Magnepan 3.7


Looks nice, link below.

“the 3.7 is a 3-way, full-range ribbon speaker with a very ‘fast’ quasi-ribbon midrange and true ribbon tweeter.”

"The 3.7 is available in new aluminum trim or our traditional wood trims of oak and cherry. Fabric options are off-white, black and dark gray. Suggested list pricing starts at $5495/pair for aluminum or oak versions, or $5895/pair for the dark cherry versions."

Magnepan 3.7
james63
Josh358 wrote :
Unsound, a quasi ribbon is a ribbon that is attached to a mylar backing. A true ribbon is just the foil, without a backing.

Hello Josh,

The magnetic assembly is what determines if it is a true ribbon or not , not the type of diaphram, FWIW all foil diaphragms will have some sort of mylar backing, it reduces ringing.
Do Ribbons use 'foil'? I would expect the driver portion to be thicker than foil. Maybe .050" or so. No?
Isn't the driver portion of a ribbon under some tension? (pull)

The difference between QR and 'regular' panels is that the QR uses foil. The weight / area is about the same as the wire, but being flat is sticks to the mylar way better.
I, too, think that 'QR' is slightly misleading.

Wesixas, when you say 'all foil diaphragms will have some sort of mylar backing' are you referring to Magnepan style ribbon drivers? They have mylar and a conductor laminated together? Then stretched or at least put under tension?

Is the ringing you refer to out of band hi or lo? Or perhaps just poor damping? The mylar would than make sense.
Magfan, there are three types of drivers Magnapan employ in their speakers. First is the true ribbon tweeter. This has a thin aluminum foil that is suspended on its ends (top and bottom). The magnets flank the tweeter foil so there is nothing to get in the way of the sound front and back of the tweeter foil. Note there is no mylar in tweeter, just aluminum alloy.

The quasi ribbon driver is not a true ribbon driver as defined above. This driver has flat ribbons of aluminum that has been bonded to mylar by glue, and the driver is attached and tension on all four sides, not just the top and bottom as in the true ribbon tweeter. Also, the magnet array is located either on the front or back (or both) of the driver, not on the sides like the true ribbon tweeter. The sound comes out of slots between the magnet array. So the magnet array does get in the way of the sound to some extent. It is still a planar magnetic driver and can be used for tweeter, midrange, and bass applications. The quasi ribbon should be less prone to delamination and is essentially the same as the driver used in Eminent Technology speakers.

The traditional round wire bonded to mylar planar magnetic driver is their oldest technology driver, and has been known to delaminate. It too has magnet array either in front or back (or both) of the driver. It has been used for tweeter, midrange, and bass application as well. But the wire is heavier than the ribbon foil used in the quasi ribbon drivers. Whether wire driver sound better than the quasi ribbon driver is still up to debate if you search the forums. Some feel the wire driver is better for bass application.
Gmorris,

That's interesting and a bit surprising! I think everyone was expecting the 3.7's to use foil in the woofer.
"That's interesting and a bit surprising! I think everyone was expecting the 3.7's to use foil in the woofer."

Yes it is, I thought they would be a full foil/"ribbon" design. I would still like to see an official overview. Magnepan's comments don't really talk about the bass at all just the mid and tweeter.