Paul, these shorts are an incredible legacy of your irreplaceable knowledge and experience. So great that you are archiving this. Can’t thank you enough. For our future.Hank
I bought a vintage pair of ESS AMT-3 Rock Monitors and a Sansui Eight Deluxe receiver at an estate sale. There was also a Nakamichi cassette deck, and another piece of gear and I won the whole lot for $25! Everything was in perfect condition and the woofers had new rubber surrounds. I added a 450-watt RMS per channel power amp (A/B) and a 12" JBL subwoofer. Absolutely the best find/bargain in my life and I now have the 1974 system that I could not afford back then when I was a 14-year-old budding audiophile!
Well said! I’ve been an audiophile for fifty years and even owned the original ESS AMT 1A speakers, but your simple definition of the difference was awesome! Thanks.
As an owner of a pair of ESS AMTs,.......what a great video. I had never seen a more descriptive video of how the AMT midrange/tweeter works. I still marvel at the transparent and live sound that these "multi-directional" speakers emit. I (sadly) at the end of my stereophile existence (75 this week), so I won't be trading and upgrading equipment any more.....but rest assured...If I was to trade in my ESS EMts for another pair of speakers.....your models would be first on my list. Bless you for ALL your great videos (in spite of the fact that you hate bass and treble controls...hahaha)
I enjoy learning technical things and the techniques employed in what makes it all go. Paul you sure do know how to put it all in a very defined and understandable & entertaining way. 👍👍
I built a pair of speakers using Decca-Kelly ribbons back in the '60s. They had the best treble I had ever heard. A party piece was to place a wine glass on a speaker which would shatter when a woman sang at a high pitch. After emigrating, I was stuck with cone speakers for a few years, but then got a pair of Maggies which I have now had for 40 years and am very fond of (re-paneled twice by Magnapan). The lack of distortion means I can listen to them for hours. Yes I added a REL sub and would encourage other owners to try one as they really add body to the sound. I convinced one acquaintance by demonstrating a soprano singing a solo, with and without the sub. Why would a soprano need a sub? Well try it and you may be astonished by the difference.
I've had a pair of Infinity Gama's for about 20 years and recently bought some new speakers with Beryllium tweeters. The new speakers are amazing but missing the texture of ribbons. For me it's the sound that I got used to. Im not a speaker expert but I will be changing the Beryllium to ribbons. And hopefully be satisfied.
Jack Smiley was an engineer at ESS, and until a few years ago, he used to make AMT's that crossover at 500 Hz. The guy who built my speakers was his main customer, and I have a 5.2 system based on them. Taking the AMT's dynamism down to the mids is amazing. I appreciate planars for not being tiny little domes, but their lack of athleticism always leaves me wanting.
One of the best things about an AMT tweeter is that the diaphragm can be replaced easily in only a few minutes. Remove two screws, lift off the top plate, draw out the blown assembly, detach two wires. Reverse the steps with the new diaphragm. And, if I remember right (don't count on that), the diaphragm was relatively low-priced, maybe $10, in 1980.
I had the ESS AMT-1Bs with the full size Heils, that had an Omnidirectional mid to high Frequency Range soundstage that no other speaker has today. It's sound presence is airy and remarkable. I auditioned Planar Ribbons and they are no comparison!
I just realized Chris designed planar tweeters at BG Radia corp (ex Bohlender Graebener). The PS Audio loudspeakers use the same kind of planar tweeters BG were producing. They look exactly the same. Now, BG went under when the owner died but their supplying factory in the Philippines didn't. Problem is: that Philippines factory QC seems to be very poor. So my guess is that PS bought a bunch of those drivers and is doing proper QC in the US and discarding tons of them.
Can almost describe the AMT's as linear arrays as each pleat is acting as its own driver, but they are all attached to a common motor instead of separate motors. It might be interesting to build some "new" (custom) ones using a mylar substrate and aluminum oxide (or some other material) deposition onto the substrate to make them even lighter in structure and maybe a few design tweaks to the motor to keep the full coil in the guass field (having trouble finding diagram of how they are made so maybe thats not an issue, but very few speakers do this and its a typical weak spot).
