Customer Reviews

Electrostatic Loudspeaker Design Cookbook

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For those interested in DIY ESL Audio this book must be like hitting the mother load in a field which seems determined to keep out all but the upper crust of technical gurus. It is a plain account of design principles and ideas that fill almost all gaps that an avid DIYer could have, as well as showcasing three proven designs for those on a strict 1 way trip to ESL ownership. Like most, Mr Saunders strong opinions about the field, (Lovers of magnetic bass in Acoustic Suspension, Infinite Baffle, Bass Reflex and Passive Radiator Encloseures will be downright furious! ), but he does make some effort to seperate fact from his own preferences. The book features an overview of electrical theory (Dust off your high scool text books!),a logical flowchart of design methods which could easily be applied to other fields, discussions of materials and methods, and clear instructional help. A few small gripes. There are no photographs in the book. Although the illustrations are good, a photo of some finished units would be helpfull and photos could replace some of the more vague drawings.(Many DIYers would like to see a photo of a finished product before committing time and money).Curiously the front cover (Aust.Issue) does not even feature an ESL ,but the design for a magnetic TL enclosure. My final gripe is that the list of compatible parts and manufacturers needs expanding. There is very little use telling someone that the part they need is easily available in downtown NY if the book is published under licence in Aust.(Publishers Take Note! )

Gripes aside this book is rightfully seen as the best in its field and is ESSENTIAL for those considering building an E.S.L.

This book not only teaches you how to design the ultimate sounding electrostatic speaker, but also gives you three ways to do it, using tweeters and woofers as needed.

You also learn all about amps, crossovers, transformers, equalizers etc. And learn all the theory you need to know about woofers and tweeters. All what you are shown is given from an unbiased point of view.

This book does need some work on it though. One small complaint is that it has no photo's. Another is that Appendix A: Sources, is missing. The worst complaint is that the diagrams are only top, bottom and side views. No exploded views until chapter 11. So unless you already know what he is talking about, you probably should look at the exploded views in chapter 11 before you start chapter 1.

Overall this book is packed with information and I would recommend it to anyone interested in creating the ultimate sounding stereo system.