| Braun LE1 | |
| Type: | Electrostatic loudspeaker |
| Inception: | 1960 |
| Manufacturer: | Braun |
The Braun LE1, Loudspeaker Unit 1 (de|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] 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:
The speaker casing and supporting struts were designed by famed German designer Dieter Rams. The LE1 is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.