prototype model 1

The Model 1 was the prototype: the first full range Beveridge electrostatic speaker to employ the patented, full-length Beveridge acoustic lens system. All subsequent Beveridge loudspeakers systems were based, in one form or another, on this Model 1 prototype. An oversized model, standing approx 6' tall and 3' wide, the "One" sported a voluminous and tall cabinet which covered almost the entire distance from floor to ceiling.

The Model 1 was, in a sense, a technology demonstrator and was never available commercially. A family friend had eventually acquired the system, but it is now believed to have been destroyed. Subsequent Beveridge models were all smaller. The Model 2 was similar in height, but only 2' wide. The Models 3, 5, and 6 were cylindrical in shape. The smallest in the range, the Model 5, was only 5' tall.

Rick Beveridge has recently started designing and building the "Model X", which will commemorate and honor the Model 1 prototype. It is reminiscent of that pioneering model in its dimensions, but acoustically the X is far more advanced: while the bass response will resemble that of the "One" and will be substantially lower than past or current Model 2's, the unit will employ six transducers in each cabinet for a much increased total SPL across the audio range. The purity of the design is maintained; the entire frequency range is reproduced by electrostatic transducers only, with no band splitters. A new, enhanced, class A OTL power amplifier will directly drive the ES units.