MrMateoHead
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2012
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Quote:
Your assessment makes me sad. But even with all the imperfection of the magnetic planars, they still have been utterly superior to anything else I have heard yet. I would love to hear some planar speakers. Also, don't electrostatics all require a constant charge just to stay ready to play? I wonder at the basic efficiency assumed and possible from different driver technologies. I get that internal reflections and resonance are an issue, but that can be said of all speakers especially with listening environments/enclosures included. All dynamic speakers have cast baskets and other stuff behind them that preclude a truly unobstructed sound. So, the quality is always come from the compromise(s) made!
In the end planar magnetic is still a "hack" compared to modern planar electrostatic headphones. Instead of stats which have a perfectly even and ultra-thin diaphragm, sandwiched between finely-designed plates that have very little interference on sound, you get orthos which have thicker diaphragms that are uneven due to the metallic patterned tracings adhered onto them, sandwitched between dozens of bar magnets on plates that cause unwanted reverbs and distortions before the sound even escapes the drivers.
Of course orthos are attractive because they are a great compromise between stats and dynamics in terms of sound and amp requirements, but the one saving grace they have in terms of sound is that characteristically they always seem to have the thick, lush lower end that neither stats nor dynamics can capture as well. Some might hate that quality though, as it's more of a musicality preference than straight-up SQ superiority.
Your assessment makes me sad. But even with all the imperfection of the magnetic planars, they still have been utterly superior to anything else I have heard yet. I would love to hear some planar speakers. Also, don't electrostatics all require a constant charge just to stay ready to play? I wonder at the basic efficiency assumed and possible from different driver technologies. I get that internal reflections and resonance are an issue, but that can be said of all speakers especially with listening environments/enclosures included. All dynamic speakers have cast baskets and other stuff behind them that preclude a truly unobstructed sound. So, the quality is always come from the compromise(s) made!