Planar Magnetic Loudspeakers and Ribbon Tweeters

planar headphone magnetic drivers and ribbon tweeters provide numerous advantages over traditional dynamic speakers. Their large diaphragms need only a small amount of movement (excursion) and allow them to create the same sound as traditional speakers.

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

High-Resolution Sound

Planar and ribbon magnetic speakers are renowned for their ability to create precise, detailed sound. They are renowned for their high-resolution, revealing subtle variations in music that other drivers aren't able to reproduce or show.

Planar and ribbon drivers aren't just accurate, they also have superior soundstages that allow them to reproduce a large soundstage with outstanding clarity. This makes them a great choice for audiophiles as well as home theatre enthusiasts who want to listen to music to the maximum extent possible.

A key feature of planar and ribbon drivers is their dipole radiation pattern, which emits equal energy both front and rear, with an inverted phase to create a natural and spacious soundstage. This, in conjunction with their wide dispersion, makes them ideal for large rooms, where they can fill the room with an expansive and natural soundstage, while avoiding unwanted reflections off furniture and walls.

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 clear sound, even at higher frequencies.

Another advantage of planar magnetic drivers is their low distortion. This is because they do not employ a voice coil, but rather an electrostatic field. This allows the diaphragm to move without creating vibrations that can cause unwanted distortion.

Additionally, the distance between the magnets in the planar driver is bigger than the gap in a conventional cone speaker. This results in a greater frequency response and less distortion at low amplitudes, and still provides high-quality bass.

Despite their many benefits, planar magnetic speakers have a few limitations to consider. They can be expensive and require more power to other kinds of speakers. They can also be heavy which makes it difficult to fit them into specific spaces. Finally, they can be sensitive to room acoustics and require extensive room treatment to ensure optimal performance. There are solutions to lessen the issues. For example you can include an attenuation resistance (provided by speakers) and set it in the attenuation mode. You can also perform some type of room treatment.

Wide Dispersion

Like electrostatic speakers magnetic speakers produce sound by regulating the electrical current passing through wires suspended between magnets. However they directly vibrate a flat diaphragm, rather than an electrostatic charge which means they have a larger surface area and greater accuracy. This is why they can be built into smaller and more affordable headsets and speakers than electrostatic models.

Planar drivers are not only capable of dispersing sound effectively and efficiently, but also provide better image and clarity in higher frequencies. This is a huge advantage for audiophiles who like listening to their favourite movies or music in the living room of a large size or any other open space.

Moreover, planar drivers can produce extremely deep bass as they can be augmented by boxed woofers that are connected to or separate from the diaphragm-like ribbon. This is in contrast to traditional cone speaker woofers which are typically located in the bottom of the cabinet, a location which is unable to reproduce bass frequencies due to the physical limitations of the enclosure for the woofer.

A planar driver has a low distortion rate, which is directly related to the size and travel of the diaphragm. A planar speaker is able create a large volume of sound without distortion. This is why the sound reproduction is clear and detailed.

In contrast the dynamic drivers that are used in standard headphones and speakers typically exhibit significant amounts of distortion when driven to the limits of extreme excursion. In the end, dynamic drivers often produce a boomy or hollow sound.

Finally, planar magnetic drivers are also extremely efficient. They require less energy to drive, which results in a lower power consumption and environmental impact. Their diaphragms, which are typically lighter than conventional 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 such as those manufactured by Magnepan Infinity and Apogee Acoustics. However, a new brand is now on the market. For instance, new planar loudspeakers from manufacturers such as Diptyque and Clarisys Audio are incorporating the latest advancements in ribbon technology.

Low Distortion

Planar magnetic speakers have very low distortion because they don't utilize the conventional cone or dome-shaped diaphragm. This is a direct result of their unique design which eliminates the voice coil inductance commonly associated with traditional dynamic speakers (see U.S. Patent 6,353,560). This ensures that the diaphragm is not out of phase with the magnetic field that surrounds it, which results in it has a constant output. 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 that go beyond the bass.

In addition to their ultra-low distortion they also offer extremely high efficiency. This lets the drive use less power than other speaker technologies. This in turn translates to lower operating costs and 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 due to the fact that a planar magnet driver's flat diaphragm has an electrical conductor trace that lets it react to magnetic fields created on either side.

The two magnets have to be placed in a way that the voice element is in the magnetic field optimally throughout the time. This is what allows planar magnetic drivers to perform in a linear manner in all frequencies above bass.

Planar magnetic drivers offer a variety of other advantages they offer, but the main advantage is that they can be built as dipoles (radiating in opposite phases and equally in front and behind the speaker, similar to an ESL) or Monopoles (radiating in the direction of travel and more like traditional dynamic speakers). This allows for a variety of designs, particularly when paired with using a ribbon-tweeter.

There are a variety of planar magnetic loudspeakers on the market today, from brands such as Hifiman Dan Clark Audeze and Fostex. Each brand has its own distinctive sound that is a result of their own patented driver configurations and other technological innovations. The commonality of these speakers is their astonishing detail, dynamics, and a controlled control of directivity.

High Power Handling

planar magnetic headphone magnetic speakers can handle more power than traditional moving coil dynamic drivers without the tension and strain they may cause. This is because the "voice coil" is spread out across an expansive area instead of being squeezed into a small gap between the basket and cone as in traditional dynamic drivers. This gives the voice coil more surface area to help disperse heat efficiently.

Another reason why planar magnetic drivers are able to handle such a large amount of power is due to having an extremely low mass when as compared to conventional drivers. Dynamic drivers utilize diaphragms with heavy, thick diaphragms that are orders of magnitude larger and heavier than the ultra-light and thin diaphragms used in planar magnetic drivers. Due to their massive mass, planar magnetic loudspeakers these conventional diaphragms need a larger amount of force to move between them (a measure referred to as excursion) to produce the same level of sound pressure.

As a result they aren't able to be driven as effectively as a planar magnetic driver could because the voice coil could begin to produce large amounts of distortion. It's therefore important to buy loudspeakers that are rated for the amplifier you intend to use.

The high excitation of a planar magnetic driver also enables it to create a wider soundstage than conventional drivers. This is because the entire diaphragm vibrates to create a flat, even wavefront rather than the more focused spherical wavefront that is common in conventional drivers. This wider soundstage also increases the precision and clarity of the speakers which allows them to better reproduce subtle variations and more complex sounds.

The downside of the superior power handling that is offered by planar magnetic drives is that they can be more expensive to produce and require more powerful amplifiers to drive them at their full capacity. They can also be heavy and bulky and can be difficult to install in some locations. They also have a lower bass response, meaning that you may need to add a subwoofer your system to get a satisfying result at lower frequencies.