# planer transducers...advice?



## jeremy7 (Feb 7, 2008)

Ive been looking at some planers, bohlender graebeners in particular from parts express. I did not realize that planers existed that could play such low frequencies. approaching 150 hz on the low end! has anybodt heard or used these? Im suddenly very interested in these. unfortunately VERY expensive... $700 for the six footer, $500 for the four footer. Ive never used any type of planer, ribbon, etc. Id like to hear anybodys opinions


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## Kal Rubinson (Aug 3, 2006)

Planar. It will help your Googling.

Kal


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## Anthony (Oct 5, 2006)

I only have experience with the Neo3 and it is a nice tweeter. However I am trying to use in in dipole (back cup removed) and it has a wicked undamped top octave rise that really makes crossover design a bear.

But man does it sing. Very low distortion and little harshness despite a pretty large bump at 15kHz.

I may defer that to my quasi line speakers, but with the back cup and use a more traditional tweeter in my theater speakers.

Zaph (www.zaphaudio.com) did some testing of the Neo 3 and has good comments about it in regular monopole mode.

Good luck.


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## steverc (Jan 5, 2008)

I have never heard any bohlender graebener speakers but I have the Magnepan MG 1.6 speakers http://www.magnepan.com/model_MG_16 . After hearing the smaller version, I just had to have the biggest I could afford. The clarity of planar speakers is incredible. Some people say planar speakers can’t rock but that is (I think) because distorted sound often seems to be louder. The only problem with these is that my theater isn’t big enough to hold eight of them, I only have room for six. I’m still building the theater but you can see these on the back wall at http://www.kn7f.com/Theater/Doing/ scroll to the bottom.

Steve


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## Anthony (Oct 5, 2006)

I have (soon to be had) a Magnepan home theater. I loved the sound but was definitely missing the low end and dynamic range. Vocals were perfectly natural and music really sang, but explosions, gunshots, and car chases just always left something to be desired. Incidentally, explosions, gunshots, and car chases are in just about every movie I own 

My solution: I'm trying to create my own dipoles with dynamic speakers. Better low end punch with all the dynamics, but the air and natural sound of the Magnepans.

That's what led me to the neo3 (I guess I couldn't give up planars completely).

again, I like it, but it's just murder to build a crossover for.


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## jeremy7 (Feb 7, 2008)

Anthony said:


> I have (soon to be had) a Magnepan home theater. I loved the sound but was definitely missing the low end and dynamic range. Vocals were perfectly natural and music really sang, but explosions, gunshots, and car chases just always left something to be desired. Incidentally, explosions, gunshots, and car chases are in just about every movie I own
> 
> My solution: I'm trying to create my own dipoles with dynamic speakers. Better low end punch with all the dynamics, but the air and natural sound of the Magnepans.
> 
> ...


Speaker building is a brand new hobby of mine, so I may sound like a noob. This magnepan home theater you have, are the gun shots, explosions, etc lacking b/c of a lack of a sub, or is the lack of low end and dynamics slightly above that range. 
I looked briefly at a magnepan website, and it appeared that some ribbons came with a powered sub built into the tower speaker and some did not.
One more question. The difficult x-over, is that because you removed the back cup and now there is a rise in the hf, or are all dynamics more challenging to cross?
thanks


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