Realistic Electrostatic speakers?

[Ziinda]

IIRC, JansZens and RTRs were push-pull. The Radio Shacks are single ended.[/QUOTE

You are exactly correct on that!
That's what sets JansZens apart from most others. He also used graphite which is why you cannot bathe them in water like others, I find very little dirt attached to them, even on fronts that have been uncovered for decades. They simply do not attract dirt like you'd think.
Oreck made an air cleaner based on the same idea but left the plates bare and they attract dirt and pollution like magnets. You'll get that snapping and buzzing from the arcing after the coating gets to thick.
I used to repair them and some of those aluminum plates in the truman cell would get eaten away if they were neglected for too long. They would always have some pitting no matter what. I would disassemble them and scrub the plates clean then run new stainless steel wires across the fronts of the plates.

Most people wouldn't even see them and scrub on their cells breaking most if those wires then they would show an error.

I have taken a close look at the parts in the Orecks to see how they got their high voltage supplied, hoping I might find some useful ideas for electrostatic power supplies. He would cover the entire circuit with epoxy or something and you couldn't see anything, Breaking the case away would just smash the parts. It looks like he used the same thing that old crt monitors and TV's used. It's a bigger plastic part with a thick red wire that energies the tube. Not exactly sure what the technical name is but I'd bet it could be configured for speakers with a little bit of research.

 

[Sidepark]

Also just picked up a pair of 2a’s for $20 from a local thrift shop. They sounded very good. one lost tweeter sound, but it was just the .5 amp fuse. Replaced the fuse , added a sub, and now they sound excellent. Full, not harsh sound, with wide soundstage. Purchased out of curiosity or to flip, but considering keeping them and comparing to my other keepers!

 

[jmitchell59]

Just curious if anyone has heard these guys? REalistic electrostatic model 2A

https://madison.craigslist.org/ele/d/madison-vintage-realistic-electrostatic/7012820897.html

Just came across this thread. I have an original set of AR-2's with the matching Electrostat 3's that I got from the original owner. The two actually compliment each other quite well.

 

[jamesre]

Just came across this thread. I have an original set of AR-2's with the matching Electrostat 3's that I got from the original owner. The two actually compliment each other quite well.

How are they wired? Parallel?

 

[Sam Cogley]

Apparently they were pretty common in German-made radios of the day.

Just for future reference, there were a number of Philco consoles made in the 1955-60 that also had electrostatic tweeters.