The Braun LE1, Loudspeaker Unit 1 (German: Lautsprechereinheit 1), was the first electrostatic mode loudspeaker available on the German hi-fi market. German electronics company Braun started production in 1960[1] with the technology licensed from the British Acoustical Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (now known as QUAD Electroacoustics).[2][3]

Braun LE1
TypeElectrostatic loudspeaker
Inception1960
ManufacturerBraun

The electronics inside were very similar to QUAD's famous ESL-57, however there were differences. While the stators were identical, the transformers and high voltage cascade were specially developed by Braun.

The loudspeakers were fed the audio signal plus a 220 Volt power supply by a special 4-wire cable using any of the following Braun tube amplifiers:

  • CV11 (power amplifier of modular STUDIO 2 Hifi unit)
  • CSV13 and CSV60 (integrated amplifiers).

The speaker casing and supporting struts were designed by famed German designer Dieter Rams.[1] The LE1 is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Dieter Rams, Speaker (model LE 1), 1960". The Museum of Modern Art.
  2. ^ "Phonosuper Archive". braun audio. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  3. ^ "Lautsprecher-Einheit LE1 Speaker". www.radiomuseum.org. Retrieved 2024-01-23.