An acoustic transducer element for forming a multi-element array of acoustic transducer elements comprising: a piezoelectric stack formed from a plurality of piezoelectric layers , the piezoelectric stack comprising a plurality of electrodes; each piezoelectric layer being mechanically responsive, along a first axis, to a received electrical driving signal, so as to vibrate along said first axis upon application of the received electrical driving signal by a respective electrode pair of the electrodes, the respective electrode pair being electrically coupled to corresponding opposing faces of said each piezoelectric layer along a second axis, said second axis being normal to said first axis; and wherein said plurality of piezoelectric layers and said electrodes are arranged with respect to one another in said piezoelectric stack so that for each pair of adjacent piezoelectric layers, a common electrode is disposed and shared therebetween; wherein said electrodes include a first set of non-adjacent electrodes and a second set of non-adjacent electrodes, and wherein the first set of non-adjacent electrodes are connected in parallel to form a common signal electrode, and wherein the second set of non-adjacent electrodes are connected in parallel to form a common ground electrode, such that the first set of non-adjacent electrodes are spatially interleaved with the second set of non-adjacent electrodes; characterized in that said first set of non-adjacent electrodes extend from a distal end of said piezoelectric stack in a direction parallel to a direction of acoustic emission and configured to be brought into electrical communication beyond the distal end of said piezoelectric stack. a piezoelectric stack formed from a plurality of piezoelectric layers , the piezoelectric stack comprising a plurality of electrodes; each piezoelectric layer being mechanically responsive, along a first axis, to a received electrical driving signal, so as to vibrate along said first axis upon application of the received electrical driving signal by a respective electrode pair of the electrodes, the respective electrode pair being electrically coupled to corresponding opposing faces of said each piezoelectric layer along a second axis, said second axis being normal to said first axis; and wherein said plurality of piezoelectric layers and said electrodes are arranged with respect to one another in said piezoelectric stack so that for each pair of adjacent piezoelectric layers, a common electrode is disposed and shared therebetween; wherein said electrodes include a first set of non-adjacent electrodes and a second set of non-adjacent electrodes, and wherein the first set of non-adjacent electrodes are connected in parallel to form a common signal electrode, and wherein the second set of non-adjacent electrodes are connected in parallel to form a common ground electrode, such that the first set of non-adjacent electrodes are spatially interleaved with the second set of non-adjacent electrodes; characterized in that said first set of non-adjacent electrodes extend from a distal end of said piezoelectric stack in a direction parallel to a direction of acoustic emission and configured to be brought into electrical communication beyond the distal end of said piezoelectric stack. <EOS>