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Is Technology Making Planar Magnetic Loudspeakers Better Or Worse?
Planar Magnetic Loudspeakers and Ribbon Tweeters

Planar magnetic drivers and ribbon tweeters have numerous advantages over traditional dynamic speakers. straight from the source require only a small amount of movement (excursion) and allow them to create the same sound quality as an ordinary speaker.

They also feature a dipolar radiation pattern which means they radiate equally to the front and back of the speaker.

High-Resolution Sound

Planar and ribbon magnetic speakers are known for their ability to produce precise, detailed sound. They are known for delivering high-resolution, revealing subtle nuances in music that other drivers fail to reproduce or reveal.

Planar and ribbon drivers are not only accurate, but also offer superior soundstages, allowing them to recreate a vast soundstage with exceptional clarity. This makes them a fantastic choice for audiophiles and home audiophiles who want to listen to music to the fullest extent possible.

Planar and ribbon drivers are distinguished by their dipole pattern. This pattern radiates equal amounts of energy in front and back in an inverted phase, resulting in an organic soundstage. Their broad dispersion and dipole radiation pattern makes them ideal for large spaces, where they can create an authentic and spacious soundstage.


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

Another advantage of planar magnetic drivers is their low distortion. This is because they don't use an actual voice coil, but rather an electrostatic field. This allows the diaphragm to move without creating vibrations that could cause distortion that is not desirable.

In addition, the distance between the magnets in a planar driver is larger than in a traditional cone speaker. This allows for a higher frequency response and less distortion at lower amplitudes and still provides high-quality bass.

Despite their many benefits, planar magnetic speakers have a few limitations to consider. For example, they can be quite costly and require more power than other kinds of speakers. They can also be bulky and make difficult to fit in certain areas. Furthermore, they can be sensitive to the acoustics of the room and require extensive room treatments to ensure the best performance. However, there are solutions to minimize these problems by incorporating an attenuation resistor (provided by your speakers) in the attenuation position, or by performing some type of room treatment.

Wide Dispersion

Planar magnetic speakers also generate sound by controlling the flow of electrical currents through wires that are suspended between magnets. However, they directly move a flat diaphragm instead than an electrostatic charge, which allows for a much larger surface area and greater accuracy. This operational principle also allows for the construction of them into smaller, more affordable speakers and headphones than electrostatic models.

In addition to providing broad dispersion, planar drivers provide superior clarity and image of soundstages, particularly in the higher frequencies where they excel. This is an enormous benefit for audiophiles who love listening to their favorite music or films in the living room of a large size or other space that is open.

Furthermore they are capable of producing very deep bass because they can be enhanced by boxed woofers which are attached to or independent of the ribbon-like diaphragm. This is contrary to conventional cone-type speaker woofers which are typically placed at the bottom of the cabinet, a location that is not able to reproduce bass frequencies due to the physical constraints of the woofer enclosure.

Another benefit of a planar driver is its exceptionally low distortion which is directly linked to the size and the excursion of the ribbon-like diaphragm. A planar speaker can create a large volume of sound with no distortion. This is why the sound reproduction is clear and detailed.

In comparison the dynamic drivers utilized in traditional headphones and speakers typically exhibit significant amounts of distortion when driven to the limits of extreme excursion. This is why dynamic drivers usually produce a hollow or boomy sound.

In addition, planar magnetic drives are also extremely efficient. They require less power to drive, resulting in a lower power usage and a less environmental impact. Their diaphragms that are generally lighter than traditional speakers, also decrease the energy needed to propel them in order to produce a certain sound pressure.

Many audiophiles have heard of planar/ribbon speakers such as those manufactured by Magnepan Infinity and Apogee Acoustics. However, an entirely new brand is on the market. New planar loudspeakers from manufacturers such as Clarisys Audio and Diptyque, for example, incorporate the latest advancements in ribbon technology.

Low Distortion

Since planar magnetic speakers do not have a conventional cone or dome-shaped diaphragm, they produce extremely low distortion. This is the 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 means that the diaphragm is never being out of phase with the surrounding magnetic field, resulting in a constant output level. Typically, distortion only occurs when high-amplitude waveforms are reproduced. With a single-ended planar magnetic driver, distortion is almost nonexistent at all frequencies above bass.

Planar magnetic loudspeakers are very efficient and have a very low distortion. This allows the drive to use much less power than other speaker technologies. This means lower costs of ownership and lower energy consumption.

Planar magnetic drivers also have a significantly lower distortion compared to conventional dynamic speakers and even less distortion for electrostatic speakers. This is due to the diaphragm, which is flat, of a planar magnetic driver has conductor trace around it which allows it to respond to magnetic fields created by the magnets that are on the opposite side of it.

The two magnets have to be carefully positioned to ensure that the voice element is properly placed within the magnetic field at all times. This is what allows planar magnetic drivers to perform at a very linear level in all frequencies above bass.

While there are many other benefits of planar magnetic drivers, the most notable is that they are able to be constructed to be dipole (radiating equally and in opposite phases in the front and back of the speaker, similar to an ESL) or monopole (radiating forward, much like a traditional dynamic). This permits a wide range of designs, especially when combined a ribbon-tweeter.

There are many planar magnetic loudspeakers that are available today, from brands like Hifiman Dan Clark Audeze and Fostex. Each brand has its own signature sound that is a result of their unique driver configurations and other engineering innovations. The commonality of these speakers is their amazing detail, dynamics and their controlled directionality.

High Power Handling

Planar magnetic drivers are capable of handling a lot of power without causing the tension or strain that is caused by traditional dynamic speakers with moving coils. This is due to the fact that the "voice coil" is spread out across a large area instead of being squeezed into a tiny gap between the basket and cone like in traditional dynamic drivers. 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 that they have such a low mass as compared to conventional drivers. Dynamic drivers utilize diaphragms made of heavy, thick material that are orders of magnitude larger and heavier than the diaphragms that are ultra-light and thin used in planar magnetic drivers. Due to their massive mass, these diaphragms require a much larger amount of force to move back and forth (a measure referred to as excursion) in order to produce the same level of sound pressure.

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

The high excursion allows it to produce more soundstages than conventional drivers. This is due to the diaphragm's vibration evenly and flat to create waves, instead of the spherical wavefront typical of traditional drivers. The wider soundstage also improves the accuracy and detail of the speakers and allows them to better reproduce subtle details and more complex sounds.

The disadvantage of the superior power handling of planar magnetic drivers is that they are typically more expensive to produce and require more powerful amplifiers to operate at full capacity. They can also be large and heavy, which can make them difficult to install in some environments. You may also need to install a separate subwoofer to achieve satisfactory results at lower frequencies.

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