For countless years, the audiophile community has seen a lively discussion between those vying for dome tweeters, and those vying for ribbon tweeters. We definitely recognize the unequal virtues of ribbon tweeters as being almost immaterial in terms of weight, and we also recognize the virtues of dome tweeters when it comes to dispersion and power handling. So we thought the best would really be to have both at the same time! This is how we imagined a pure ribbon transducer: a ribbon diaphragm that would roughly exhibit the same area as a dome tweeter and thus present a similar type of dispersion, but with the extraordinary advantages of being a pure ribbon.

Pure Ribbon Advantages
A diaphragm that is all energized and supported by the magnetic field, while in a dome tweeter it is only at the periphery that the emitting diaphragm is energized and supported

A total moving mass that is 60 times lighter than what it is in a dome tweeter of the same emitting area.

The Net and Very Audible Results are There
A dispersion matching that of a 25 mm dome tweeter

A total distortion matching that of very fine high end amplifiers, translating into a phenomenally natural rendering of music, any music.


Features

Ribbon
Ribbon surface area is equal to a 25 mm dome and the mass is 1/60 th of a typical 25 mm dome tweeter.  The benefit is extreme control for lowest possible distortion.  The ribbon is 99.2% pure aluminum for maximum fatigue life, highest efficiency and corrosion resistance. 5 microns thin, the aluminum is the thinnest / lightest that can be manufactured by precision Swiss rolling equipment.

Face Opening
The Raven Point Source face opening is 30 mm x 30 mm so it has a radiation pattern similar to a 28 mm dome tweeter for correct acoustic integration with round woofer cones. The emissive ribbon area is 15mm wide by 30mm long + 14mm long suspension on each end to eliminate fatigue failure.  The long suspension minimizes bending stress for long life and greatly reduces noise and distortion. Because only the center of the ribbon is used it moves as a flat plane without flex which causes distortion in other ribbon designs.

Face Plate
The face plate is 14.5 mm thick cast aluminum with a 150 degree constant directivity wave guide that greatly reduces cabinet edge diffraction and room wall reflections.  The ribbon is 22mm behind the cabinet face for excellent time alignment with a woofer. The top and bottom caps are 19 mm thick aluminum. It is assembled with thick rubber gaskets to damp vibration – it is about as dead as a solid block of granite.

Rear Chamber
The internal rear chamber is 76mm D x 63mm W to absorb the rear wave without reflections and for an ultra low 250Hz resonance frequency. The chamber is aperiodic damped with 21mm thick real wool felt. The water fall decay & impulse response are excellent!

Transformer
The transformer is internal with shortest possible leads to minimize inductance and resistive loss.  The transformer core is the best available for low loss, low leakage and low distortion.

Magnet Tips
The neodymium magnet tips are shaped to focus a symmetrical shaped and maximum strength magnetic field on the ribbon to minimize distortion.  The magnet tip is saturated at 1.2 Tesla for best efficiency.


Specifications