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Answers to the questions we hear most — from product details and setup guidance to the technical philosophy behind why we build loudspeakers the way we do.

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What sets a Clarisys Audio ribbon apart from every other ribbon speaker?

True ribbon, not planar-magnetic. Bipole, not dipole. Dedicated transformers, first-order crossovers, N52 magnets, and a piano-string tensioning system no one else uses.

Why is the Clarisys ribbon a true ribbon — and not a planar-magnetic?

In a true ribbon the conductor IS the ribbon, spanning the full gap width at sub-ohm impedance. In a planar-magnetic a film carries a serpentine trace. The two are not the same transducer.

The piano-string tensioning system: why Clarisys ribbons are tensioned like instrument strings

Every Clarisys ribbon is clamped and tensioned at its ends like a piano string, with an adjustable system that sets its mechanical operating point. No other ribbon manufacturer does this.

What is a ribbon driver, and how does it differ from a cone or dome?

A ribbon is a planar transducer where the diaphragm itself is the conductor — driven uniformly across its entire surface by a magnetic field.

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What is a ribbon driver, and how does it differ from a cone or dome?

A ribbon is a planar transducer where the diaphragm itself is the conductor — driven uniformly across its entire surface by a magnetic field.

Why do ribbon drivers require a step-up transformer?

The ribbon itself is essentially a single turn of conductor with sub-ohm resistance. A transformer matches that to a normal amplifier load.

What sets a Clarisys Audio ribbon apart from every other ribbon speaker?

True ribbon, not planar-magnetic. Bipole, not dipole. Dedicated transformers, first-order crossovers, N52 magnets, and a piano-string tensioning system no one else uses.

Why is the Clarisys ribbon a true ribbon — and not a planar-magnetic?

In a true ribbon the conductor IS the ribbon, spanning the full gap width at sub-ohm impedance. In a planar-magnetic a film carries a serpentine trace. The two are not the same transducer.

The piano-string tensioning system: why Clarisys ribbons are tensioned like instrument strings

Every Clarisys ribbon is clamped and tensioned at its ends like a piano string, with an adjustable system that sets its mechanical operating point. No other ribbon manufacturer does this.

Why a dedicated transformer for each ribbon section?

Sharing one transformer couples the midrange and treble through the same magnetic core. Separate transformers isolate, damp, and optimise each band independently.

Why a bipole (back-to-back) ribbon configuration?

A second ribbon on the rear, driven in phase, energises the room uniformly and carries the same spectral and phase information as the direct sound.

Why ribbon bass instead of conventional cone woofers?

A cone is a piston driven at its centre; a ribbon bass panel is a large, light, uniformly driven surface with no cone flex, no surround, and no box resonance.

Why 6 dB/octave (first-order) crossover slopes?

First-order slopes are the only filter that preserves linear phase through the crossover region — but they demand drivers that behave well far outside their nominal band.

Why N52 neodymium magnets?

The force on a ribbon is F = B·I·L. Higher gap flux means higher efficiency, lower distortion, and a slimmer magnet structure.

Why Kapton-aluminium ribbon construction?

Aluminium is the conductor; Kapton gives the foil the dimensional stability to stay flat and corrugation-true over decades of vibration and heat.

Why is time alignment critical for ribbon systems?

With first-order crossovers the drivers overlap over a wide band, so any time error between sections sums as phase error — smearing transients and altering tonal balance.

Why an external crossover for some models?

Moving the inductors and capacitors out of the cabinet removes magnetic, mechanical, and thermal interaction with the ribbon — and makes the network serviceable.

How is the Clarisys ribbon actually manufactured?

From foil selection and Kapton bonding through corrugation, tensioning, and gap assembly — a hand-built process in Hanoi, with R&D and acoustic testing in Switzerland.

Why a single-sided magnet array is superior for bass ribbons

Push-pull magnet systems trap the back wave, create cavity back-pressure, and deform the ribbon. Here is why Clarisys keeps the bass open on both sides.

Why Clarisys uses pure copper foil internally — and crimps instead of soldering

Every internal connection in a Clarisys loudspeaker is pure copper foil, crimped with our own blocks — never soldered. Here is why that matters at sub-ohm ribbon impedances.

Why speaker cabling matters so much with ribbon drivers

A Clarisys ribbon presents 0.1–0.15 Ω. At that impedance the cable is part of the circuit, the transformer multiplies every variable, and the crossover values shift with it.