I disagree with that, and will try to explain why in my opinion which is purely based on sonics and has a complete disregard to looks and cuteness.
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Before we start: Rock and POP music is not 100% bass….there is tons in the midrange, treble and it requires a fast, clean and dry bass to enjoy it. All which can easily be achieved by a planar speaker such as the Maggies. <o></o>
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First we have to get rid of this generalisation of “planars”, I tried to explain this to RGA, Wooch. and others but usually failed. There are electrostatics like the Quads, Acoustats, Soundlabbs and Martin Logan CLS. Then there are planar magnetic speakers and planar magnetic hybrids such as the Magnepan’s, Analysis Audio. Then we have ribbons speakers, which there is only two companys that have made fullrange ribbon speakers that I am aware of which is Apogee Acoustics and Perigee. <o></o>
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A planar speaker is a speaker which uses a large flat, thin diaphragm for a driver in a none-enclosed chassy, which radiates in a dipole or bipole configuration. <o></o>
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Box speakers have very little area that actually moves air and needs the box and/or corners to generate any deep bass which introduces resonances from the box incl. coloration. You have a small driver with a magnet in the back, if you excurt the driver it bends around the corners and introduces distortion and the driver does not move like a piston. On a planar speaker the membrane is very light and moves almost not at all compared to a regular box driver. The magnets and the force over area is much greater which gives you more control of the driver itself.<o></o>
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If you take a massive object like a soccer ball and try to move it with wind and the balls runs, then it will continue to run on its own much longer then if you blow on a feather. The problem is getting the cone to stop without any overhang. Planars do not have this problem. On a side note, this was tried to control by servo motors, lighter membranes and more control of the driver. <o></o>
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Now on to the planar differences and why they are not created equal. Also here are some general missunderstanings. <o></o>
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  • Magnepans are NOT ribbon speakers. (See point A)<o></o>
  • Planars are bass shy and dynamically limited (See point B)<o></o>
  • Boxes can play louder<o></o>
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But first of, what is a ribbon? <o></o>
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A: A ribbons is a single strip of a thin material (usually aluminium) suspended freely between two points (top and bottom) in a magnetic field. The current flows through the ribbon which counteracts with the magnetic field and vibrates and makes sound.<o></o>
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What is a planar magnetic? <o></o>
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A: A planar magnetic is a sheet membrane suspended on all 4 sides, sitting in front, back or push pull configuration of a magnetic field. The foil (Myler in the case of the Maggies) has current carrying devices (copper rails on the Maggies) glued on to the surface. The current goes through the copper which is attached to the foil and interacts with the magnetic field which then moves the driver and makes sound. <o></o>
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What is a QR? <o></o>
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A: A quassi ribbon are thin aluminium strips glued onto the mylar main surface which gets driven directly. The advantage is that it can move faster then the main mylar foil and its cheaper to make then a true ribbon.<o></o>
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Magnepan Model Line-Up<o></o>
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The MG12 is a small “planat magnetic” speaker with the “QR”, it used the main mylar foil for the bass and lower midrange, and uses the quassi ribbon as the upper midrage and tweeter driver. <o></o>
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The MG 1.6 uses the same principle, but a bit larger. <o></o>
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The MG 3.6, uses the Mylaer foil as a bass and midrange driver while using a true ribbon tweeter for the high frequencys. <o></o>
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The MG 20 is interesting since it uses the mylar foil as a bass driver, the quassi ribbon on the midrange and a true ribbon as the tweeter. <o></o>
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To give you all an example, I will compare these to my speakers and the technical differences. (I chose my own, because it’s the best for an example)<o></o>
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The Apogee DIVA, Scintilla, Caliper, Duetta, Fullrange etc... use a true ribbon tweeter, true ribbon midrange and a single ended ribbon. Now I hear you saying, a “single ended ribbon”!?, well Apogee Acoustics uses the 100% same material for every single driver range. The bass system is ONLY fixed at the left and right side (not top to bottom) and damped at the top and bottom. The current moves through the ribbons and moves the drivers back and forth from the magnet array in the back.<o></o>