So an AMT tweeter has more dynamics but has more top end distortion. A planar tweeter doesn’t have the same dynamics but a lot less distortion due to the lighter than air material. A dome tweeter is heavier than air so there is more distortion due to its inability to instantly stop.
"Planar ribbon" is just a confusing term. The way Paul uses it then every flat panel is a ribbon. Here is a workable definition of a _ribbon_ (when it comes to transducers): a laminar object that is *attached to a baffle on **_at most_** two sides_ and nothing else* . Additionally, for the purposes of audio reproduction, *a ribbon is much longer than it is wide, so that it acts more like a line source for a sound wave.* A _planar_ transducer, such as what Paul is holding appears to be like the large transducer on Magnepan (and Clarisys and electrostatic panels, etc.) Such planes do not act like a line source because of the dimensions of the laminar material. What Paul is holding seems much more like the Magnepan marketing term _quasi-ribbon_ , which itself is more about marketing than describing how the transducer actually makes sound.
Yes typically a ribbon's magnetic structure is along the edges and the ribbon is the conductor. While a planar has the magnetic structure as a parallel plane in front and/or back with the conductor attached to a flexible membrane and holes in the magnetic panels for the sound to pass through.
I have a pair of ESS Rock Monitor II Limited Edition with 2 6" woofers and a small (half size?) Heil driver. I absolutely love them. Sadly ESS is only making parts and 1 speaker these days. The AMT 1D Revival.
Still have my original ESS AMTs but they got relegated to my TV room when my music room got a pair of used Quad electrostatics about 20 years ago. Both sets of speakers still work although I expect the Quads to fail eventually. Tried to get them rebuilt about 4 years ago and was told they are now too old to repair. Maybe Paul will sell me just the top pair of planar tweeters to combine with existing speakers when the quads finally die.
Great example & explanation Paul, thanks! So, with the fact that the material is so thin and it is vibrating to move all that air, is there a worry that the material will wear out and the tweeter will need to be replaced regularly?
Thanks for your explanation. The law of physics says F = M * a So less mass is better to get the right acceleration, but what if you can raise the force? Yes it is more difficult to create this force without creating heat, but how do you create the required stiffness for your driver without adding mass? (and still keep the longevity for this driver? The -problems- challenges of an engineer i guess.
If memory serves, which it does less each day,... the EMITs were relatively fragile as well? Tending to get fried likely from clipping the amp to drive them?
It’s not a secret, states on their website that its made of teonex. He mentioned Kapton which is what a lot of planar drivers use for its temperature tolerance, which is higher than teonex. Maybe Teonex has some damping qualities that is desirable or perhaps it’s just because it’s cheaper… or both. Check the IRS Epsilon white paper for some information on diaphragm material and challenges with damping, etc. Haven’t seen a better write up for that subject.
Thanks Paul for answering my question in a way that it is all clear to me. Best regards from Sten in Sweden
Paul, these shorts are an incredible legacy of your irreplaceable knowledge and experience. So great that you are archiving this. Can’t thank you enough. For our future.Hank
I bought a vintage pair of ESS AMT-3 Rock Monitors and a Sansui Eight Deluxe receiver at an estate sale. There was also a Nakamichi cassette deck, and another piece of gear and I won the whole lot for $25! Everything was in perfect condition and the woofers had new rubber surrounds. I added a 450-watt RMS per channel power amp (A/B) and a 12" JBL subwoofer. Absolutely the best find/bargain in my life and I now have the 1974 system that I could not afford back then when I was a 14-year-old budding audiophile!
Well said! I’ve been an audiophile for fifty years and even owned the original ESS AMT 1A speakers, but your simple definition of the difference was awesome! Thanks.
Had those ESS amt monitors in 1976 . What a sound ! Very aired ,spatial sound . RIP Dr. Hiel !
As an owner of a pair of ESS AMTs,.......what a great video. I had never seen a more descriptive video of how the AMT midrange/tweeter works. I still marvel at the transparent and live sound that these "multi-directional" speakers emit. I (sadly) at the end of my stereophile existence (75 this week), so I won't be trading and upgrading equipment any more.....but rest assured...If I was to trade in my ESS EMts for another pair of speakers.....your models would be first on my list. Bless you for ALL your great videos (in spite of the fact that you hate bass and treble controls...hahaha)
I enjoy learning technical things and the techniques employed in what makes it all go.
