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9
electrostatIc advantages
How can sound be reproduced by something that
you are able to see through? Electrostatic energy
makes this possible. Where the world of traditional
loudspeaker technology deals with cones, domes,
diaphragms and ribbons that are moved with
magnetism, the world of electrostatic loudspeakers
deals with charged electrons attracting and
repelling each other.
To fully understand the electrostatic concept, some
background information will be helpful. Remember
when you learned in a science or physics class
that like charges repel each other and opposite
charges attract each other? Well, this principle is
the foundation of the electrostatic concept.
An electrostatic transducer consists of three
pieces: stators, the diaphragm and spacers. The
diaphragm is what actually moves to excite the
air and create music. The stator’s job is to remain
stationary, hence the word stator, and to provide
a reference point for the moving diaphragm.
The spacers provide the diaphragm with a fixed
distance in which to move between the stators.
As your amplifier sends music signals to an
electrostatic speaker, these signals are changed
into two high-voltage signals that are equal in
strength but opposite in polarity. These high
voltage signals are then applied to the stators.
The resulting electrostatic field, created by the
opposing high voltage on the stators, works
simultaneously with and against the diaphragm,
consequently moving it back and forth, producing
music. This technique is known as push-pull
operation and is a major contributor to the sonic
purity of the electrostatic concept due to its
exceptional linearity and low distortion.
Since the diaphragm of an electrostatic speaker
is uniformly driven over its entire area, it can be
extremely light and flexible. This allows it to be very
responsive to transients, thus perfectly tracing the
music signal. As a result, great delicacy, nuance and
clarity is possible. When you look at the problems
of traditional electromagnetic drivers, you can easily
see why this is so beneficial. The cones and domes
which are used in traditional electromagnetic drivers
Figure 5. Cut away view of an electrostatic
transducer. Notice the simplicity due to minimal
parts usage.
Figure 6. Cut away view of a typical moving
coil driver. Notice the complexity due to the high
number of parts.
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