Peter Belt / PWB headphones

[Filterlab]

PWB's headphones were sold as electrostatic but were actually electret. They connected directly to the speaker terminals of your amplifier via some hefty cable but did not have a mains source connection. Rather like electrostatic headphones though they did have an energiser box with a couple of transformers in it. I bought a pair in the late seventies/early eighties with the cheaper and smaller energiser unit and they were, as I recall, remarkably good. There were various permutations available from a budget energiser to a premium energiser and then a version that would drive more than one headset.

Thanks for that, I've read that the headphones were very good quality and were highly revered in the late 70s. From what I've scraped out of the internet so far PWB did a pair of headphones that were essentially Stax drive units with the transformer box itself made by, or certainly labelled as, PWB. This combination was priced at £33 in 1979 so by no means budget stuff, it also beat several other pairs of well established headphones in a review that I read (although the magazine title was not present on the clipping). Seems like PWB was on the right wavelength initially and then fell into the snake oil pit.

[Filterlab]

It really does sound like Mile High, Ocean Going, Gold Plated FOO.

Now that's what I call a descriptive phrase!

[DSJR]

I could write a book about my findings about the "Peter Belt effect." he had a willing disciple in Jimmy Hughes and Jimmy was a very good friend of mine at the time and I owe him a lot, not least the LP12 training I had at his hands and the fact that he has a HUMUNGOUS record and CD collection, all of which was played and various aspects memorized. At Jimmy's place, I could hear all manner of illogical things and, spookily, some audible things were done without me knowing what he was doing (moving bottles of "holy" water in and out of his fuse-box for instance........). I'd then go home and try some things and not be able to detect one jot of difference. Every visit, I had my specs "polarised" and had a drink of his polarised water before listening commenced

Back to the headphones. We sold loads of them in the seventies and I regarded the electrostatic ones as not quite as good as decent Stax models but a heck of a lot cheaper.

[Filterlab]

Interesting stuff Dave, it comes as no surprise that Jimmy was a disciple of Peter, he has some interesting ideas on tweaking and I have read (and occasionally chuckled at) the mini publications that occasionally accompany Hi-Fi Choice. A lot of his suggestions make sense, a few though have echoes of complete nutballness!

[Ali Tait]

Wasn't one of his tweaks that you had to take a photo of yourself and put it in the freezer?

[Filterlab]

Wasn't one of his tweaks that you had to take a photo of yourself and put it in the freezer?

I can't even begin to imagine how that could possibly influence anything sound wise, but from what I read here I wouldn't put it past him.

[DSJR]

I knew about freezing one's CD's, but a photo? It'd blow up the freezer before it did anything for me LOL!

[Beechwoods]

I like that. Very 'Dorian Grey'.

[chris@panteg]

OMG this reminds of Paul Benson and his monthly ramblings in hifi review i think he drove M/steward to despair with his pwb lunacy

[oscarboyy]

Gentlemen,
Hello, I am David Chmura the chap who happened to open this old can of worms when I happened across a dusty old pair of "PWB Moving Coil MC." phones in my loft and mentioned them to Rob.
Having read all of the replys to Robs posting I feel I should say sorry for having stirred your memories of days (some darker) when we were all ready to listen and try just about anything to reach that Holy Grail.
One chap who saw my listing on eBay suggested they were a model used in a BBC studio and was very well versed to all things Dynamic, electrostatic, Isodynamic etc.
I hope who ever ends up with them will fill me in with the rest of the mystery.
Its an honour to be allowed into your company and thank you Rob for all your help.
David