Description
Wharfedale DD1 headphones. Classic Vintage. HI-FI. Stand included in the price.
Wharfedale Wireless Works was founded in 1932 by Gilbert Briggs, who built his first loudspeaker in the basement of a house in Ilkley, Yorkshire. This little town was located in the Wharfe Valley – the area known to this day as the “Wharfedale”. The company has grown to become one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of audiophile equipment, especially loudspeakers, and in a public test at Carnegie Hall, Wharfedale’s loudspeakers proved indistinguishable from live music. The company’s innovativeness included such basics solutions as a two-way speaker and a ceramic magnet. In the 1950s and 1960s, Wharfedale became famous for its technique of eliminating cabinet resonances using a double housing with a space between the inner and outer layers filled with sand. The buyers of loudspeaker systems received proper amount of sand, which was shipped from Wharfedale. In 1958, Briggs, at the age of 68, sold his business to Rank Organization. However, he managed the day-to-day operations of the company until his well-deserved retirement in 1965. In the 1960s and 1970s, fashion played an important role in hi-fi design, and Wharfedale focused on design and ultra-modern plastic. In the 1980s, an investment in the cutting-edge technologies led to the development of laser holography processes and loudspeaker construction methods. Today, the company has one of the most advanced R&D programs, as well as one of the most accurate production and quality control processes in the industry.
The professional DD1 headphones are a two-way system with separate bass and treble drivers, each with its own voice coil and cone. This is a 2-way, 4-speaker model. The size and diameter of the ear muffs allow for great quality reproduction of bass as low as 16 Hz. The DD1 is a well-designed model that perfectly fits the head and provides great listening comfort.
Old pads were replaced with properly selected substitutes made of exceptionally soft eco-leather. The headband connecting the earpieces, covered with eco-leather, has been cleaned, moisturized and protected with a lotion based on lanolin, aloe, beeswax and Carnauba wax.
Specially designed and hand-made solid headphone stands. The material is plywood, varnished using the automotive wet painting technique, which gives the stands a beautiful look and makes them very pleasant to the touch. Felt pads have been affixed to the base to prevent furniture scratches.
The device has been fully reviewed and serviced. Collector’s headphones. In perfect condition.
Technical data:
– frequency response – 16Hz – 22kHz
– impedance – 4-16 Ohm
– cable length – 2.5 m
– weight – 600 grams
– year of production 1975
– made in the UK