Arthur Radford founded Radford Audio Ltd. in the 1960s. Having been involved with electronics before the second World War, Radford saw an opportunity to utilise War surplus electronic equipment and make a profit in his home town of Bristol. However, increasing demand for quality audio transformers prompted Radford to design and produce his own, as he had experience in this field of design. Business prospered, and Radford began to explore the designing and building of quality amplifiers, inspired by his own personal interest and by the success of companies at the time such as Leak and Quad.

The first Radford amplifiers were a great success, winning critical acclaim across the market. The STA 25 is still considered by some to be the best British amplifier of its day, and many of them are still in service.

Working with Dr A. R. Bailey, Radford patented the first transmission line loudspeaker, a design which is used by many manufacturers today. At its peak, Radford had four factories employing 160 personnel. Radford had a policy of producing all materials in-house, including printing, graphics for consumer guides, metalwork and painting. This policy meant there was a high value placed on quality, but it also created a range of diversity in the company that was difficult to maintain and as Radford approached retirement, the company wound down, finally ceasing trading in 1989.

Arthur Radford died in 1993. However, John Widgery,a Radford apprentice who was responsible for many classic designs, later formed Woodside Electronics, specialising in Radford equipment.