Beveridge Model 2sw Electrostatic

Yes, Harlold Beveridge's systems were and still are magical. I got to hear a pair for the first time at CES 2002. They could have used a bigger amp, but boy they sounded sweet. I spent some time talking with his son Rick about the prospect of one day becoming a dealer for them, though at the time I didn't have the cash to place an initial order. I'd love to be a dealer for both Beveridge and Sound Lab - wouldn't that put me on the map!

Here is a link to Rick's Beveridge Acoustics site:

http://www.beveridge-audio.com/Front_Page.htm

Lots of fascinating information there - well worth reading if for no other reason than to get a glimpse into the mind of Harold Beveridge, a man who poured his heart and soul into his speakers.

I had a pair of 2SW-1's for a two week audition in my home back in December 1979. They were beautiful in Brazilian Rosewood. They sounded wonderful as long as you did not play something with a lot of dynamic range at a loud level, like at that time a Direct-to-disc record. The result was a very unpleasant distorted sound. The problem was the mylar hitting the polarizing plates due to the dynamics of the signal in conjuction with a high gain on the preamp. The spacing between the mylar and the fixed plates is critical in electrostatic loudspeaker design. I wrote Harold Beveridge a letter about my findings and his VP at the time, John Fermin, wrote me a very nice response stating my observations were correct and they were working on overcoming this. I don't know if they ever did or not. These speakers with the two subwoofers also in Rosewood were $8,000 in 1979. A bargain compared to the $44,000 price for a new pair today.

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