Planar Magnetic Loudspeakers and Ribbon Tweeters

Planar magnetic drivers such as ribbon tweeters, and Premium Deva-Pro Open-Back Planar Magnetic Headphones with Bluetooth other speakers with dynamic characteristics have several advantages. Their comparatively large diaphragms require only a tiny amount of movement (excursion) to reproduce the same sound level like a conventional driver, which results in extremely low distortion.

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

High-Resolution Sound

They are renowned for creating precise, detailed sound effects. They are renowned for their high-resolution, revealing subtle details in music that other drivers are unable to reproduce or show.

The planar and ribbon drivers aren't just precise, but also provide superior soundstages, which allows them to reproduce a huge soundstage with outstanding clarity. This makes them a great choice for audiophiles as well as home theatre enthusiasts who are looking to listen to music to the highest level possible.

A key feature of ribbon and planar drivers is their dipole radiation pattern that emits equal energy front and rear, with an inverted phase to create an authentic and spacious soundstage. This, along with their broad dispersion, makes them ideal for large spaces, where they can fill the room with a wide and natural soundstage without producing unnatural reflections off the walls and furniture.

Planar magnetic drivers have a rapid response time that allows them to reproduce transients more accurately and faster than cone drivers. This results in a highly clear and precise sound, even at extremely high frequencies.

Planar magnetic drivers are recognized for their low distortion. This is due to the fact that they don't use a voice coil, but rather an electrostatic field. This allows the diaphragm to move without creating vibrations that can cause distortion that is not desirable.

In addition, the gap between the magnets in a planar driver is much larger than that of a traditional cone speaker. This allows for a better bass and a better frequency response at low intensities.

Despite their many advantages planar magnetic drivers do have some limitations to consider. They can be costly and require more power to other types of speakers. They are also heavy which makes difficult to fit into specific areas. They can also be sensitive to the acoustics of the room, and require extensive treatment of the room to ensure optimal performance. Fortunately, there are ways to alleviate these issues by incorporating an attenuation resistor (provided with your speakers) in the attenuation location, or by performing some type of room treatment.

Wide Dispersion

magnet planar magnetic speakers also generate sound by controlling electrical currents that pass through wires suspended in between magnets. However they directly move a flat diaphragm instead than an electrostatic charge which gives them a larger surface area and greater accuracy. This is why they can be built into smaller and more affordable headsets and speakers as opposed to electrostatic models.

In addition to providing a large dispersion, they also deliver superior imaging and clarity of soundstages, particularly in the upper frequencies where they excel. This is a great benefit for audiophiles who love listening to music or movies on large screens or in an open space.

Planar drivers also can produce an extremely deep bass since they can be augmented by boxed subwoofers that are attached to or separated from the ribbon-like membrane. This is in contrast to traditional cone speaker woofers, which are typically placed in the bottom of the cabinet, which is a place which is unable to reproduce bass frequencies because of the physical constraints of the woofer enclosure.

Another benefit of a planar driver is its exceptionally low distortion that is directly related to the size and excursion of the ribbon-like diaphragm. This means that an acoustic planar speaker produces a huge volume of sound with little distortion, which is the reason it can produce such clear and detailed reproduction.

Dynamic drivers in conventional speakers and headphone typically exhibit significant distortion when driven to their extreme excursion limits. Dynamic drivers can give an unnatural or booming sound.

Planar magnetic drivers are extremely efficient. They require less power to drive, resulting in a lower power usage and less environmental impact. In addition, their diaphragms are typically comprised of lighter materials than standard speakers, which reduces the amount of energy needed to propel them to create the desired sound pressure.

Many audiophiles have heard of planar/ribbon speakers like those produced by Magnepan Infinity and Apogee Acoustics. However, there is a brand new on the market. For example new planar loudspeakers made by manufacturers like Diptyque and Clarisys Audio are incorporating the most advanced ribbon technology.

Low Distortion

Planar magnetic speakers exhibit extremely low distortion due to the fact that they don't use a traditional cone or dome-shaped diaphragm. This is a direct result 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 guarantees that the diaphragm is never out of phase with the magnetic field surrounding it, which results in a constant output. Distortion is generally only noticeable when large waveforms are reproduced. With a planar magnetic single-ended driver, distortion is almost nonexistent at all frequencies above bass.

In addition to their low distortion and low distortion, planar magnetic loudspeakers provide extremely high efficiency. This lets the drive use much less power than other types of speakers. This translates into lower operating costs and lower energy consumption.

The distortion of planar magnetic drivers is significantly less than that of conventional dynamic speakers, and more so for electrostatic speakers. This is due to the diaphragm that is flat in the planar magnetic driver has a conductor trace around it which allows it to respond to magnetic fields created by magnets located on the opposite side of it.

These two magnets must be carefully positioned to ensure that the voice element is placed within the magnetic field at all times. This is what allows for the extremely linear performance of planar magnetic drivers in all frequencies above the bass.

Planar magnetic drivers have many other advantages they offer, but the main advantage is that they can be built as either 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 similar to traditional dynamic speakers). This permits a wide range of designs, especially when paired with using a ribbon-tweeter.

A variety of planar magnetic loudspeakers are available today from manufacturers such as Hifiman, Dan Clark, Audeze, and Fostex. Each company has their own signature sound that comes of their proprietary driver designs and other engineering innovations. These speakers are distinguished by their amazing clarity and dynamic as well as their controlled directionality.

High Power Handling

Planar magnetic speakers can handle a lot more power than traditional dynamic moving coil drivers without the tension and strain they may cause. 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 provides the voice coil with a larger surface area to dissipate 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 have thick, heavy diaphragms which are a tenth of a pound thicker and heavier than the ultra-light diaphragms that are found in planar magnetic drive. Because of their high mass, these conventional diaphragms need a larger amount of force to move between them (a measure referred to as excursion) in order to produce the same level of sound pressure.

Therefore, they can't be driven by the same force as the planar magnetic driver because the voice coil could begin to generate substantial amounts of distortion. This is why it's crucial to only purchase loudspeakers that are rated for the amplifier you're planning to drive them with.

A planar magnetic driver's high excursion allows it to create a wider soundstage than conventional drivers. This is because the diaphragm vibrates uniformly and flat to form waves, instead of the spherical wavefront that is typical with conventional drivers. The wider soundstage improves the precision and detail of the speakers and allows them to reproduce subtle nuances as well as more complex sound effects.

The drawback of the superior power handling that is offered by premium deva-pro Open-back planar magnetic headphones with bluetooth magnetic drives is that they may be more expensive to manufacture and require larger amplifiers to drive them to their maximum capacity. They can also be quite large and heavy, which can make them difficult to install in some locations. It is also possible to add a subwoofer in order to achieve good results at lower frequencies.