Speaker Asylum

RE: It's all about reducing mass

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John Elison

A

In Reply to: RE: It's all about reducing mass posted by E-Stat on December 23, 2024 at 13:49:35

> Part of what has to move with the mylar diaphragm with Magneplanars is the conductive wire. Ribbons avoid that.

How do ribbons avoid that?

I know that Magnepan's have copper wire glued to their mylar diaphragm because I took the cover off a pair some years ago. Some of the wire had broken free from the diaphragm. However, I think some of the new Magnepan speakers might have aluminum foil attached to the mylar diaphragm instead of wire. I thought I read that somewhere, but I can't find it now. Have you heard anything like that?

Thanks!

Follow Ups:

Yes, the newer models use foil glued to the mylar instead of wires, called "quasi-ribbon". It's more reliable. - MWE 17:44:40 12/23/24 (3)
It's used in the bass and midrange sections of the three-way models, and mid/bass and tweeter sections of the two-way models.

Mark in NC
"The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains" -Paul Simon
- That sounds good to me... - John Elison 18:09:11 12/23/24 (2)
  Although, I don't think the term "quasi-ribbon" refers to foil conductors instead of wire conductors. I think it simply means that the diaphragm has conductors glued to it, instead of being a true ribbon. My Mini Maggies have wire glued onto the mylar diaphragms, yet Magnepan still refers to them as quasi-ribbon drivers. Only the tweeter is a true ribbon driver.
  
  Nevertheless, I'm glad they switched from wire to foil, because not only is it probably more reliable, it probably has lower mass, too. I just hope it can still handle the current as well as wire. It would be nice if they used silver foil.
  
  Thanks!
  - RE: That sounds good to me... - MWE 06:00:12 12/24/24 (1)
    No, the "QR" designation applies specifically to the method of using foil glued to the mylar instead of wires. They came up with the term to differentiate it from the older wire system that was used on both bass and tweeter sections previously. The Magnepan website has explained this since its introduction of the QR technology.
    The foil, to the best of my knowledge, doesn't have significantly lower mass than the wires; they kept it the same because the impedance needed to stay the same, but it probably has a bit lower distortion because the foil is adhered to a larger area of the Mylar than the wires are.
    I've read discussion in the past on various forums about using other metals as conductors, but the consensus has generally been that aluminum has the best combined mass/conductivity characteristics.
    I've been a Maggie guy since 1998, and it's been head-spinning to try to keep up with all of their changes in methods.
    
    Mark in NC
    "The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains" -Paul Simon
    - https://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/t.mpl?f=mug&m=178152 (Open in New Window)
    Edits: 12/24/24 12/24/24
    - Thanks for the information! I appreciate it. /nt\ - John Elison 12:06:23 12/24/24 (0)
Perhaps - E-Stat 15:13:29 12/23/24 (1)
the foil is conductive. Not sure. The 20.1s and 3.7s I've heard had a really sweet top end. The earlier "dot ones", however, sounded to these ears like a collection of separate drivers.
Click here for a general diagram and terminology.
You'll get detailed answers over at MUG, aka Planar Forum. Click here for more detail from Magnepan.

Edits: 12/23/24
- RE: Perhaps - MWE 17:38:30 12/23/24 (0)
  That's exactly correct. With the true ribbon tweeter, the radiating diaphragm is also the conductor. It's about 5 feet long and about 1/4 inch wide, and is extremely light and thin. It's aluminum foil that is significantly thinner than kitchen-type aluminum foil. The electrical contacts are at each end, but there are small, alternating supporting dots of silicone rubber along its length on each side attached to the magnet structure. The resolution and inner detail in its range are marvelous.
  
  Mark in NC
  "The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains" -Paul Simon
  
  Edits: 12/23/24

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