[DrJ-10]

Apparently the rules have changed and one now needs THREE approved posts before one can search.  So allow me to start a discussion on Beveridge loudspeakers.

I recently acquired two sets of them: one a Model 3, and the other the Model 5.  For those who don't know them, the 3 has a six-foot electrostatic element (with the famous Bev lens, of course) and two woofers.  One is at the top of a 6.5' cylinder,  the other is on the bottom and slot loaded.  The model 5 is roughly half a model 3, with a 3' electrostatic element and a single woofer.  Both are passive, unlike the various Model 2s which have builtin direct-drive amplifiers.

Both are about 40 years old, and I'm going to rebuild them.  This is getting more difficult as Rick Beveridge is not doing well physically, and Roger Modjeski (who stocked a lot of parts) unfortunately passed away recently.

I'll start with the Model 5, since it is much less expensive, does not sound as good currently, and has electrostatic elements that tend to degrade.  The woofer does not match the rest of the system, and though simple measures are reasonably (FR, distortion and ringing), it just does not sound right.  The transformers are OK, and I'll probably just replace everything else (other than the inductors) since these parts are inexpensive.

Yes, I've read the thread on Audiokarma.

From there we'll see.

Any comments or experience others have had would be appreciated.

[DrJ-10]

Moderator, feel free to move this to the "Vintage" circle if you think it would be a more appropriate home.

[SteveFord]

You might get a better response over in Vintage.
The first thing I thought of was old Carver speakers when I saw them.
http://bevaudio.com/index.html

[JakeJ]

While Roger has passed on his companies have not.

http://www.ramlabs-musicreference.com/

Give them a call and see what they have or can do.

[DrJ-10]

I have talked with them, and probably will visit in the next week or so (I live about an hour from them).  Anthony Chipelo, who runs it now, is a nice guy, and knows a lot about Music Reference (of course!) and Bevs too.  It should be an interesting visit!

[JakeJ]

Congrats and good luck!

[Mike B.]

That would make a excellent build thread. I knew a surgeon who bought the latest greatest stereo stuff back in the 1970's. I went to his place and listened to his new Beverage speakers. He had them set up with the lenses facing each other. Not facing the listening position. I later went with him to another audiophiles home who had a pair in the conventional positions. It has stuck with me wondering which was the best way.

[DrJ-10]

Positioning Bevs is interesting.  The classical positioning, at least for the older ones that had 180 degree dispersion (up to the Model 3), is to put them facing each other on the long wall, about a third of the room length from the back wall.  You pick up reflections from the back wall in addition to the direct sound and the other room reflections.  Supposedly this orientation gives a huge soundstage, at the cost of some detail and image specificity, which makes sense to me.  The more traditional loudspeaker orientation relies more on sidewall reflections (since there really is little to bounce off the back wall).  This orientation gives a more precise image, but a smaller soundstage (which is still pretty large).  The good news is that they are not that sensitive to distance from the wall, since they were designed to be put directly on it.  Where the side walls are, and how they are damped, does matter.

I cannot try the classical Bev position in the room I have now -- the room is really odd.  So I use the more traditional loudspeaker positioning.

As to which is more "correct," my opinion is that the traditional loudspeaker positioning probably is.  However, my understanding is that the classical Bev positioning is very seductive, and if you listen, for example, to opera, it may well be worth it.  For solo acoustic guitar, it probably is less realistic.  I think it depends on what you listen to, and what sort of room you have.

[DrJ-10]

I'll add that when I visited Rick Beveridge a few times in the early 2000s, he set them up in with traditional loudspeaker arrangement.  He essentially was in a warehouse, so the face-each-other orientation was not really possible -- there were no walls.  His redesigns of his father's work were very, very good, and the image and detail were wonderful.