Martin logan electrostatic vs magnepan planar magnetic speakers. Electrostatic speakers example shown on left, by comparison, have a plastic membrane, coated with something like powdered graphite, suspended between two perforated metal sheets. I love speakers like magnepan whom i got to tour but dont own any and wonder why more people dont have them. Examples of magnetostatic planars are the amt, the isodynamic or quasi ribbon tweeter, the ribbon tweeter, or the full ranger, such as from magnepan or apogee. Another alternative is the planar magnetic speaker. A variety of color options are available for the fabric and rails.
Narrow planar magnetic loudspeakers, or ribbons, have the. Are the best audiophile headphones planar magnetic headphones. The term planar is generally reserved for speakers which have roughly rectangular shaped flat surfaces that radiate in a bipolar i. This headphone is designed for critical listening, either in the studio or home. Good power response is part of the reason that a tall magneplanar sounds more. Though similar, planar magnetic speakers like those from wisdom and magnepan are not the same as. Planar speakers use conventional magnetic principles, however, and are, therefore, dynamic loudspeakers. A positive voltage several thousand volts is connected to the membrane, and the musical signal, the voltage of which is increased by a transformer in the base of the speaker, is applied to the perforated sheets. The signal in the ribbon causes it to be repelled and attracted by the magnets generating motion and thus sound. Planar magnetic drivers are like electrostatic speakers esls in that the moving mass of the diaphragm is extremely small, lighter even than the air it moves. Were here to give you a quick breakdown of four different driver types. Electrostatic speakers are analogous to capsules of condenser or capacitor mics. The other problem with electrostatic speakers is that they must be plugged into the wall and so are more difficult to place in a room. They operate similarly to planar magnetic loudspeakers.
The core distinction between a ribbon and a planar magnetic is the diaphragm. The pm1 uses an electrostatic ribbon or magnetic planar speaker design. Hifiman he400i over ear fullsize planar magnetic headphones. This is due to the combination of the large thin diaphragm and strong electromagnetic force leading to the ability to displace a large amount of air. The ribbon type of planar magnetic loudspeakers operate by using a strip as the cone. They basically work the same way as electrostatic speakers, except that the alternating positive and negative current moves the diaphragm in a magnetic field rather than an electric field. Used planar electrostatic speakers classifieds in america. Martin logan electrostatic vs magnepan planar magnetic. You are thinking of analysis audio, and their omega and other speakers. Planar magnetic headphones are a bit like a middle ground choice between the simple dynamic headphone and highend electrostatic. With its 360 degree radiating dipole design, the magneplanar ribbon tweeter is found in our award winning 3.
Difference between electrostatic and planar speakers. With true ribbons the entire radiating surface is a conductor. I know, most dipolar speakers do not rank high on the wife acceptance factor. This design is very rugged and costeffective with very wide bandwidth. They basically work the same way as electrostatic speakers, except that the alternating positive and negative current moves the diaphragm in a magnetic. You will recognize the sonic similarity of a magneplanar and planar magnetic quasi ribbon headphones. As with a planar magnetic, this etched voicecoil is driven directly by the amplifier, without the need of a transformer. Magnepan also produced a small, relatively inexpensive speaker, the smg, which became the mmg and is now called the lrs. Planar magnetic drivers are like electrostatic speakers esls in that the moving. The thin, narrow metallic ribbon is suspended within the magnetic field, a signal is applied to the metal ribbon. Tomorrow i want to tell you about an exciting new podcast interview you should listen to called, mark levinson, wadia, and. But in headphones or a small bluetooth speaker, itll generally be hidden behind a grille so you cant see it. A quasi ribbon tweeter handles the treble while a planar magnetic driver covers the midrange and bass. While i enjoyed owning most of the planar magnetic and electrostatic speakers made at the time, in my opinion they each had their strong and weak points.
Jim winey didnt set out to design a new type of speaker, just a better electrostatic speaker. In this video i will show you the awesome surprise box i received from joppe to build my own planar speaker. The tympanis and mg speakers were all made from wireonmylar. With my iphone being the source of music yess fragile album in alac, i cant say i had an accurate demo of the speakers, but.
Falling into this category are ribbon, quasi ribbon, planar magnetic, and electrostatic esl speakers. You get the distortionreducing driving force across the diaphragm without needing any extra hardware beyond your headphones and source. Planar electrostatic speakers used and new classifieds. Speakers need to vibrate in order to produce sound waves and these vibrations are often imperceptible to the human eye and only perceptible to the human ear. The sound offered by planar magnetic drivers is of a high standard with relatively no distortion and has a good transient response. As audio current passes through the ribbon, a magnetic field is generated around it. Ribbon loudspeakers produce a driving force to the applied magnetic. Big guns planar magnetic speaker last musical appearance. Planar magnetic also known as orthodynamic headphones use similar technology to electrostatic headphones, with some fundamental differences.
