Planar Magnetic Loudspeakers and Ribbon Tweeters
Planar magnetic drivers such as ribbon tweeters, and other dynamic speakers offer several advantages. Their comparatively large diaphragms require very little movement (excursion) to reproduce the same sound level as a traditional driver, resulting in very low distortion.
They also have dipolar radiation patterns meaning that they radiate equally in front and behind the speaker.
High-Resolution Sound
Planar and ribbon magnetic speakers are renowned for their ability to produce precise, detailed sound. They are known for delivering high-resolution, revealing subtle nuances in music that other drivers fail to reproduce or even reveal.
Planar and ribbon drivers are not only precise, but also provide superior soundstages, which allows them to reproduce a huge soundstage with outstanding clarity. This makes them a fantastic choice for audiophiles as well as home theatre enthusiasts who are looking to listen to music to the maximum extent possible.
Planar and ribbon drivers are distinguished by their dipole pattern. The pattern emitted equal amounts of energy in front and back with an inverted phase, creating a natural soundstage. Their large dispersion and dipole radiation pattern makes them ideal for
Planar magnetic loudspeakers large spaces, where they can create an authentic and spacious soundstage.
Planar magnetic drivers have a fast response time which allows them to reproduce transients with greater accuracy and faster than cone drivers. This produces a clear and detailed sound, even at high frequencies.
Another advantage of planar magnetic drivers is their low distortion. This is because they don't use the voice coil, but instead an electrostatic field. This allows the diaphragms move without causing vibrations which could cause unwanted distortion.
In addition, the distance between the magnets in a planar driver is larger than that of a traditional cone speaker. This allows for a higher frequency response and lower distortion at lower amplitudes and still provides high-quality bass.
While many of the benefits of planar magnetic drivers are appealing but they do have a few limitations that should be taken into consideration. They can be costly and require more power compared to other types of speakers. They can also be heavy which makes difficult to fit in certain areas. Additionally, they are sensitive to the acoustics of the room and require a lot of room treatment to achieve optimal performance. There are ways to minimize the problems. For example you can include an attenuation resistance (provided with speakers) and set it in the attenuation settings. Or, you can perform some type of room treatment.
Wide Dispersion
Similar to electrostatic speakers, planar magnetic speakers produce sound by regulating the electrical current that flows through wires suspended between magnets. However they directly move a flat diaphragm instead than an electrostatic charge, which gives them a larger surface area and more precision. This allows them to be integrated into smaller and less expensive headsets and speakers than electrostatic models.
Planar drivers are not only capable of dispersing sound effectively they also offer better image and clarity in higher frequencies. This is a great benefit for audiophiles that enjoy watching movies or music on a large screen or in a large open space.
Planar drivers can also provide an extremely deep bass since they can be augmented with subwoofers in boxes that are connected to or separated from the ribbon-like membrane. This is contrary to conventional cone-type speaker woofers, which are typically located at the bottom of the cabinet, which is a place that is not able to reproduce bass frequencies due to the physical constraints of the woofer enclosure.
Another advantage of a planar driver is its extremely low distortion that is directly related to the size and excursion of the diaphragm that resembles a ribbon. As a result, an acoustic planar speaker produces a huge volume of sound with minimal distortion, which is the reason it can produce such crisp and precise reproduction.
Dynamic drivers in standard headphones and speakers typically show significant distortion when driven to their highest excursion limits. As a result, dynamic drivers usually create a booming or hollow sound.
Finally,
best planar headphones magnetic drivers are also extremely efficient. They consume less energy to drive, resulting in a lower energy consumption and a less negative impact on the environment. Furthermore, their diaphragms typically composed of lighter materials than traditional speakers, which reduces the amount of energy required to propel them to create an appropriate sound pressure.
While many audiophiles are familiar with planar/ribbon loudspeakers - especially the ones made by Magnepan, Infinity, and Apogee Acoustics - a new generation of brands is now making their debut. New planar loudspeakers by manufacturers such as Clarisys Audio and Diptyque, for example, incorporate the latest advancements in ribbon technology.
Low Distortion
headset planar magnetic speakers have extremely low distortion due to the fact that they don't employ a traditional dome-shaped diaphragm or
Planar Magnetic Loudspeakers cone. This is due to their unique design that eliminates the voice coil inductance which is associated with dynamic driver drivers for speakers. (See U.S. patent 6,353,560). This means that the diaphragm is never being out of phase with its surrounding magnetic field, resulting in the output level remains constant. The distortion is typically only evident when large waveforms are reproduced. With a single-ended planar magnetic driver, distortion is virtually nonexistent in all frequencies above the bass.
Planar magnetic loudspeakers are very efficient and have a low distortion. This allows the drive to operate with much less power than would otherwise be required by other types of speakers. This translates into lower cost of ownership and a lower energy consumption.
Planar magnetic drivers also have significantly lower distortion compared to conventional dynamic speakers, and even less distortion for electrostatic speakers. This is because the flat diaphragm features a conductor trace that lets it react to magnetic fields that are generated on either side.
The two magnets need to be placed in a way that the voice element stays in the magnetic field at optimum levels throughout the time. This is the reason for the extremely linear performance of planar magnetic drivers in all frequencies above the bass.
While there are numerous other advantages of planar magnetic drivers, the most important is that they can to be designed to be dipole (radiating equally and in opposing phases in front and back of the speaker similar to an ESL) or Monopole (radiating forward, more like the traditional dynamic). This allows for a variety of designs, especially when paired with the ribbon-tweeter.
There are a myriad of planar magnetic Loudspeakers (
http://foro.cavifax.com) that are available in the present, from companies like Hifiman Dan Clark Audeze and Fostex. Each company has their own unique sound, which is the result of their own patented driver configurations as well as other innovations in engineering. The commonality of these speakers is their incredible quality, dynamic and a controlled control of directivity.
High Power Handling
Planar magnetic speakers can handle a lot more power than traditional moving coil dynamic drivers without the tension and strain they can cause. The "voice coil" is not squeezed into the tiny gap between cones and baskets as in traditional dynamic drivers. Instead it is spread out over more of a large area. This gives the voice coil an increased surface area to disperse any heat.
Planar drivers can handle so much power because they are light in comparison to conventional drivers.