable from live music. Innovations introduced by Wharfedale under Briggs included such basics as the two-way loudspeaker and the ceramic magnet. In the 1950s and 1960s, Wharfedale became famous for its technique of eliminating cabinet resonances by using a double cabinet, with the space between the inner and outer shells filled with sand. Purchasers of the loudspeaker systems would receive the appropriate quantity of sand which had been shipped from Wharfedale in England. [1], [2], [3] (Wharfedale in Yorkshire is the site of numerous sand quarries). Briggs sold the company in 1958, and it has been through several owners since then.
The name has been licenced to Argos (retailer) for the manufacture of electronics products, who use it on digital terrestrial television adapters, headphones, television sets and other products. All Wharfedale-branded speakers are still made by the original firm.