Paul you sure do know how to put it all in a very defined and understandable & entertaining way. 👍👍
Amen
Thanks Paul, you convinced me of building planar magnetic push pull line sources to replace the AMT line sources I have now.
Paul, informative and entertaining. Great stuff.
R.I.P. Bob Heil, who died this past week.
☹️
Wrong Heil.
@@BB.......... The AMT Heil is Oscar Heil.
@@armanddimeo6575 I know that, which is why I wrote wrong Heil.
Different Heil. I don’t think related
I built a pair of speakers using Decca-Kelly ribbons back in the '60s. They had the best treble I had ever heard. A party piece was to place a wine glass on a speaker which would shatter when a woman sang at a high pitch. After emigrating, I was stuck with cone speakers for a few years, but then got a pair of Maggies which I have now had for 40 years and am very fond of (re-paneled twice by Magnapan). The lack of distortion means I can listen to them for hours. Yes I added a REL sub and would encourage other owners to try one as they really add body to the sound. I convinced one acquaintance by demonstrating a soprano singing a solo, with and without the sub. Why would a soprano need a sub? Well try it and you may be astonished by the difference.
AMT Heil is amazing, so natural, i like it more than dome, planar etc
Blew my ESS' up in the 80s. I still have the ESS power amp that blew up the AMTs. I really miss those speakers.
I've had a pair of Infinity Gama's for about 20 years and recently bought some new speakers with Beryllium tweeters. The new speakers are amazing but missing the texture of ribbons. For me it's the sound that I got used to. Im not a speaker expert but I will be changing the Beryllium to ribbons. And hopefully be satisfied.
I put an amt-1b in back of 78 scirroco vw. Folded horn woofer, awesome build.
Jack Smiley was an engineer at ESS, and until a few years ago, he used to make AMT's that crossover at 500 Hz. The guy who built my speakers was his main customer, and I have a 5.2 system based on them. Taking the AMT's dynamism down to the mids is amazing. I appreciate planars for not being tiny little domes, but their lack of athleticism always leaves me wanting.
One of the best things about an AMT tweeter is that the diaphragm can be replaced easily in only a few minutes.
Remove two screws, lift off the top plate, draw out the blown assembly, detach two wires.
Reverse the steps with the new diaphragm.
And, if I remember right (don't count on that), the diaphragm was relatively low-priced, maybe $10, in 1980.
"Heils" caught my ear back in early 70's. Just found a pair of ML's at a great price, good enough
I had the ESS AMT-1Bs with the full size Heils, that had an Omnidirectional mid to high Frequency Range soundstage that no other speaker has today. It's sound presence is airy and remarkable. I auditioned Planar Ribbons and they are no comparison!
Seems like an AMT and Planar combination could be interesting with an appropriate cross-over
I just realized Chris designed planar tweeters at BG Radia corp (ex Bohlender Graebener). The PS Audio loudspeakers use the same kind of planar tweeters BG were producing. They look exactly the same. Now, BG went under when the owner died but their supplying factory in the Philippines didn't. Problem is: that Philippines factory QC seems to be very poor. So my guess is that PS bought a bunch of those drivers and is doing proper QC in the US and discarding tons of them.
Great explanation!
I'm a ginormous fan of Planar technology and all the best speakers and headphones I've heard use it.
What speakers are you referring to? Wilson audio, magico, and the majority of high end speakers don’t use amt or planar.
@@Prometheus1979 there’s loads of companies that use them, obviously Magnepan, Clarisys, Apogee, Wharfdale, Quad, Neat… the list goes on.
@@Prometheus1979 He said the best. Not just most expensive. 🙂
@@glenncurry3041Thank you!
I love seeing updates and getting to learn something from Paul.
Can almost describe the AMT's as linear arrays as each pleat is acting as its own driver, but they are all attached to a common motor instead of separate motors. It might be interesting to build some "new" (custom) ones using a mylar substrate and aluminum oxide (or some other material) deposition onto the substrate to make them even lighter in structure and maybe a few design tweaks to the motor to keep the full coil in the guass field (having trouble finding diagram of how they are made so maybe thats not an issue, but very few speakers do this and its a typical weak spot).
