An array of paired bar magnets (200) provides a reinforced magnetic field (203) on a first side and a nearly canceled magnetic field (204) on a second side of each pair. The array may be a planar array (600) with a plurality of parallel, coplanar pairs (620). The array may provide air gaps between consecutive pairs, and within individual pairs, to provide improved transparency to sound. The array may be doubled (700), with the reinforced fields (713) of one half of the array opposing the reinforced fields (723) of the other half to produce a more intense field (730). In another configuration, the array may be doubled (800) with the nearly canceled fields of one pair facing the nearly canceled fields of the other, producing an array with reinforced fields (801-804) on four sides.