The Planar Magnetic Success Story You'll Never Believe
How a Planar Magnetic Diaphragm Headphone Driver Works
Typically, dynamic drivers feature an internal voice coil that is attached to the middle of the conical diaphragm. When an electrical signal flows through a voice coil, the diaphragm moves.
The force is only applied to a small part of the diaphragm, so it's difficult to move several points at the same time. This can result in distortions due to breakup modes.
Detail Sound
Many audiophiles want an authentic sound from their headphones. This can be achieved by using a planar diaphragm. This kind of headphone driver functions in a similar way to dynamic cone drivers, but with much more modern technology behind it.
A planar diaphragm is a flat piece of material that is embedded within the frame of a headphone and made of a thin and light material. It's designed to be as uniform as it can be and its flat surface allows an evenly distributed pressure across the whole surface which improves sound clarity.
The flat design allows for a better soundstage. A more precise wavefront leads to better sound staging, which can help you locate the exact location of an vocal or instrument on the track. This is a significant benefit over the more spherical wavefront typical of dynamic drivers.
Unlike traditional dynamic drivers, which use a voice coil that's located to the center of a paper or plastic cone, a planar diaphragm uses magnets placed on its flat face. The diaphragm is vibrating and emits sound when the electrical current that passes through the voice coil is absorbed by these magnets. Because the entire diaphragm can be driven at once, there are no breakup modes, mechanical filtering, transmission delay or local resonances that could negatively affect the quality of sound.
A diaphragm that is flat and uniform can also accelerate more quickly than the larger and more heavy ones used in dynamic drivers. Physics laws state that force is proportional to acceleration and mass, so the faster a diaphragm can move and the greater power it can exert. This results in planar magnet drivers having better response to bass as well as superior detail retrieval.
Of course, the benefits of a planar magnetic driver don't come without a price. Because they feature a complex motor system and a large diaphragms, they generally cost more than dynamic drivers, weigh more and require a more powerful amplifier to perform properly. However, many planar magnetic headphone manufacturers can make use of their technology to produce high-performance headphones at competitive prices. Audeze LCD-4, HiFiMAN Susvara are a few examples.
High Sensitivity
Planar drivers differ from the moving coil drivers that are used in the majority of headphones or IEMs in that they utilize a flat membrane instead of the traditional dome or cone shaped membrane. As an electrical signal passes it, it interacts with the magnets and the diaphragm to create sound waves. The diaphragm with a flat surface is able to react quickly to sound and it can produce a wide range in frequencies from lows to highs.
The main benefit of the planar magnetic design is that it's much more sensitive than other types of headphone driver, which can use a diaphragm that is up to a few times larger in volume than a standard planar headphone. This results in an exceptional amount of dynamic range and clarity, allowing you to hear every detail your music can provide.
Planar magnetic drivers also produce a very consistent driving force across the diaphragm. This eliminates breakup and creates a smooth, distortion-free sound. This is especially important for high-frequency sounds in which the presence of breakups can be quite loud and distracting. In the FT5 the way this is achieved is by using an advanced material called polyimide. It is both ultra-light and extremely robust, as well as a sophisticated conductor pattern that eliminates inductance intermodulation distortion.
OPPO's planar magnetic drivers also have a higher degree of coherence in phase, which means that when a wavefront strikes our ear canal, it has an unaltered, flat shape. Dynamic drivers, on the other hand, have a spherical wavefront that disturbs the coherence, resulting in poor signal peak reconstructions particularly in high frequencies. OPPO headphones sound incredibly natural and realistic.
Wide Frequency Response
A planar magnetic diaphragm can be used to reproduce sounds with much greater frequency than conventional dynamic drivers due to their diaphragms are thin and lightweight. moves in a very controlled way. This allows them to provide excellent transient response, which makes them an exceptional choice for audiophiles who require rapid responses from their speakers and headphones to reproduce the finest nuances in music.
This flat structure also allows them to have an even soundstage than normal headphones that use coiled dynamic drivers. They are also less prone to leakage - the sound that escapes from headphones into the environment. In some cases this can be a problem since it can distract the listener and make them lose their focus while listening to music. In other instances, it can be beneficial as it allows listeners to enjoy music in public environments without having to worry about disturbing others close by.
Instead of putting an underlying diaphragm that is shaped like a cone Planar magnetic headsets comprise an array printed on a thin layer of the actual diaphragm. This conductor is then suspended in between two magnets, and when an electrical signal is applied to this array it becomes electromagnetic and causes the magnetic forces on the opposite side of the diaphragm to interact with each other. This is what causes the diaphragm vibrate, creating an audio wave.
The smooth motion of the diaphragm that is light and the fact that force is evenly distributed over its surface, means that distortion is extremely low. This is an enormous improvement over traditional dynamic drivers which are known to cause distortion at high levels of listening.
Some high-end headphones use the old-fashioned moving coil design, however most HiFi audio enthusiasts are now adopting a long-forgotten technology and a new generation of incredible sounding planar magnetic headphones. planar magnetic loudspeakers of these models are extremely expensive and require a premium amplifier to run them, but for those with the money, they provide an incredible experience that's unrivalled by any other headphone. They offer a full and detailed sound without the distortion you get with other headphones.
Minimal Inertia
Because of their construction they can move faster and are lighter than conventional drivers. They are able to reproduce audio signals with greater precision and can be tuned to a larger range. They also produce natural sound with less distortion than traditional loudspeakers.
The two rows of a planar driver generate the same and uniform force across the entire diaphragm surface. This removes any unwanted and unnecessary distortion. Since the force exerted on the lightweight diaphragm is evenly distributed it is able to be controlled more precisely. This permits the diaphragm to vibrate in a perfectly pistonic motion, resulting in precise and smooth reproduction of music.
Planar magnetic drivers are able to achieve very high levels of performance with a minimal weight, making them ideal for portable headphones. They can also be produced to have an array of frequencies, ranging from deep bass to high-frequency sounds. The wide frequency response and accurate sound reproduction make them a favorite for audio professionals.
Unlike dynamic drivers, which utilize coils to push against the diaphragm and vice versa, planar magnetic drivers have no mechanical parts that can come into contact with each with each other, causing distortion. This is due to the fact that the flat array sits directly on the diaphragm's surface, rather than in a coil behind.
In contrast, the thin and lightweight diaphragm inside a planar driver can be driven by an extremely powerful magnetic field with no loss of energy. The diaphragm is a thin, lightweight membrane, is driven by an electric field that creates a constant pressure. This stops it from deforming or causing distortion.
The moment of inertia describes the resistance to the rotation of an object. The formula I = mr2 can be used to calculate it. The shape of an object influences its moment of inertia minimum. Longer and thinner objects have lower moments of inertia.