Gilbert Briggs
Encyclopedia
Gilbert Briggs founded Wharfedale Wireless Works
in Yorkshire
, England
in 1932, and was a leading figure in the early development of High Fidelity
loudspeaker
s introducing such basics as the two-way loudspeaker and the ceramic
magnet, as well as writing some famous books on audio and loudspeakers. Britain
was at the forefront of developments in Radio
, Audio
, and Television
, and Wharfedale is a name known to this day as a leading manufacturer of high quality loudspeakers, and although the company was sold in 1958, to The Rank Group
, and then again in the early 1980s to Verity Group PLC, loudspeakers continue to be sold under the Wharfedale name to this day.
Briggs was a proud Yorkshireman whose passion for audio came out of a love of music, and who built a business out of a hobby, working long hours and always promoting what he truly believed in
In the 1950s - Gilbert embarked on an ambitious collaboration with a close friend and colleague, ‘Peter Walker’, founder of Quad
. With Quad supplying the amplifier
s and Wharfedale building the loudspeaker systems, they embarked on what was to become an industry-defining series of concerts wherein audiences were invited to experience live versus recorded music first hand. Touring UK and the US and playing at venues as auspicious as the Royal Festival Hall
in London and Carnegie Hall
in New York
.
Briggs built his first loudspeaker in the cellar of his home in Ilkley
in the valley of the River Wharfe
known as Wharfedale
.
Wharfedale (company)
Wharfedale is the name of a prominent audio equipment manufacturer in the UK, best known for its loudspeakers. It is currently part of the International Audio Group.Wharfedale also used to manufacture televisions, DVD players, set-top boxes and Hi-Fi players...
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1932, and was a leading figure in the early development of High Fidelity
High fidelity
High fidelity—or hi-fi—reproduction is a term used by home stereo listeners and home audio enthusiasts to refer to high-quality reproduction of sound or images, to distinguish it from the poorer quality sound produced by inexpensive audio equipment...
loudspeaker
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...
s introducing such basics as the two-way loudspeaker and the ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
magnet, as well as writing some famous books on audio and loudspeakers. Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
was at the forefront of developments in Radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, Audio
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
, and Television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, and Wharfedale is a name known to this day as a leading manufacturer of high quality loudspeakers, and although the company was sold in 1958, to The Rank Group
The Rank Group
The Rank Group plc is a European gaming and leisure business. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
, and then again in the early 1980s to Verity Group PLC, loudspeakers continue to be sold under the Wharfedale name to this day.
Briggs was a proud Yorkshireman whose passion for audio came out of a love of music, and who built a business out of a hobby, working long hours and always promoting what he truly believed in
In the 1950s - Gilbert embarked on an ambitious collaboration with a close friend and colleague, ‘Peter Walker’, founder of Quad
Quad
Quad may refer to:-Architecture:*Quadrangle in architecture, e.g., on a university campus*Quad, a dormitory room or suite housing four residents...
. With Quad supplying the amplifier
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
s and Wharfedale building the loudspeaker systems, they embarked on what was to become an industry-defining series of concerts wherein audiences were invited to experience live versus recorded music first hand. Touring UK and the US and playing at venues as auspicious as the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
in London and Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Publication
In 1948 Briggs wrote his first book, ‘Loudspeakers: The Why and How of Good Reproduction’, which sold out in five months and was reprinted many times. He later wrote an enlarged version called 'Sound Reproduction', deriving great pleasure from the correspondence this produced from readers - some 10,000 letters!Briggs built his first loudspeaker in the cellar of his home in Ilkley
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
in the valley of the River Wharfe
River Wharfe
The River Wharfe is a river in Yorkshire, England. For much of its length it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. The name Wharfe is Celtic and means "twisting, winding".The valley of the River Wharfe is known as Wharfedale...
known as Wharfedale
Wharfedale
Wharfedale is one of the Yorkshire Dales in England. It is the valley of the River Wharfe. Towns and villages in Wharfedale include Buckden, Kettlewell, Conistone, Grassington, Hebden, Ilkley, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Otley, Pool-in-Wharfedale, Arthington, Collingham, and Wetherby...
.