Planar Magnetic Loudspeakers and Ribbon Tweeters
Planar magnetic drivers and ribbon tweeters offer numerous advantages over traditional dynamic speakers. Their large diaphragms require only a tiny amount of movement (excursion) to reproduce the same sound quality as a conventional driver, thus producing very low distortion.
They also have a dipolar radiation pattern, meaning they radiate equally to the front and rear of the speaker.
High-Resolution Sound
Ribbon and planar magnetic speakers are known for their ability to deliver precise, clear sound. They are known to deliver high-resolution and reveal subtle nuance in music that other drivers can't reproduce or reveal.
In addition to their impressive accuracy in sound reproduction, planar and ribbon drivers offer superior soundstaging that allow them to create an expansive soundstage with outstanding clarity. Audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts as well as audiophiles will find them to be a great choice.
Planar and ribbon drivers can be distinguished by their dipole pattern. This pattern radiates equal amounts of energy in the front and back, with an inverted phase, resulting in an organic soundstage. Their broad dispersion and dipole radiation pattern makes them ideal for large spaces, where they can create an open and natural soundstage.
Planar magnetic drivers also have a fast response time, which helps them to reproduce transients with more accuracy and speed than conventional cone drivers. This produces a detailed and crisp sound, even at extremely high frequencies.
Planar magnetic drivers are known for their low distortion. This is because they don't use the voice coil, but rather an electrostatic field. This allows the diaphragms move without causing vibrations that can cause unwanted distortion.
In addition, the gap between the magnets in a planar driver is larger than in a traditional cone speaker. This allows for a higher frequency response and lower distortion at lower amplitudes but still delivering excellent bass performance.
Despite their many advantages planar magnetic speakers (
Read the Full Post) have a few limitations to be aware of. For instance, they can be quite costly and require more power than other kinds of speakers. Also, they can be heavy and difficult to fit into some rooms. Furthermore, they can be sensitive to the sound of the room and require extensive room treatments to ensure the best performance. There are methods to reduce the issues. For example, you can add an attenuation resistance (provided with speakers) and place it in the attenuation mode. Or, you can use a variety of room treatments.
Wide Dispersion
Planar magnetic speakers also generate sound by controlling electrical currents that pass through wires suspended in between magnets. They vibrate a flat, conductive membrane directly, rather than using an electrostatic charge. This allows for an increased surface area and greater precision. This principle allows them to be integrated into smaller and more affordable headsets and speakers than electrostatic models.
Planar drivers are not just capable of dispersing sound efficiently, but also deliver a superior imaging and clarity in higher frequencies. This is a huge advantage for audiophiles who like listening to their favourite movies or music in an expansive living room or any other open space.
Planar drivers can also produce an extremely deep bass as they can be augmented with boxed subwoofers that are attached to or separate from the ribbon-like membrane. This is in contrast with traditional cone-type speakers that feature woofers that are located at the bottom, which cannot reproduce bass frequencies due to the physical constraints of woofer enclosures.
Another benefit of a planar driver is its extremely low distortion, which is directly related to the size and excursion of the ribbon-like diaphragm. A planar speaker can produce a high volume of sound without distortion. This is why the sound reproduction is clear and detailed.
In comparison, the dynamic drivers used in standard headphones and speakers typically show significant levels of distortion when they are driven to extreme excursion limits. Dynamic drivers can give an enveloping sound or a boomy sound.
Finally, planar magnetic drivers are also extremely efficient. They consume less energy to drive, which results in a lower energy consumption and a less negative impact on the environment. Their diaphragms, which are usually lighter than traditional speakers, also reduce the energy needed to propel them in order to produce a specific sound pressure.
Many audiophiles have heard of planar/ribbon speakers such as those manufactured by Magnepan Infinity and Apogee Acoustics. However, an entirely new brand is on the market. New planar loudspeakers by manufacturers like Clarisys Audio and Diptyque, for instance, feature the latest advancements in ribbon technology.
Low Distortion
Since planar magnetic speakers do not feature a cone- or dome-shaped diaphragm, they produce extremely low distortion. This is the direct consequence of their unique design, which eliminates the voice coil inductance that is associated with conventional dynamic speaker drivers (see U.S. Patent 6,353,560). This results in the diaphragm not being out of phase with its surroundings magnetic field, resulting in the output level remains constant. Distortion is generally only noticeable when large waveforms are being reproduced. With a single-ended planar magnetic driver, distortion is almost impossible at all frequencies that are above bass.
In addition to their extremely low distortion and low distortion, planar magnetic loudspeakers provide very high efficiency. This lets the drive use much less power than other speaker technologies. This in turn translates to lower operating costs and a lower energy consumption.
Planar magnetic drivers also have significantly lower distortion than traditional dynamic speakers, and even less distortion for electrostatic speakers. This is because 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 must be carefully positioned so that the voice element stays in the magnetic field optimally throughout the time. This is what allows for the extremely linear performance of planar magnetic drivers in all frequencies that go beyond the bass.
There are numerous other advantages of planar magnetic drivers, the most notable is that they can to be constructed to be either dipole (radiating equally and in opposite phases both in front and back of the speaker, like an ESL) or Monopole (radiating forward, more like the traditional dynamic). This allows for many different possible designs, particularly when paired with ribbon tweeters.
Many planar magnetic loudspeakers are on the market today from companies like Hifiman, Dan Clark, Audeze,
planar magnetic speakers and Fostex. Each company has its own signature sound that is the result of their patented driver configurations as well as other innovations in engineering. The commonality among these speakers is their amazing quality, dynamic and their controlled directionality.
High Power Handling
Planar
magnetic planar drivers are capable of handling a lot of power without causing the tension or strain that can be caused by traditional dynamic speakers with moving coils. The "voice coil" is not squeezed into the narrow gap between baskets and cones like in traditional dynamic drivers. Instead it is spread over an area larger. This provides the voice coil with a larger surface area to absorb heat efficiently.
Planar drivers can handle such a large amount of power because they are light compared to conventional drivers. Dynamic drivers feature diaphragms that are heavy and thick.