5
Description
Your Insight Series L8i loudspeakers take advantage of several
critical technologies to deliver a level of performance that has
never been available in a loudspeaker that intruded so modestly
on your living space. In fact, this level of performance has rarely
been attained, regardless of the space and budget at one’s dis-
posal.
Since several of these technologies cannot readily be found
elsewhere, we will take the time to describe them in more detail
than would be necessary for more conventional designs.
Planar magnetic drivers
Our planar magnetic drivers use an advanced, thin film mem-
brane to move the air. This film can respond instantly to the
smallest detail in the signal. It has vastly less inertia than tradi-
tional “cone & dome” drivers, so the signal is never blurred in
any way.
The motive force is provided by a “voice coil” that is printed on
the film, which is suspended
in a strong magnetic field
provided by powerful mag-
nets behind and in front of
the film. The ratio of avail-
able force to the moving
mass is huge, which means
that the diaphragm does exactly what it is
told: nothing more, nothing less.
Free from compression
One of the most remarkable things about the sound of well-designed planar
magnetic speakers is their lack of thermal or dynamic compression. There are
several reasons for this:
• The lightweight diaphragm responds quickly to even the smallest
signals, yet is robust enough to handle a great deal of power.
• The voice coil is laid out flat and is exposed to the air on both
sides; the large resulting surface area dissipates heat extremely
quickly and efficiently.
• Since heat does not build up in the voice coil (as it does in con-
ventional dynamic drivers), the load seen by the amplifier does
not change at high power levels.
When you become accustomed to the sound of your new Insight Series L8i
speakers, conventional speakers sound a bit bland and lifeless. You may also
discover yourself hearing details at even modest levels on the L8i that were pre-
viously inaudible even at loud volumes on more conventional speakers.
More reliable
The “voice coil” in the planar magnetic driver is spread out over a large, flat area
that is exposed to the open air. As such, when a huge transient comes along,
any heat that is generated is immediately dissipated. This compares quite favor-
