Re: [DMCForum] Planar?

[Martin Gutkowski <martin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sounds very similar to the Quad ESL's (electrostatic loudspeakers), of 
which I have one (my dad's old ESL57, and a Quad 2 if anyone want to 
buy....)

Martin

Andrew wrote:

> On Tue, 25 May 2004, Farrar Hudkins wrote:
> 
>  > Er, pardon me for showing my ignorance, but ... The only "planar" I'm
>  > familiar with is planar geometry.
> 
> You're on the right track.  Planar speakers, also called ribbon or
> quasi-ribbon speakers (two subtly different varieties), are speakers which
> use a thin vibrating sheet to create sound instead of a vibrating cone. 
> Essentially, they consist of a tightly stretched membrane suspended in
> between mangets.  The membrane is either made of plastic (often mylar) 
> with wires running through it or is one large membrane conductor.  As the
> amplified signal passes through the membrane, the EM interaction between
> the membrane and the magnets causes the entire plane to vibrate, producing
> the desired sound across the whole surface.
> 
> Where cone speakers have a definite center to the sound, and thus can
> sometimes give away the fact that they're speakers, not live sound, planar
> speakers produce the sound over the entire surface of the speaker and can
> produce a hauntingly realistic soundstage.  They tend to be a bit more
> finicky about placement, and are generally good only for small listening
> environments (i.e. home audio room, not a dance hall), but in the right
> environment they sound simply phenomenal.  Cones cannot compare.
> 
> Because of the design of planars, they are very thin.  My main speakers,
> Magnepan MG1.6s, have faces 19"x65", but are only 2" thick.  Planars don't
> need cabinets to sound right, hence my initial jab at you.
> 
> Really the only downside of planars is they have a hard time with low end,
> so it's essential they be paired with an appropriate subwoofer to generate
> a good flat response.
> 
> Magnepan is probably te most well known planar speaker manufacturer in the
> world.  You can check out their site at www.magnepan.com.
>

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