hey @lowmass the science says a slightly curved array would perform better but that would require mounting some ribbons in orientation less than vertical ...
considering the ribbon is "free swinging" once it stretched out a bit from normal use overtime would it then begin to sag for those ribbons that are angled slightly upwards ?
the array would start off from the ground plane as perfectly perpendicular to it ( vertical ) but gradually curve backwards so that the ribbons at the very top would be angled back maybe 20 degrees ...
i am guessing plastic ribbons would be fine, but the way arrays work is they lose HF at 3db/octave because of the weird array math which means i need the loudest ribbons possible and can't use plastic ones - they have to be pure aluminum like Aurum Cantus
HELP ! ! !
considering the ribbon is "free swinging" once it stretched out a bit from normal use overtime would it then begin to sag for those ribbons that are angled slightly upwards ?
the array would start off from the ground plane as perfectly perpendicular to it ( vertical ) but gradually curve backwards so that the ribbons at the very top would be angled back maybe 20 degrees ...
i am guessing plastic ribbons would be fine, but the way arrays work is they lose HF at 3db/octave because of the weird array math which means i need the loudest ribbons possible and can't use plastic ones - they have to be pure aluminum like Aurum Cantus
HELP ! ! !
plastic or "FO" foil only . they all will sag IF overdriven. In fact the plastics could potentially have more issue with this as the foil is the dominant spring force and the plastic is dead weight stressing the foil, AND the plastic lowers heat dissipation
Most if not ALL of my plastic backed Corrugated versions had more trouble with sag than the FOs, IN corrugated free swing designs
That said IF the ribbon is used well within its designed limits there is no issue. Only overdrive is a problem
I dont believe there would be an issue with sag messing with the "curve" even if very small sag occurs. The geometry of it all doesnt look like an issue to me
Also imo dynamics are better served with straight lines not curved. I dont know why but it always seems that at least subjectivly the curved designs and the shaded designs seem to have a softened dynamic
Most if not ALL of my plastic backed Corrugated versions had more trouble with sag than the FOs, IN corrugated free swing designs
That said IF the ribbon is used well within its designed limits there is no issue. Only overdrive is a problem
I dont believe there would be an issue with sag messing with the "curve" even if very small sag occurs. The geometry of it all doesnt look like an issue to me
Also imo dynamics are better served with straight lines not curved. I dont know why but it always seems that at least subjectivly the curved designs and the shaded designs seem to have a softened dynamic
the reason i am a bit afraid of straight is because they launch HF hundreds of meters which means back wall reflections would be atrocious ...
the idea is that a curved array would spread energy more randomly through the room instead of directing 100% at the back wall which will then bounce back like a basketball ...
as for softened dynamic logically a curved array will have less HF than straight one ( because it will spread HF over wider angle ) so it may subjectively have less "bite" to the sound.
I call ribbons made with foil only "FO"
no plastic or damping material, just foil
if corrugated these have serious issues with higher frequency resonances. Big long tails in the CSD. I suspect some precieve this as "airy" sound but it just hash
The frequency they happen at is dependent on the mass spring resonance of the foil/ corrugation size/width of ribbon
generally if the ribbon is about 8mm wide or less these resonances are beyond 20k
the easy way around this is the so called "flat foil" designs. Done well they are good BUT generally need steep filters if used below about 2k or the diaphragms get noisy and may crack eventually
no plastic or damping material, just foil
if corrugated these have serious issues with higher frequency resonances. Big long tails in the CSD. I suspect some precieve this as "airy" sound but it just hash
The frequency they happen at is dependent on the mass spring resonance of the foil/ corrugation size/width of ribbon
generally if the ribbon is about 8mm wide or less these resonances are beyond 20k
the easy way around this is the so called "flat foil" designs. Done well they are good BUT generally need steep filters if used below about 2k or the diaphragms get noisy and may crack eventually