Planar Magnetic Loudspeakers and Ribbon Tweeters
Planar magnetic drivers and ribbon tweeters offer many 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 a conventional speaker.
They also have dipolar radiation patterns, meaning that they radiate equally in front and behind the speaker.
High-Resolution Sound
They are known for producing precise, detailed sound effects. They are known for delivering high-resolution, revealing subtle nuances in music that other drivers aren't able to reproduce or reveal.
In addition to their impressive precision, ribbon and planar drivers have superior soundstages that allow them to create an expansive soundstage and exceptional clarity. Audiophiles as well as home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles will find them to be an excellent choice.
Planar and ribbon drivers are distinguished by their dipole pattern. This pattern radiates equal amounts of energy in the front and back, with an inverted phase, resulting in a natural soundstage. This, combined with their broad dispersion, makes them ideal for large spaces, where they can fill the room with a a broad and natural soundstage, without causing unnatural reflections off furniture and walls.
Planar magnetic drivers also have a quick response time, which enables them reproduce transients with greater accuracy and speed than conventional cone drivers. This produces a detailed and crisp sound, even at very high frequencies.
Another benefit of planar magnetic drivers is their low distortion. This is due to the fact that they don't utilize a voice-coil rather an electrostatic field. This allows the diaphragms to move without creating vibrations that could cause distortion that is not desirable.
A planar driver also has a much greater distance between the magnets than a cone speaker. This allows for a higher frequency response and lower distortion at low amplitudes, but still delivering high-quality bass.
Despite their many advantages planar magnetic drivers do have some limitations to consider. For example, they can be quite expensive and may require more power than other kinds of speakers. Additionally, they can be heavy and difficult to install in certain spaces. Furthermore, they can be sensitive to room acoustics and require extensive room treatments to ensure optimal performance. There are ways to minimize the issues. For example you can add an attenuation resistance (provided with speakers) and put it in the attenuation mode. Or, you can apply a variety of room treatment.
Wide Dispersion
Similar to electrostatic speakers, planar magnetic speakers produce sound by controlling the electrical current that flows through wires that are 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 precision. This operational principle also makes it possible to build them into smaller, less expensive headphones and speakers compared to electrostatic models.
Planar drivers are not just able to disperse sound well they also offer superior imaging and clarity in the higher frequencies. This is a huge benefit for audiophiles who enjoy listening to their favourite music or films in a large living room or any other open space.
Furthermore they can also produce deep bass as they can be augmented by boxed woofers that are connected to or separated from the ribbon-like diaphragm. This is in contrast to traditional cone speaker woofers that are usually located at the bottom of the cabinet, a location which is unable to reproduce bass frequencies because of the physical constraints of the enclosure that houses the woofer.
Another benefit of the 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. A planar speaker can create a large volume of sound with no distortion. This is the reason that the sound reproduction is clear and precise.
In a knockout post utilized in standard headphones and speakers typically have significant distortion when driven to extreme excursion limits. Dynamic drivers can create a hollow or boomy sound.
In addition, planar magnetic drives are also extremely efficient. They consume less energy to drive, which results in a reduced power consumption and environmental impact. In addition, their diaphragms are typically made of lighter materials than traditional speakers, which reduces the amount of energy required to propel them to create a given sound pressure.
Many audiophiles are familiar with planar/ribbon loudspeakers - particularly those produced by Magnepan, Infinity, and Apogee Acoustics - a new generation of brands is making their debut. New planar loudspeakers from manufacturers such as Clarisys Audio and Diptyque, for instance, feature the most recent advancements in ribbon technology.
Low Distortion
Planar magnetic speakers exhibit extremely low distortion because they don't use the traditional cone or dome-shaped diaphragm. 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 assures that the diaphragm not out of phase with the magnetic field around it, resulting in it has a constant output. Typically, distortion only occurs when large amplitude waveforms are reproduced. With a single-ended planar magnetic driver, distortion is virtually nonexistent at all frequencies above the bass.
Planar magnetic loudspeakers can be very efficient and have low distortion. This allows the drive to be used with much less power than is normally required for other speaker technologies. This translates into lower costs of ownership and lower energy consumption.
Planar magnetic drivers also have a significantly lower distortion than traditional dynamic speakers, and even less distortion for electrostatic speakers. This is because the flat diaphragm features a conductor trace that allows it to react to magnetic fields created on either side.
The two magnets have to be carefully placed to ensure that the voice element is properly positioned within the magnetic field at all times. This is what allows planar magnetic drivers to perform at a very consistent level at all frequencies above bass.
Planar magnetic drivers have many other advantages they offer, but the main advantage is that they can be designed as 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 a variety of designs, especially when combined using a ribbon-tweeter.
There are many planar magnetic loudspeakers available today, from brands such as Hifiman Dan Clark Audeze and Fostex. Each company has their own signature sound that comes from their patented design of drivers and other engineering innovations. The commonality of these speakers is their incredible detail, dynamics and controlled control of directivity.
High Power Handling
Planar magnetic drivers can handle lots of power without causing the audible strain or stress that can be induced by traditional dynamic speakers with moving coils. The "voice coil" is not squeezed into the tiny space between the baskets and cones like in traditional dynamic drivers. Instead, it is spread across more of a large area. This gives the voice-coil an increased surface area to disperse any heat.
Another reason why planar drivers are able to handle such a large amount of power is because they have the smallest mass when as compared to conventional drivers. Dynamic drivers have diaphragms with heavy, thick diaphragms that are several orders of magnitude larger and heavier than ultra-light diaphragms found in the planar magnetic drive. Because of their high mass, conventional diaphragms need a larger amount of force to move between them (a measure known as excursion) to create the same level of sound pressure.
They're not able to be driven as much as a planar magnet driver, since the voice coil can begin to create significant distortion. This is the reason it's essential to purchase only loudspeakers that are rated for the type of amplifier you're planning to drive them with.
A planar magnetic driver's large excursion enables it to create a wider soundstage than conventional drivers. This is because the diaphragm itself vibrates to create an even, flat wavefront instead of the more centered spherical wavefront found in conventional drivers. This larger soundstage improves the accuracy and details of the speakers and allows them to reproduce subtle nuances and complex sounds.
The downside to the superior power handling of planar magnetic drivers is that they tend to be more expensive to make and require stronger amplifiers to operate at maximum capacity. They can also be heavy and bulky which makes them difficult to install in some environments. They also tend to have a limited bass response, meaning that you may have to add a subwoofer your system in order to get a satisfying result at lower frequencies.