4
Overview
Your Wisdom Series LS4m 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
disposal.
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 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 Wisdom Series LS4m
speakers, conventional speakers sound a bit bland and lifeless. You may also
discover yourself hearing details at even modest levels on the LS4m 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.