Today, lets take a look at what a planar speaker is. But theres a lot more to know about the technical principles behind these speakers. They have a thin membrane or diaphragm, which is usually a plastic sheet coated with a conductive material that. It can therefore be driven with both delicacy and accuracy, without the blurring effects of excessive inertia. Think back to the description of an electrostatic loudspeaker. The strip, typically made of aluminum, is hanged between two magnets. His experiments with flexible bar magnets and mylar led winey to invent and patent the planar magnetic speaker. The advantage of a ribbon driver is that the ribbon has very little mass. Ribbon and electrostatic speakers sidesstep this problem by eliminating the. Hifiman sundara overear fullsize planar magnetic headphones with high fidelity design easy to drive by iphone android comfortable headband openback. What makes planar magnetic headphones differentand allegedly betterthan normal ones. Its easy to mistake a planar magnetic for an electrostatic. Planar speaker vs conventional audioholics home theater. I made a couple of my planar magnetic speakers, excuse them being a bit poop, they sound much better in real life.
I was thinking about the relationship between speakers and microphones and how you can convert one into the other just by changing a couple things, and was curious how different types of speakers translated to microphones. Are the best audiophile headphones planar magnetic. Planar is a family of drivers, with typically dipole operation. Over those 30 years, i built all types of speakers, eventually settling on the magnetic planar ribbon dipole as my favorite. Buy, sell, and trade used, second hand, and new planar electrostatic speakers with other americans on americas largest hifi, stereo, and home theater classifieds site. Eminent technology lft8b loudspeaker the absolute sound. With this headphone, you will enjoy highquality music and optimal comfort. In this section you will find lots of information about the companys and speakers that they build. The headphone has a planar magnet that allows you to listen to music without distortion and excellent transient response. Many of the best highend headphones use planar magnetic quasi ribbon drivers. Magnetic planar vs electrostatics this is a hopefully relatively unbiased view of the differences between a magnetic planar and an electrostatic. Loudspeaker technology can be confusing as soon as we move away from traditional cones, magnets, and voice coils. As the lft is always suspended in the magnetic field.
Electrostatic loudspeakers work by the attraction and repulsion of a thin conductive film in an electric field rather than the magnetic attraction. The electrostatic speaker produces the driving force in the same direction as the applied electrostatic field so that the diaphragm size can be as large as required and the electrostatic speaker can be very efficient. I design and build my own planar magnetic and ribbon drivers. When the speaker is fed power, the magnetic flux in the air gap between the permanent magnet and the voice coil changes and causes the voice coil to move, moving the cone with it not the bestmost correct explanation, but it works. However, planar magnetic drivers are another popular configuration that offers a different and often better sound quality at the expense of energy consumption and size. The planar magnetic drive unit is designed to operate full range, no alteration of the input signal from a crossover element, just like the wonderful quad electrostatic speaker, thus making the speaker easy to drive, very resolving and transparent. Ribbons are connected at only top and bottom to the frame. It is nearly identical in radiation concept to an electrostatic loudspeaker, having a large, thin, vertically orientated plastic diaphragm as the vibrating element.
A planar magnetic driver consists of a relatively large membrane that contains an embedded wire pattern. Planar magnetic speakers having printed or embedded conductors on a flat diaphragm are sometimes described as ribbons, but are not truly ribbon speakers. Final sound i st fullrange electrostatic speakers and. But unlike a planar magnetic s singleended operation, the lfts diaphragm is suspended between two sheets of magnets, for true pushpull drive just like an electrostatic. Electrostatic speakers and magnetostatic speakers both are planar dipoles, and they both tend to be flat and large. Planar magnetic speakers have a voice coil printed on or attachedglued to a diaphragm. The bass response for planar headphones is excellent.
In more uncommon and complex electrostatic drivers, the electric coil. Planars encompass the driver types of ribbon, electrostatic, planar magnetic aka quasi ribbon, linear field transducer and probably a few others im overlooking. The electrical signal is applied to the ribbon which moves with it, thus creating the sound. A speaker with a flat diaphragm, whether a planar magnetic or electrostatic, often can produce greater sound pressure levels than one with a curved or faceted membrane, due to the way acoustic energy stays concentrated along the axis perpendicular to the diaphragm, although it depends upon the speaker. The original speakers had wires mounted on large but super. Dynamic drivers are the most common configuration for both headphones and speakers. The planar magnetic speaker is a type of speaker closely related to the electrostatic speaker.
The eminent technology lft8b is an extraordinary speaker. These units use a long, metal ribbon suspended between two magnetic panels. Floorstanding planar magnetic hybrid speakers sold as pair this listing is for the pair of. Magnepan is the leader is high value, high quality, flat panel audiophile speakers for stereo and multichannel use. This came about from what i discovered about the two when i was deciding whether to get one versus the other. Ribbon and planar magnetic loudspeakers a ribbon speaker consists of a thin metalfilm ribbon suspended in a magnetic field. He worked evenings, weekends, vacations, whenever he could starting in 1966, while he was still working for 3m as an engineer. You get the distortionreducing driving force across the diaphragm. Planars, ribbons, and electrostatic panel speakers seem so exotic compared to paperpulp cones. A standard dynamic speaker, where the driver moves the diaphragm via electromagnetic motion. Most readers of this magazine are familiar with the overall design concept of a planar. Exoticlooking planar speakers, analog gear, accessories. At 110th the thickness of a human hair, the magneplanar ribbon tweeter sets a standard for high resolution.
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