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How To Save Money On Planar Magnetic Loudspeakers
Planar Magnetic Loudspeakers and Ribbon Tweeters

Planar magnetic drivers and ribbon tweeters have many advantages over traditional dynamic speakers. Their large diaphragms require very little movement (excursion) to reproduce the same volume like a conventional driver, thus producing very low distortion.

They also have a dipolar pattern of radiation that means they radiate equally to the front and rear of the speaker.

High-Resolution Sound

Planar and ribbon magnetic speakers are known for their ability to produce accurate, detailed sound. They are known to deliver high-resolution and reveal subtle nuances in music that other drivers can't reproduce or show.

The planar and ribbon drivers are not only accurate, but also offer superior soundstages that allow them to reproduce a huge soundstage with incredible clarity. This makes them a fantastic option for audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts who wish to enjoy music to the highest level possible.

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

Planar magnetic drivers have a quick response time that allows them to reproduce transients more precisely and faster than cone drivers. This results in a crisp and detailed sound, even at higher frequencies.

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

A planar driver also has a larger gap between the magnets than cone speakers. This allows for a better bass and a better frequency response at low intensities.

While many of the benefits of planar magnetic drivers appeal to you however, they have some limitations that must be thought about. They can be expensive and require more power compared to other kinds of speakers. Additionally, they can be bulky and difficult to place in some rooms. Finally, they can be sensitive to room acoustics and require a lot of room treatment to achieve optimal performance. There are methods to reduce the problems. For example you can add an attenuation resistance (provided by speakers) and set it in the attenuation setting. Or, you can use a variety of room treatment.

Wide Dispersion

Like electrostatic speakers, planar magnetic speakers produce sound through the regulation of the electrical current passing through wires suspended between magnets. However, they directly vibrate a flat diaphragm rather than an electrostatic charge which gives them a larger surface area and greater precision. This operational principle also allows them to be built them into smaller, less expensive headphones and speakers than electrostatic models.

Planar drivers aren't just capable of dispersing sound efficiently they also offer better image and clarity at higher frequencies. This is an enormous benefit for audiophiles who enjoy listening to their music or films in an expansive living room or other open space.

Planar drivers can also provide an extremely deep bass as they can be augmented with subwoofers in boxes that are connected to or separated from the membrane that resembles a ribbon. This is in contrast to traditional cone speaker woofers which are typically located in the bottom of the cabinet, a location that is not able to reproduce bass frequencies because of the physical constraints of the enclosure for the woofer.

Another benefit of the planar driver is that it has exceptionally low distortion which is directly linked to the size and excursion of the ribbon-like diaphragm. In the end, the planar speaker can deliver a huge volume of sound with very little distortion, which is why it gives such a clear and detailed reproduction.

Dynamic drivers in standard headphones and speakers typically show significant distortion when driven to their extreme excursion limits. In the end, dynamic drivers often produce a boomy or hollow sound.

Planar magnetic drivers are extremely efficient. They require less power to drive, which results in a lower energy consumption and reduced environmental impact. Additionally, their diaphragms are typically composed of lighter materials than conventional speakers, which further decreases the amount of energy needed for them to generate a given sound pressure.

While many audiophiles are familiar with planar/ribbon loudspeakers - especially those produced by Magnepan, Infinity, and Apogee Acoustics - a new generation of brands is entering the market. New planar loudspeakers made by companies like Clarisys Audio and Diptyque, for instance, are incorporating the most recent advancements in ribbon technology.

Low Distortion

Since planar magnetic speakers don't feature a 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 associated with conventional dynamic speaker drivers (see U.S. Patent 6,353,560). This guarantees that the diaphragm is always in phase with the magnetic field that surrounds it, which results in it has a constant output. Most often, distortion occurs when waveforms with large amplitudes are reproduced. With a single-ended planar magnetic driver, distortion is virtually absent in all frequencies that go beyond the bass.

In addition to their ultra-low distortion they also offer extremely high efficiency. This means that the drive requires less energy than other technologies for speakers. This in turn translates to lower operating costs and lower energy consumption.

best planar magnetic headphones of planar magnetic drivers is also significantly less than that of conventional dynamic speakers, and even more so for electrostatic speakers. This is due to the fact that a planar magnet driver's flat diaphragm features an electrical conductor trace that lets it to react to magnetic fields created on either side.

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 enables the extremely linear performance of planar magnetic drivers in all frequencies that go beyond the bass.

There are many other benefits of planar magnetic drivers, the most significant is that they can to be designed to be dipole (radiating equally and in opposing phases both in front and back of the speaker similar to an ESL) or monopole (radiating forward, more like an old-fashioned dynamic). This allows for a wide variety of potential designs, especially when combined with the ribbon tweeter.

There are a variety of planar magnetic loudspeakers that are available today, from brands like Hifiman Dan Clark Audeze and Fostex. Each brand has its own distinctive sound, which is a result of their proprietary design of drivers as well as other engineering breakthroughs. The commonality of these speakers is their amazing clarity, dynamics, and a controlled control of directivity.

High Power Handling

Planar magnetic speakers can handle a lot more power than traditional dynamic moving coil drivers, without the strain and strain that they may cause. The "voice coil" is not squeezed into the small space between the baskets and cones like in traditional dynamic drivers. Instead, it is spread across an area larger. This provides the voice coil with more surface area to absorb heat efficiently.

Planar drivers can handle a lot of power because they are light in comparison to conventional drivers. Dynamic drivers are made of diaphragms with heavy, thick diaphragms that are several orders of magnitude thicker and heavier than the ultra-light diaphragms that are found in planar magnetic drives. Because of their high mass, these conventional diaphragms require a greater amount of force to move back and forth (a measure called excursion) to create a given level of sound pressure.

In the end they aren't able to be driven as hard as a planar magnetic driver could because the voice coil will begin to produce large amounts of distortion. It is therefore essential to purchase loudspeakers that are rated for the amplifier you're planning to use.

A planar magnetic driver's high excursion enables it to create more soundstages than conventional drivers. This is because the diaphragm vibrates evenly and flat to create an asymmetrical wavefront, not the spherical wavefront that is typical of traditional drivers. The wider soundstage improves the accuracy and details of the speakers and allows them to reproduce subtle nuances and complex sounds.


The drawback to the superior power handling of planar magnetic drivers is that they tend to be more expensive to produce and require more powerful amplifiers to operate at full capacity. They can also be quite heavy and bulky which makes them difficult to install in some locations. They also tend to have a limited bass response, meaning that you may have to add a subwoofer to your system in order to get the best results at lower frequencies.

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