New Ribbon Speaker Technology - Approach the perfect speaker?

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#5
Where do I place my order?
Click to expand...
You might want to wait a little until it`s out what these ribbons will cost - when the price is according the claimed specs - it likely will be highest end.😱


So in order to hear one of these most of us will have to DIY. I think there is enough information divulged in the photo to take a stab at making one.
Click to expand...

I`m anything but an expert in DIY ribbon speakers but I fear this can hardly be DIYed.

At the site they stated it took a decade to fine tune this technology.
Not that I believe manufactorers claims blindly but all this really looks like there is a little more involved than just a lot of magnets and aluminium-foil (or copper).

For example, how they manage to drive the ribbons without a transformer?

How it`s possible to make the suspension of something so fragile like a ribbon diaphragm floating?

Also X-max of up to 25 mm (1 inch):att'n: peak-to-peak or distortion of 0,03% :att'n: at 133 dB SPL :att'n: 10 meter on axis :att'n: (for their upcoming PA System) doesn`t look like this could be DIY area (unfortunately :bawling: ).
 
#10
I have issues with some of the claims. a quick example is: The high conductivity of the ribbon element means that it's not uniformly driven.

He apints with a rather broad brush when it comes to comparing the other technologies.

I'll believe it when I see it.

I'd like to see some data. Marketing babble gets old quick.

Sheldon
 
#15
Chris8sirhC - You're not alone wondering. I'm no ribbon expert either, but it sure sounds like he claims the prior art. There is something about an opening behind the ribbbon that may be novel, but it sure doesn't sound like the strongest patent application.

Then again, B*se seems to be able to patent the prior art pretty regularly. :xeye:
 
#17
Interesting, I am a little baffled about how it is possible to achieve
a decent ribbon transducer with a ribbon width of 8cm without resorting to huge magnets or some planar arrangement?

My own limited ribbon transducer experience is designing a transducer for headphone use.
As for theirs being the first ribbon headphones ,I believe someone designed a pair in the 1930s and I had my first pair up and running in 2001.


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#18
Patent looks like Series Xover for Ribbons

The patent by TransmissionAudio that SY referenced appears to be an attempt to patent a series crossover for ribbons that is in common use for dynamic speakers.

Ribbons have a very low impedance, often < 1 ohm, and a step-up transformer is typically used to create a higher impedance between 4-8 ohms that most amplifiers can drive. This transformer inserts phase, step response, and frequency limitations. A good transformer is expensive.

By putting the midrange and tweeter ribbons in series, along with series passive components for crossover and equalization, one can create a higher impedance, more amplifier friendly load. This removes the cost and performance limitations of transformers, and allows one amplifier to drive multiple ribbons with greater fidelity and lower cost.

For long, wide bandwidth ribbons, I have found that a low impedance direct drive amplifier is required to mechanically control the ribbon's movement in the magnetic field. I have built Class-A amplifiers that sound very good driving a 0.5 - 1 ohm resistive load, which thanks to low 7V output power supplies, are modest in cost, heat and size.

Nelson Pass as part of his First Watt efforts has published a few articles on current source amplifiers and series crossovers that cover the same ideas as in this patent. Nelson has also discussed using a current source amp to drive (tweeter?) ribbons.

http://www.passlabs.com/np/CurrentSourceCrossoverNetworks.pdf
 
#20
These are the guys who made the ribbons for Mark Levinson's Red Rose speaker systems. In fact, if I read it correctly, they designed the entire Red Rose speaker line, not just a supplier of the parts.

Those speakers (especially the little one's) got a lot of nice reviews. So the new ribbons are better. Where's the project that proves that? And what's the cost?

Enjoy,
Bob
 
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