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Magnepans use a thick mylar foil glued with copper wires, which makes them very heavy compared to Quads, Soundlabs, Apogees, Acoustats and other planars. As we know, a moving mass is hard to stop once in motion. The midrange is connected onto the main mylar foil, which again is very thick and heavy and of course limits you on top end extension which is why the top model is more like a true ribbon design then the 3.6, 1.6 etc… The cost of making a true ribbon speaker is much more and their sensitivity to external sources is much greater (shipping, HIFI shop visitors etc) <o>
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How does this effect the sound, well in my opinion a speaker as to be close to no sonic signature, no mass with a huge force control behind it, lack of coloration and has to get close to the normal radiation pattern of an instrument. Planar speakers can get very close to that, with a much greater ease then any box speaker on this planet. Have you ever wondered why the top end designs in this world use ribbons? Well, because they have no mass, huge control over them and no coloration. <o></o>
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To move on, why do some people say that planars don’t have bass or are dynamically limited?<o></o>
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A: The problem for most is the resonant frequency of the membrane. On a square design you will have a problem getting the resonant frequency low enough so you don’t hear them, or you enlarge the panel. The bass section of the MMG, MG/SE, MG12, MG1.6, MG3.6 and MG20.1 is identicall exept for SIZE. The larger they make them, the lower the RF and they get more extension. This is why Apogee uses a trapezoid,, (patented) which spreads the RF’s to a much larger are and lowers it which lets them go so low in the bass<o></o>
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To give you some FACTS straight from an owner, the Apogee Scintilla does 24Hz before drop off in my room with extension to 19Hz, the DIVA does 23Hz before dropping with 1db down to 18Hz. With digital EQ I improved this even further. But you have to control the driver, each material has a certain resistance. The Magnepans are quite easy but requite vasts amount of power to get them going, and to improve the driver control which lowers their bass response and extension.<o></o>
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If you do NOT feed them enough power, and if the amp flinches then you loose control of the membrane which limites you max spl and frequency response. Its all about what is driving them and how it drives it. <o></o>
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Apogee’s love current and they are designed to carry 100A internally, they can eat a power amp for breakfast. To a side note, when people Apogees are difficult, they are full of it. The pure Aluminium drivers have a low resistance which means that the amp has to handle it. But they are quite efficient and its like driving a non variable changing resistor. EASY!! The Maggies are a bit similar but have more swings and their 4ohm load make them a bit hard, since most amps cannot deliver enough power into the 4ohm load. <o></o>
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The room, plays a important part of the planar experience, you need sufficient time delay between the primary and secondary wave and give those speakers ROOM to breath. They move AIR, they don’t compress it in a box…they push and move the air around in your room.<o></o>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->·<!--[endif]-->It is important that your speakers have ROOM…<o></o>
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·<!--[endif]-->Planars have no box, but the ROOM is their box<o></o>
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·<!--[endif]-->At a 4ohm load you needs loads of power to get enough control into the Maggies<o>
</o> <!--[if !supportLists]-->·<!--[endif]-->They are much lighter faster then box drivers and lack the chassy, so feed them the best and esp. control! <o></o>
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As a closing statement, Maggies are wonderfull. But they are not the end and a compromise in the planar world. Their membranes are too heavy, the 4ohm load impractical, and the drivers have different signatures. BUT they are lighter, faster, less colored and more revealing then any box counterparts below 10K.<o></o>
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-Flo


Addon: Planars load the room more equally, which exites less room nodes and makes up for a more even in room responces. The DB drop off from a line source is far less then from a cone, dome system at 1.3m tall. You have no cabinet resonances, no driver mass, much controll and equal driver speeds and lack of coloration etc... all which make up for far MORE then if you miss the excited room nodes at 35Hz from box with cabinet resonances, high driver mass, room gain, room nodes, unequal sonic signatures etc....
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