So an AMT tweeter has more dynamics but has more top end distortion. A planar tweeter doesn’t have the same dynamics but a lot less distortion due to the lighter than air material. A dome tweeter is heavier than air so there is more distortion due to its inability to instantly stop.
"Planar ribbon" is just a confusing term. The way Paul uses it then every flat panel is a ribbon. Here is a workable definition of a _ribbon_ (when it comes to transducers): a laminar object that is *attached to a baffle on **_at most_** two sides_ and nothing else* . Additionally, for the purposes of audio reproduction, *a ribbon is much longer than it is wide, so that it acts more like a line source for a sound wave.* A _planar_ transducer, such as what Paul is holding appears to be like the large transducer on Magnepan (and Clarisys and electrostatic panels, etc.) Such planes do not act like a line source because of the dimensions of the laminar material. What Paul is holding seems much more like the Magnepan marketing term _quasi-ribbon_ , which itself is more about marketing than describing how the transducer actually makes sound.
Yes typically a ribbon's magnetic structure is along the edges and the ribbon is the conductor. While a planar has the magnetic structure as a parallel plane in front and/or back with the conductor attached to a flexible membrane and holes in the magnetic panels for the sound to pass through.
Still using my AMT-1As, love those speakers. As I've gotten older I'm sure I'm not noticing any roll-off at the high end.
I have a pair of ESS Rock Monitor II Limited Edition with 2 6" woofers and a small (half size?) Heil driver. I absolutely love them. Sadly ESS is only making parts and 1 speaker these days. The AMT 1D Revival.
The best tweeter i ever listened to is Audiovector AMT
I’ll be looking forward to the release of the FR5s…
What Chris? This is Bohlender Graebener Neo-3.
Still have my original ESS AMTs but they got relegated to my TV room when my music room got a pair of used Quad electrostatics about 20 years ago. Both sets of speakers still work although I expect the Quads to fail eventually. Tried to get them rebuilt about 4 years ago and was told they are now too old to repair. Maybe Paul will sell me just the top pair of planar tweeters to combine with existing speakers when the quads finally die.
And I’ll just say I love your book
Maybe sometime, as you talk about Arnie, talk about Bill Watson. Thank you for keeping this hobby alive.
what 99% true and 98 BS yeah
@@hoobsgroove
Yep. But it was a fun read 😊
AMTs have low distortion. Greetz from 🇨🇭
Great example & explanation Paul, thanks! So, with the fact that the material is so thin and it is vibrating to move all that air, is there a worry that the material will wear out and the tweeter will need to be replaced regularly?
Thanks for your explanation.
The law of physics says F = M * a
So less mass is better to get the right acceleration, but what if you can raise the force? Yes it is more difficult to create this force without creating heat, but how do you create the required stiffness for your driver without adding mass? (and still keep the longevity for this driver? The -problems- challenges of an engineer i guess.
If memory serves, which it does less each day,... the EMITs were relatively fragile as well? Tending to get fried likely from clipping the amp to drive them?
And yes Paul ,I like the ribbons better
I use dual 2 in mids to not let the ribbons out run the slower 4 to 6in mids and still outperform budget dome mids.
Which tweeter is best for "The Sheltering Sky" by King Crimson?
Great big horns about 35 - 50 feet away was always my favorite for Crimson.
I will take an Anthony Gallo CDT tweeter over AMT or Ribbon all day
Paul, Dr, Heil please.
Will FR5 have the exact same tweeter as FR30?
Yup!
My PS 5 died so I can no longer listen to my Apogee Stages.
Amp was the Adcom gfa 555....bi wired.
He owns the company and doesn’t know what material is used in the tweeter ? BS. I am not giving away the secrets of my company 😮💨
Probably a bit of both.
It’s not a secret, states on their website that its made of teonex. He mentioned Kapton which is what a lot of planar drivers use for its temperature tolerance, which is higher than teonex. Maybe Teonex has some damping qualities that is desirable or perhaps it’s just because it’s cheaper… or both. Check the IRS Epsilon white paper for some information on diaphragm material and challenges with damping, etc. Haven’t seen a better write up for that subject.