Denton
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‘One of Britain’s fastest growing hi-fi companies, Wharfedale continues to win awards for acoustic excellence by staying true to the original legacy and philosophy of Gilbert Briggs. Wharfedale plans to continue revitalizing and maintaining its product quality making sure it remains one of Britain’s oldest and most famous loudspeaker brands of all time.’ FOREWORD ‘Gilbert Brigg's dedication to quality hi-fi reproduction stemmed from his love of music. At the age of 18 he saved for 3 years to buy his first piano, one of the first of 40 pianos that he owned in his quest for ever better...

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Britain has long been recognised throughout the world as being the home of loudspeaker technology in terms of innovation and quality. This reputation has been built up over many years by some of the world's most famous loudspeaker manufacturers. Wharfedale, established over eighty years ago, has always been at the forefront of maintaining this reputation. It was in 1932 that Gilbert Briggs built his first loudspeaker in the cellar of his home in llkley, Yorkshire. This sleepy little market town was located in the valley of the river 'Wharfe' - an area known to this day as 'Wharfedale'. This...

Gilbert Briggs founded Wharfedale in 1932. His interest in hi-fi directly stemmed from his great love for music. Britain has always been a leader in the hi-fi industry and Wharfedale has successfully led the way for 80 years. The Wharfedale ‘Bronze’ won first prize in the Bradford Radio Society’s 1933 competition The premises where it first began (apart from Gilbert Briggs’ cellar!) The first ever Wharfedale loudspeaker was built in the cellar of Gilbert Briggs' home in 1932. From the very first speaker until today the brand's main goal has always been an endless pursuit for better sound and...

Technological advances were made during the war which had a heavy impact on the audio market during the 1940's. In the UK and America, listeners began to seek better music reproduction and Wharfedale provided the optimum quality for this growing market. By 1945, Wharfedale had already developed the first two-way loudspeaker - a prototype for the modern hi-fi loudspeaker. In 1948, Gilbert Briggs began a new venture with the publication of his book "Loudspeakers - The Why & How of Good Reproduction." The first edition sold out within 5 months and has since been updated and reprinted in five...

Thanks to the popularity of his books, throughout the 1950s Gilbert began to be seen as the leading light in the hi-fi industry. At this time he decided to take a step forward, by comparing live with recorded music at specially arranged public concerts. An early 2-way loudspeaker design - 1950s These demonstrations continued into the late 1950s, with sell-out concerts in the Royal Festival Hall, London and Carnegie Hall, New York as well as in such exotic locations as Portugal, Canada and Hong Kong. A live band, or orchestral group of instruments would play first, being recorded as it...

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In 1958, Wharfedale Wireless Works became part of the Rank Organisation. During this period Gilbert still continued with the day to day running of the company until his retirement in 1965 at the age of 75! The first four years of the Rank era brought two breakthroughs. Wharfedale pioneered the use of the famous "roll surround" on cones and in 1962 ceramic magnets were fitted to its speakers for the first time. Wharfedale History Book CMYK.ind11 Rank Wharfedale, as the company was then called, expanded the brand by introducing amplifiers, re c e i ve r s a n d t u rn t a b l e s to c o m p l...

By 1967 demand for Wharfedale products outstripped production and, over the next 7 years, a new, more efficient, factory was built comprising of over 170,000 sq.ft. of production, office space and large scale Research and Development Production growth continued to soar and classic models such as the Denton and Linton were introduced. By 1977 the new factory had reached an output of 800,000 drive units. Demonstration Room Production in the new factory Largs of Holborn, London increased rapidly. By 1977, the factory was producing over 800,000 drive units per year, for both hi-fi and PA...

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BLOWUP YOUR AMPLIFIER WITH REMARKABLE E*s. UUOM iht BIGGEST NOftE IHSPEAK!Hi. | The 1980s brought in an age of technology and analysis and Wharfedale quickly invested in cutting-edge equipment such as Laser Holography for loudspeaker evaluation. The R&D division created advanced techniques such as SCALP (Scanned Laser Probe) and FRESP (Frequency Slice Plot) to better understand the physics of The results of this technology were seen in the Laser Series, introducing new diaphragm materials and crossover techniques. An in-depth understanding of materials and their limitations led to work...

1982 saw the birth of a revolutionary loudspeaker – the Wharfedale Diamond. In a rear-ported cabinet of just over 5 litres were fitted a 19mm dome tweeter and 120mm long throw, polypropylene bass/mid driver. The crossover was simple but highly effective. This product took the industry by storm. The small cabinet and impeccable stereo image meant the Diamond quickly became a best-seller and a permanent fixture in the Wharfedale product range. The Diamond II was created within a year of the original Diamond launch and since then each Diamond Series has continued to be an incredibly popular...

Wharfedale’s Diamond range of loudspeakers need little introduction. With nearly three decades of supremacy within the hi-fi market, winning numerous international awards and selling over 1 million pairs worldwide, Diamond has become the most recognizable name in hi-fi loudspeakers. Diamond 9 series was launched in 2003 and carried the Diamond banner to exceptional heights. Years later Wharfedale’s famous Diamond Series is still favored by many Hi-Fi enthusiasts. However the principals of innovation and quality always keep our appetite wet for something better... Wharfedale History Book...