Do larger planar speakers produce more accurate sound?


Planar speakers generate sound pressure via vibrating membrane panels. The excursion of the membrane x radiating area= sound pressure. This would mean that for a given sound level, membranes have smaller excursion in larger planar speakers than in smaller ones. Does this mean that larger speakers will produce more accurate sound?

I am not talking about the obvious benefits of the larger speakers in terms of low frequency production, so let's not get into that.

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It depends on the amp, of course, but many single ended amps and pushpull amps using just a pair of tubes like 6L6 or KT-66 deliver a full, lush sound without sounding muddy or sluggish.  Within their modest power levels, they are quick and dynamic and the sound is "dense"--harmonics are complete and realistic and not lean and thin.  I don't like most high powered tube amps with multiple KT88, KT120, KT150 because they tend to have a hard and brittle sound--the initial attack is artificially edgy and not as natural sounding.  Most high powered solid state amps sound lifeless to me at modest volume levels.  There is also an artificial sounding edginess to the attack of notes that  makes them a little bit brittle sounding or as some people put it, there is a "glassy" sheen that seems to be always present..  A good tube amp sounds relaxed and not edgy, yet when the music calls for it, they sound lively and deliver dynamics without sounding hard.

A decent 40 watt amp (e.g., Synthesis A40) should work with the majority of speakers, but, some panel speakers might require a bit more, depending on the setting and circumstances.  I don't rule out ANY speaker type, and certainly there are many that I enjoy even when driven by amps that are not my personal ideal amps.  It is just a part of juggling different strengths and weaknesses and making the right compromises.  I could easily live with something like the 30.7 Magnepans and an Ayre amp, although I still prefer a good horn system and my 5 watt tube amp.

I am not married to planar speakers, just to Clarity. What horn system do you like that can approach the clarity of planars?

I’ve had Planar speakers since the early eighties and still have a pair of Acoustat Model X’s. The midrange and the High-end are fabulous! The low-end, while accurate, has no push to it.  If I play the beginning of DSOTM loud, the heart beat goes rattle rattle, rattle rattle, because it can’t produce the umph of a traditional speaker. I’ve made a bunch of subwoofers over the years and have an old Audio Research EC-2 crossover, but have never got it quite right. The ripple of the Mylar is so much faster than a moving cone!

All the best!

JD

If by “clarity” you mean an absence of resonance that makes for a murky or muddled sound, panels and compression midrange drivers can be very good.  The very best compression drivers, such as those made by Western Electric, International Projector Company, YL, G.I.P., Goto, manage to substantially avoid nasal resonance that color some compression drivers and deliver clear, detailed and well textured sound with a sense of ease.  These drivers must be matched to very nimble and clear sounding woofers.  The woofers that seem to work best have light cones, and pleated paper surrounds.  The downside to such woofers is a limited excursion that mean they don’t deliver extremely deep bass.  This kind of bass is similar to that of large panel speakers which also don’t go extremely deep.