Planar Magnetic Loudspeakers and Ribbon Tweeters

Planar magnetic drivers and ribbon tweeters offer a number of advantages over traditional dynamic speakers. Their comparatively large diaphragms require only a tiny amount of movement (excursion) to reproduce the same sound quality as a traditional driver, thus producing very low distortion.

They also have a dipolar pattern of radiation which means they radiate equally to the front and rear of the speaker.

High-Resolution Sound

They are known for producing precise, clear sound effects. They are known to deliver high-resolution and reveal subtle nuance in music that other drivers cannot reproduce or show.

In addition to their impressive accuracy in sound reproduction, planar and ribbon drivers have superior soundstages, allowing them to reproduce an expansive soundstage and exceptional clarity. Audiophiles as well as home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles will find them to be a fantastic choice.

One of the most important characteristics of ribbon and planar drivers is their dipole radiation pattern which emits equal energy both front and rear with inverted phase to create an authentic and spacious soundstage. Their large dispersion and dipole radiation pattern makes them ideal for large spaces, where they can create an authentic and spacious soundstage.

Planar magnetic drivers have a quick response time that allows them to reproduce transients more accurately and more quickly than cone drivers. This produces a clear and precise sound, even at extremely high frequencies.

Planar magnetic drivers are recognized for their low distortion. This is due to the fact that they don't employ a voice coil instead, but an electrostatic field. This allows the diaphragm to move, without creating vibrations that can cause distortion that is not desirable.

In addition, the gap between the magnets in the planar driver is larger than in a traditional cone speaker. This results in a better frequency response and less distortion at low amplitudes, and still provides excellent bass performance.

While many of the benefits of planar magnetic drivers appeal to you, they do have some limitations that need to be taken into consideration. For example, they can be quite expensive and may require more power than other kinds of speakers. They are also heavy and make it difficult to fit in certain areas. Furthermore, they can be sensitive to room acoustics and require extensive room treatments to ensure optimal performance. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce these issues, such as by adding an attenuation resistor (provided by your speakers) in the attenuation position, or by applying some kind of room treatment.

Wide Dispersion

Similar to electrostatic speakers, planar magnetic speakers produce sound through the regulation of the electrical charge that travels through wires that are suspended between magnets. However they directly vibrate a flat diaphragm, rather than an electrostatic charge which allows for a much larger surface area and better precision. This principle allows them to be built into smaller and more affordable headsets and speakers than electrostatic models.

Planar drivers aren't just capable of dispersing sound efficiently, but also deliver a higher quality image and clarity in higher frequencies. This is an excellent benefit for audiophiles who love listening to music or movies on big screens or in a large open space.

Planar drivers can also produce an extremely deep bass since they can be augmented by boxed subwoofers that are attached to or separated from the membrane that resembles a ribbon. This is in contrast to traditional cone speaker woofers which are typically placed in the bottom of the cabinet, a position that is not able to reproduce bass frequencies due to the physical limitations of the enclosure that houses the woofer.

Another advantage of a planar driver is its exceptionally low distortion that is directly related to the size and length of the diaphragm, which is shaped like a ribbon. This means that an acoustic planar speaker produces an enormous amount of sound with very little distortion, which is the reason it gives such a clear and detailed sound.

Dynamic drivers in conventional headphones and speakers typically show significant distortion when driven to their extreme limit of excursion. As a result, dynamic drivers typically produce a boomy or hollow sound.

Planar magnetic drivers are extremely efficient. They require less power to drive, resulting in a lower power consumption and less environmental impact. Their diaphragms that are generally smaller than traditional speakers, also reduce the energy needed to propel them to produce a specific sound pressure.

Many audiophiles have heard of speakers made of ribbon and planar like those produced by Magnepan Infinity and Apogee Acoustics. However, there is a brand new on the market. New planar loudspeakers made by companies such as Clarisys Audio and Diptyque, for example, incorporate the most recent advancements in ribbon technology.

Low Distortion

Since planar magnetic speakers do not have a conventional cone or dome-shaped diaphragm, they produce extremely low distortion. This is due to their unique design, which eliminates voice coil inductance that is common to dynamic driver drivers for speakers. (See U.S. patent 6,353,560). This results in the diaphragm never being out of phase with its surrounding magnetic field, which results in the output level remains constant. In general, distortion only occurs when large amplitude waveforms are reproduced. With a single-ended planar magnetic driver, distortion is virtually absent in all frequencies above the bass.

In addition to their low distortion and low distortion, planar magnetic loudspeakers provide very high efficiency. This allows the drive to be used with much less power than is typically required for other speaker technologies. This in turn translates to lower operating costs and a lower energy consumption.

Planar magnetic drivers also have a significantly lower distortion than traditional dynamic speakers and are even less for electrostatic speakers. This is due to the diaphragm that is flat in a planar magnetic driver has conductor trace that allows it to react to magnetic fields created by the magnets that are on the opposite side of it.

The two magnets need to be carefully placed to ensure that the voice element is optimally placed within the magnetic field at all times. This allows magnetic drivers with planar design to operate at a very linear level at all frequencies above bass.

Planar magnetic drivers offer a variety of other advantages, but the most important is that they can be designed as either dipoles (radiating in opposite directions and equally behind and in front of the speaker, similar to an ESL), or monopoles (radiating in the forward direction and more like traditional dynamic speakers). This opens the door planar magnetic loudspeakers for planar magnetic Loudspeakers an array of possible designs, particularly when paired with a ribbon tweeter.

A variety of planar magnetic loudspeakers are available today from brands such as Hifiman, Dan Clark, Audeze, and Fostex. Each company has a signature sound, which is a result of their proprietary design of drivers and other engineering innovations. The commonality of these speakers is their astonishing clarity, dynamics and a controlled directivity.

High Power Handling

planar headphone magnetic speakers can handle a lot more power than traditional dynamic moving coil drivers, without the strain and strain that they can cause. The "voice coil" is not squeezed into the small space between the baskets and cones as in traditional dynamic drivers. Instead it is spread over a larger area. This gives the voice coil an increased surface area to dissipate heat efficiently.

Planar drivers can handle so much power because they are so light in comparison to conventional drivers. Dynamic drivers are made of thick, heavy diaphragms which are orders of magnitude heavier and thicker than the ultra-light diaphragms that are found in the planar magnetic drive. Due to their massive mass, conventional diaphragms require more force to move forwards and backwards (a measurement called excursion) to create an appropriate level of sound pressure.

They can't be driven nearly as hard as a planar magnetic driver, as the voice coil will start to produce significant distortion. This is the reason it's essential to only purchase loudspeakers that are rated for the amplifier you plan to drive them with.

The high excursion allows it to produce a wider soundstage than conventional drivers. This is due to the diaphragm's ability to vibrate in a uniform and flat way to create a wavefront, rather than the spherical wavefront typical with traditional drivers. This larger soundstage also increases the accuracy and detail of the speakers and allows them to better reproduce subtle variations and complex sounds.

The downside of the superior power handling offered by planar magnetic drives is that they can be more expensive to manufacture and require stronger amplifiers to drive them at their full capacity. They can be large and heavy which can make it difficult to install in certain areas. You may also need to install a separate subwoofer in order to achieve satisfactory results at lower frequencies.