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Monolith III User's Manual
major contributor to the sonic purity of
the electrostatic concept due to its
exceptional linearity and low distortion.
Since the diaphragm of an electrostatic
speaker is uniformly driven over its
entire area, it can be extremely light and
flexible. This allows it to be very
responsive to transients, thus perfectly
tracing the music signal. As a result ,
great delicacy, nuance and clarity is
possible. When you look at the prob-
lems of traditional electromagnetic
drivers, you can easily see why this is
so beneficial .
The cones and domes which are used
in traditional electromagnetic drivers
cannot be driven uniformly because of
their design. Cones are driven only at
the apex. Domes are driven at their
perimeter. As a result, the rest of the
cone or dome is just "along for the ride".
The basic concept of these drivers
require that the cone or dome be
perfectly rigid, damped and close to
massless. Unfortunately these condi-
tions are not available in our world
today.
To make these cones and domes
move, all electromagnetic drivers must
use voice coils wound on formers,
spider assemblies, and
surrounds to keep the cone or
dome in position (see
Figure
9.). These pieces, when
combined with the high mass of
the cone or dome materials
used, make it an extremely
complex unit with many weak-
nesses and potential for failure.
These faults contribute to the
high distortion products found in
this type of driver and is a
tremendous disadvantage
when you are trying to change
motion as quickly and as
accurately as a loudspeaker
must (40,000 times per
second!).
Figure 9.
Figure 9.
Figure 9.
Figure 9.
Figure 9. Cut away view of a typical moving coil driver.
Notice the complexity due to the high number of parts.
Voice Coil
Magnetic Gap
Magnet Assembly
Spider (Suspension)
Voice Coil Former
Dust Cap
Cone
Surround
Magnet
Basket Assembly
An Electromagnetic Transducer
An Electromagnetic Transducer
An Electromagnetic Transducer
An Electromagnetic Transducer
An Electromagnetic Transducer
