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As you know, I'm an audio nut, since learning more about different technologies and approaches, one of the technologies for drivers in general I've become fascinated with is Ribbons, sometimes referred to as AMT or Planar Magnetic.
There are 3 basic designs to speaker / headphone drivers:
1/. Dynamic - The most common "cone" driver, can be mass produced much cheaper.
2/. Planar Magnetic / "Ribbon" / AMT - Much higher accuracy and detail to the sound, more immediate generation and decay of instruments, because there's far less movement of the film to produce required airflow
3/. Electrostatic - The Nirvana of any driver, similar to ribbons, extremely costly to produce, needs very high power to run, but sound quality is frankly just not comparable to any other technology. Martin Logan's are pretty famous electrostatic speakers at around £3000 a pair for entry level
Ribbons are famous for much higher quality detail in noise production. But they tend to be hand made as they're so fragile and so cost far more. There is one Chinese manufacturer of headphones - Hifiman, who make some excellent mass produced ribbon headphones, but as far as I know they're the only ones who use an automated process, and the downside is that quality control is quite hit and miss. But they're are definitely exception headphones.
That was my first entry into Ribbon technology when I bought a pair of Hifiman Sundara's at the beginning of the pandemic as a little treat to myself. They are incredible headphones costing about half what you would need to pay for an equivalent sound from another manufacturer. Luckily I've had no issues with mine.
I've always wanted Ribbons in some speakers. Normally, because of the cost involved in producing them, they're relegated to just the tweeter or in very pricey speakers, the midrange also.
But there's an incredible American company called Magnepan who have been manufacturing Ribbon speakers exclusively since the 70's. Up until now, they've all been rather costly requiring a good £2,000 for their entry level model, the .7.
That is up until this model, the LRS (little ribbon speaker) which is just incredible value at £1000 in the UK ($750 in the US!)
These things are insanely good in the sound reproduction they can achieve at this cost, there is nothing close from another manufacture that can compete.
The downside to Ribbons is that you really need a sub woofer, which can set you back a further chunk of change, and they tend to require quite a bit of power to drive them which needs a decent quality amplifier.
But as you can see these are really large panels and require a lot of space around them, they can't be anywhere near a wall as they need masses of airflow to feed the diaphragms and it would negatively impact the sound.
But one day, ONE DAY, I shall own a pair!
There are 3 basic designs to speaker / headphone drivers:
1/. Dynamic - The most common "cone" driver, can be mass produced much cheaper.
2/. Planar Magnetic / "Ribbon" / AMT - Much higher accuracy and detail to the sound, more immediate generation and decay of instruments, because there's far less movement of the film to produce required airflow
3/. Electrostatic - The Nirvana of any driver, similar to ribbons, extremely costly to produce, needs very high power to run, but sound quality is frankly just not comparable to any other technology. Martin Logan's are pretty famous electrostatic speakers at around £3000 a pair for entry level
Ribbons are famous for much higher quality detail in noise production. But they tend to be hand made as they're so fragile and so cost far more. There is one Chinese manufacturer of headphones - Hifiman, who make some excellent mass produced ribbon headphones, but as far as I know they're the only ones who use an automated process, and the downside is that quality control is quite hit and miss. But they're are definitely exception headphones.
That was my first entry into Ribbon technology when I bought a pair of Hifiman Sundara's at the beginning of the pandemic as a little treat to myself. They are incredible headphones costing about half what you would need to pay for an equivalent sound from another manufacturer. Luckily I've had no issues with mine.
I've always wanted Ribbons in some speakers. Normally, because of the cost involved in producing them, they're relegated to just the tweeter or in very pricey speakers, the midrange also.
But there's an incredible American company called Magnepan who have been manufacturing Ribbon speakers exclusively since the 70's. Up until now, they've all been rather costly requiring a good £2,000 for their entry level model, the .7.
That is up until this model, the LRS (little ribbon speaker) which is just incredible value at £1000 in the UK ($750 in the US!)
These things are insanely good in the sound reproduction they can achieve at this cost, there is nothing close from another manufacture that can compete.
The downside to Ribbons is that you really need a sub woofer, which can set you back a further chunk of change, and they tend to require quite a bit of power to drive them which needs a decent quality amplifier.
But as you can see these are really large panels and require a lot of space around them, they can't be anywhere near a wall as they need masses of airflow to feed the diaphragms and it would negatively impact the sound.
But one day, ONE DAY, I shall own a pair!
