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Planar Magnetic Loudspeakers and Ribbon Tweeters

Planar magnetic drivers and ribbon tweeters provide many advantages over traditional dynamic speakers. Their large diaphragms require only just a tiny amount of movement (excursion), allowing them to create the same sound quality as traditional speakers.

They also have dipolar radiation patterns which means that they radiate equally in front and behind the speaker.

High-Resolution Sound

They are known for their precise, clear sound effects. They are known for delivering high-resolution sound that reveals subtle variations in music that other drivers are unable to reproduce or reveal.

In addition to their incredible precision in sound reproduction, planar and ribbon drivers have superior soundstages which allows them to recreate an expansive soundstage with exceptional clarity. Audiophiles, home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles will find them to be a great choice.

Planar and ribbon drivers can be distinguished by their dipole pattern. This pattern emits equal amounts of energy the front and back, with an inverted phase, creating a natural soundstage. This, combined with their wide dispersion, makes them ideal for large spaces, where they can fill the room with an expansive and planar Magnetic loudspeakers natural soundstage, without causing unwanted reflections off furniture and walls.

Planar magnetic drivers have a rapid response time which allows them to reproduce transients more accurately and more quickly than cone drivers. This produces a clear and detailed sound, even at higher frequencies.

Planar magnetic drivers are known for their low distortion. This is because they don't employ a voice coil, but an electrostatic field. This allows the diaphragm to move without creating vibrations that could cause unwanted distortion.

Additionally, 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 less distortion at low amplitudes, and still provides excellent bass performance.

While the benefits of planar magnetic drivers appeal to you however, they have some limitations that need to be taken into consideration. They can be costly and require more power compared to other kinds of speakers. They can also be bulky and difficult to place in some spaces. Additionally, they are sensitive to the sound of the room and require a lot of room treatment to ensure the best performance. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce these issues by incorporating an attenuation resistor (provided with your speakers) in the attenuation position, or by applying some kind of room treatment.

Wide Dispersion

Like electrostatic speakers, planar magnetic speakers produce sound by regulating the electrical charge that travels through wires suspended between magnets. They vibrate a flat, conductive membrane directly, not using an electrostatic charge. This allows for an increased surface area and more precise. This principle of operation also makes it possible to build them into smaller, more affordable speakers and headphones than electrostatic models.

Planar drivers are not only able to disperse sound well and efficiently, but also provide superior imaging and clarity in the higher frequencies. This is a huge advantage for audiophiles who like listening to their music or films in a large living room or any other open space.

Moreover they are capable of producing very deep bass since they can be augmented with boxed woofers that are connected to or separated from the ribbon-like diaphragm. This is contrary to conventional cone-type speaker woofers that are usually placed in the bottom of the cabinet, which is a place that cannot reproduce bass frequencies because of the physical constraints of the enclosure that houses the woofer.

Another benefit of a planar driver is its exceptionally low distortion which is directly linked to the size and excursion 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 why it gives such a clear and detailed sound.

In comparison, the dynamic drivers used in standard headphones and speakers typically show significant levels of distortion when driven to the limits of extreme excursion. Dynamic drivers can produce a hollow or boomy sound.

Planar magnetic drivers are extremely efficient. They are less energy-intensive to drive, which results in a lower energy consumption and a less negative impact on the environment. Furthermore, their diaphragms typically made of lighter materials than traditional speakers, which further decreases the amount of energy needed for them to generate an appropriate sound pressure.

While many audiophiles are acquainted with planar/ribbon loudspeakers, particularly those made by Magnepan, Infinity, and Apogee Acoustics - a new generation of brands is entering the market. New planar loudspeakers from manufacturers such as Clarisys Audio and Diptyque, for instance, feature the latest advancements in ribbon technology.

Low Distortion

Because planar magnetic speakers don't feature a cone- or dome shaped diaphragm, they produce extremely low distortion. This is due to their unique design that eliminates voice coil inductance that is associated with dynamic driver speakers. (See U.S. patent 6,353,560). This results in the diaphragm never being out of phase with the surrounding magnetic field, resulting in the output level remains constant. Typically, distortion only occurs when waveforms with large amplitudes are reproduced. With a single-ended planar magnetic driver, distortion is virtually absent at frequencies above bass.

In addition to their extremely low distortion, planar magnetic loudspeakers offer extremely high efficiency. This allows the drive to operate with much less power than is normally required for other speaker technologies. This translates into lower costs of ownership and lower energy consumption.

The distortion of planar magnetic drivers is significantly lower than traditional dynamic speakers, and even more so for electrostatic speakers. This is due to the flat diaphragm of the planar magnetic driver is equipped with a conductor trace on it that allows it to react to magnetic fields created by magnets located on either side of it.

The two magnets must be placed so that the voice element stays in the magnetic field optimally at all times. This is the reason for the extremely linear performance of planar magnetic drivers at all frequencies above the bass.

Planar magnetic drivers come with a myriad of other advantages however the most significant is that they can be constructed 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 direction of travel, more like traditional dynamic speakers). This allows for many different possible designs, particularly when paired with the ribbon tweeter.

There are a myriad of planar magnetic loudspeakers that are available today, from manufacturers like Hifiman Dan Clark Audeze and Fostex. Each company has their own signature sound that results of their proprietary design of drivers as well as other engineering breakthroughs. These speakers are distinguished by their stunning clarity and dynamic as well as their controlled directionality.

High Power Handling

Planar magnetic drivers are capable of handling lots of power without causing the tension or strain that can be caused by traditional moving coil dynamic speakers. The "voice coil" is not squeezed into the small gap between the baskets and cones like in traditional dynamic drivers. Instead, it is spread across an area larger. This gives the voice coil a larger surface area to help disperse heat efficiently.

Planar drivers can handle a lot of power because they are lightweight compared to conventional drivers. Dynamic drivers use diaphragms made of heavy, thick material that are orders of magnitude larger and heavier than the diaphragms made of ultra-light and thin materials used in planar magnetic drives. Due to their massive mass, conventional diaphragms require a greater amount of force to move between them (a measure called excursion) to create a given level of sound pressure.

In the end they aren't able to be used as effectively as a planar magnetic driver can because the voice coil will begin to produce large amounts of distortion. It's therefore important to buy loudspeakers that are designed for the amplifier you intend to use.

A planar magnetic driver's high excursion allows it to produce more soundstages than conventional drivers. This is because the diaphragm vibrates in a uniform and flat way to create an asymmetrical wavefront, not the spherical wavefront that is typical of conventional drivers. This larger soundstage improves the accuracy and clarity of the speakers and allows them to reproduce subtle nuances and complex sounds.

The drawback to the superior power handling capabilities of planar magnetic drivers is that they tend to be more expensive to produce and require more powerful amplifiers in order to operate at full capacity. They can also be quite large and heavy which makes them difficult to install in certain environments. You may also need to add a separate subwoofer in order to get satisfactory results at lower frequencies.