In my YouTube videos, I’ve been guilty of using "planar" and "ribbon" interchangeably at times.
Oops. They are, in fact, very different creatures.
A planar magnetic driver, like the kind we use on our Aspen Loudspeakers, uses a thin diaphragm suspended between magnets, with a conductive trace spread across it. The entire surface moves to produce sound, giving planars their signature openness and low distortion.
A ribbon driver, on the other hand, is usually a pure aluminum strip suspended in a magnetic field. Unlike planars, where the diaphragm is supported across its surface, a ribbon is free-hanging. This makes it incredibly light and responsive—perfect for high frequencies—yet not so great for midrange.
So, my apologies if I ever blur the line between the two.
They are very different drivers indeed.
