RG Jones Sound Engineering was founded in 1926 by Reginald Geoffrey Jones (1912–1987) of

Caerphilly Caerphilly (, ; cy, Caerffili, ) is a town and community in Wales. It is situated at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley. It is north of Cardiff and northwest of Newport. It is the largest town in Caerphilly County Borough, and lies wi ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. The RG Jones company and Swanson Sound Service are considered the oldest

sound reinforcement A sound reinforcement system is the combination of microphones, signal processors, amplifiers, and loudspeakers in enclosures all controlled by a mixing console that makes live or pre-recorded sounds louder and may also distribute those sounds ...

companies in the world which are still in operation. RG Jones worked as a salesman for Milton Products in busy street markets where he could not be heard above the crowd. To solve the problem he built a

public address system A public address system (or PA system) is an electronic system comprising microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and related equipment. It increases the apparent volume (loudness) of a human voice, musical instrument, or other acoustic sound sou ...

which he mounted on top of the caravan (trailer) he conducted business out of. The public address system consisted of a microphone connected to an amplifier which fed two large wooden horns he had constructed. Four 12 V batteries were used to power a rotary 48 V to 230 V converter to provide portable electricity for the system. The Miltoton Products Company then asked him to build fifteen more of these systems which is when he started the R.G. Jones company. The company is still in business providing sound systems for festivals, concerts, sporting and special events. They also have a large installed sound business providing service to churches, businesses and schools.

References

{{Reflist Electronics companies of the United Kingdom Audio engineering Electronics companies established in 1932 1932 establishments in England British companies established in 1932 Manufacturing companies established in 1932