“The perfect loudspeaker shouldn’t add to or take away from the original music”

Spies, DIY speakers and the seaside – the Bowers & Wilkins story has it all. Here’s how the UK giant started out…

At the age of just 17 and with World War II in full flight, John Bowers joined the Royal Corps of Signals. With a passion for all things radio, it wasn’t long before he was recruited to MI6 and stationed in Whaddon Hall, an offshoot of Bletchley Park, where he and his colleagues maintained communications with British agents. It was here that John met Roy Wilkins and, following the war, the pair decided to go into business together. In August 1946 they opened a radio and electronics shop in Bowers’ hometown of Worthing, East Sussex. Although they enjoyed selling radios, amps and loudspeakers, Bowers had dreamt of producing the perfect speaker, one capable of delivering recorded sound that remains utterly faithful to the artist’s original performance. As the shop expanded,…

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Hi-Fi Choice (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2025

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