Post by ChrisB on Jun 18, 2014 22:15:10 GMT
One of the most memorable experiences listening to audio gear came for me with a short while spent in the company of the Beveridge loudspeakers.
The Beveridge was an innovative design using actively driven electrostatic drivers within a sealed back enclosure. The later Quad speakers used an electrical delay network in order to produce a spherical wavefront to replicate a point source. The Beveridge approach to this conundrum was to force the soundwaves from the wide panel through a narrow vertical aperture. This 'acoustic lens' has the effect of bending the line source through 180 degrees to create a semi-cylinder.
The system I heard had an Elite Rock (it may have been Rock Reference) / Excaliber / Decca Gold front end that had been provided, along with the speakers, by Max Townsend, who was present.
When it first fired up, I was in the next room & all I knew was that I was in the presence of greatness – not the hi-fi, but Frank Sinatra! As far as I was concerned he was there, in that room next door, belting it out like a good 'un (funnily enough, apparently Sinatra actually owned a pair)
When I went into that room and sat down, I spent a good while listening to all sorts of music on this kit and the whole thing was a completely spellbinding experience.
Harold Beveridge built his first electrostatic speaker in 1953, with stators made from sheets of slate with hundreds of holes drilled through them. His first stereo pair came in 1957 and he developed the acoustic lens and sealed-back cabinet by 1965. By 1972 Sony made an offer, which was refused, to buy all rights to the designs. This interest spurred the formation of a commercial company and the development of the Model 2 and the 2SW which added a subwoofer to the mix. In the early years, they were being sold at $500 less than they cost to make and the Model 3 was a failed attempt to reduce costs.
For a technical description of Beveridge Speakers:
The Beveridge Audio Wave Front Technology
History of their Development
The Beveridge was an innovative design using actively driven electrostatic drivers within a sealed back enclosure. The later Quad speakers used an electrical delay network in order to produce a spherical wavefront to replicate a point source. The Beveridge approach to this conundrum was to force the soundwaves from the wide panel through a narrow vertical aperture. This 'acoustic lens' has the effect of bending the line source through 180 degrees to create a semi-cylinder.
The system I heard had an Elite Rock (it may have been Rock Reference) / Excaliber / Decca Gold front end that had been provided, along with the speakers, by Max Townsend, who was present.
When it first fired up, I was in the next room & all I knew was that I was in the presence of greatness – not the hi-fi, but Frank Sinatra! As far as I was concerned he was there, in that room next door, belting it out like a good 'un (funnily enough, apparently Sinatra actually owned a pair)
When I went into that room and sat down, I spent a good while listening to all sorts of music on this kit and the whole thing was a completely spellbinding experience.
Harold Beveridge built his first electrostatic speaker in 1953, with stators made from sheets of slate with hundreds of holes drilled through them. His first stereo pair came in 1957 and he developed the acoustic lens and sealed-back cabinet by 1965. By 1972 Sony made an offer, which was refused, to buy all rights to the designs. This interest spurred the formation of a commercial company and the development of the Model 2 and the 2SW which added a subwoofer to the mix. In the early years, they were being sold at $500 less than they cost to make and the Model 3 was a failed attempt to reduce costs.
For a technical description of Beveridge Speakers:
The Beveridge Audio Wave Front Technology
History of their Development
