Abstract: An electrostatic speaker system including at least one electrostatic speaker element having a pair of stators and a diaphragm therebetween, each of the stators and the diaphragm having an least one electrically conductive portion. The conductive portion of the diaphragm is patterned as a mesh, which may include gaps, and a conforming layer overlying the conducting portion of the diaphragm and disposed so as to cover gaps in the mesh. A speaker drive circuit provides soft clipping of the audio input signal so that the audio signal applied between the diaphragm and the stators does not exceed the maximum acceptable level that can be applied between the diaphragm and the stators of at least one speaker element.

Abstract: Embodiments of an electrostatic loudspeaker utilize first and second stators and a diaphragm disposed therebetween, each of the stators and the diaphragm having an electrically conductive portion, wherein the conductive portions of the first stators are electrically coupled to each other; the conductive portions of the second stators are electrically coupled to each other; and the conductive portions of the diaphragms are electrically isolated from each other. The first stators and the second stators may be realized by common first and second stators may be mounted obliquely with respect to one another, so as to achieve differentially greater spacing between stators of the first one of the speaker elements than between stators of the second one of the speaker elements. Protective circuitry is also provided.