6
Overview
Your Sage Cinema Series Hybrid Line Source loudspeaker takes 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.
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.
Our planar magnetic drivers
(“PMD”)
use an advanced, thin film membrane to move
the air. This film can respond instantly to the smallest detail in the signal. It has vastly
less inertia than traditional “cone & dome” drivers, so the signal is never blurred in
any way.
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 at 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 conventional
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 Sage Cinema Series Hybrid
Line Source speakers, conventional speakers sound a bit bland and lifeless. You may
also discover yourself hearing details at even modest levels on the Hybrid Line
Source that were previously inaudible even at loud volumes on more conventional
speakers.
The “voice coil” in the planar magnetic driver is spread out over a large, at
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 favorably to other
designs in which the voice coil is buried inside a massive piece of metal, where the
heat has effectively no place to go.
The excellent heat dissipation of these drivers makes them remarkably reliable.
Planar magnetic speakers can handle a great deal of power without undue stress or
audible strain. In fact, for a given size, they can handle
many times the power of a
traditional dynamic driver.