From one aspect, the invention is a method of making a bending wave panel
loudspeaker, comprising rigidly
coupling a lever to a panel edge or marginal portion such that the lever extends at an angle to the plane of the panel,
coupling a bending wave
exciter to the lever whereby bending wave energy is coupled to the panel to produce an acoustic output when the
exciter is fed with a
signal and supporting the panel on a suspension positioned outboard of the lever. From another aspect the invention is a bending wave panel-form
loudspeaker having a lever rigidly coupled to a marginal portion or edge of the panel, a
vibration exciter coupled to the lever to apply bending wave energy to the panel to produce an acoustic output and a panel suspension positioned outboard of the lever. From a further aspect, the invention is a small electronic device, e.g. a mobile telephone or PDA, having a display screen, and a transparent protective cover over the display screen, wherein the transparent protective cover is a
loudspeaker as described above.