Mordaunt-Short is a 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...

 manufacturer in the UK

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...

. They are now a subsidiary of Audio Partnership

Audio Partnership

Audio Partnership Plc is a British manufacturer of hi-fi, home cinema and home automation products, which was founded in 1994.The company’s brands include among others the following:...

 Plc., having been bought from TGI Plc. in 1999.

History

In 1967 Norman Mordaunt and Rodney Short combined their efforts and started a company in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, 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 the late 1970s Mordaunt-Short released three families of speakers: "Festival", "Carnival" and "Pageant". 1984 saw the release of the MS20, MS30 and MS40 ranges.

Mordaunt-Short was bought by TGI Plc. in 1987, forming the largest loudspeaker manufacturing company in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. TGI Plc. already owned Tannoy

Tannoy

Tannoy Ltd is a Scottish-based manufacturer of loudspeakers and public-address systems. The company was founded in London, England as Tulsemere Manufacturing Company in 1926, but has been based in Coatbridge, Scotland, since the 1970s...

 and Goodmans Loudspeakers Limited (GLL).

The MS10, MS20 and MS30 family name was used again in 1993 for the release of a budget line, alongside the "Performance" range.

Audio Partnership Plc., a successful hi-fi company, purchased the company in 1999 and created a new Research & Development centre. The following years brought about the introduction of the "Declaration" and "Premiere" series, with the "Avant" being their latest (2004) family.

The "Mezzo" range of stereo and surround

Surround sound

Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...

 packages scored 5/5 in What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision

What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision

What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision is a monthly magazine and published by Haymarket Consumer Media. It features articles on hi-fi, home cinema, television, video games, sound, computers and gadgets...

magazine.