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Pros and Cons of Ribbons

I've been looking into getting a pair of VMPS RM-2's and would like to hear any comments or thoughts on these speakers or ribbon midrange and tweeter speakers in general. These speakers have a 12" woofer, (2) 7" ribbon mids and (2) spiral ribbon tweeters. I know nothing about ribbon speakers but have heard that they are very open, transparent and detailed and have exceptional imaging and spaciousness. Some say after listening to ribbons you won't like cones or domes again. This all sounds good, so what's the bad part?

Thanks,

Steve
say811
jeffloistarca
1,004 posts
 
My experience with ribbons is with Apogees. All the stated qualities are accurate, the downside is they are power hungry (you best have some big-ass amps) and like all planars they are very sensitive to placement. It can take weeks of fiddling to get them just right, but it sure is worth it!
bmccormick
56 posts
 
Steve,

I would suggest you contact Brian Cheney direct at VMPS. He is a very nice guy and I am sure he would be very willing to discuss any of your questions. Unfortunately, I have never had ribbons so I can't comment on that. I believe his number is 415-222-4276 and you can also go to www.harmonicdiscord.com and read allot of info there.

Good Luck!
bluenose
387 posts
 
I have the newforms. I found the nordost red dawn cables were too much of a good thing in my sytem[SS]. With tubes this might be different...but the sheer speed and transparenty of ribbons requires the right match that doesn't give you too much of the leading edges of the notes and too little of the timbre or the fullness of notes...with RD the notes were litterly zinging with too much sibilence. It was ultra detailed and I couldn't live with the mix. For me the cure was the acoustic zen satori and matrix mix...the siltech gen3 were awesome but out of my reach..take your time with the cabeling and you will be hugely rewarded. Good ribbons can float images and notes and make for long listening sessions. You'll be buying lots of new music and listening to all your current collection with awe. You'll stop looking at other speakers....it just gets better...happy listening.
phild
603 posts
 
If they're anything like ribbon microphones, they're probably a little more fragile and may require more gentle handling (like not turning your amp up to 11?).
fatparrot
1,314 posts
 
I am not familiar with VMPS so this comment may not apply to these speakers. One of the problems with using a conventional cone woofer with a ribbon/planar midrange and tweeter is that sometimes the bass doesn't sound like it integrates seamlessly with the upper frequencies. Bass will sound thick, slow, or "muddy" when compared with the rest of the higher frequencies. I would definitely audion ANY ribbon with cone woofer hybrid before you buy! Happy Tunes!
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