@larstusor
It means a lot of things, but in general it means making sure that each driver you are listening to blends seamlessly with others despite being located at different distances from the listener. It matters in multi-way speakers as well as in integrating a subwoofer with a main speaker. This really is "phase alignment" but in use it's often called "time aligned."
In flat baffle designs, each driver has a different acoustic distance from the listener. Phase alignment means you've taken that and the phase of the crossovers into account so that the frequency response has no dips/valleys where they meet. Here is an example from a speaker I designed, the LM-1. Look at the second and last chart for more information.
At it's most stringent, time alignment may mean having a perfect impulse or step response. Van DerSteen is famous for this type of design. Look at the step response in Stereophile's review of the Seven and compare it to the LM-1. Thiel is also a manufacturer that specialized in time-alignment.
Best,
Erik
It means a lot of things, but in general it means making sure that each driver you are listening to blends seamlessly with others despite being located at different distances from the listener. It matters in multi-way speakers as well as in integrating a subwoofer with a main speaker. This really is "phase alignment" but in use it's often called "time aligned."
In flat baffle designs, each driver has a different acoustic distance from the listener. Phase alignment means you've taken that and the phase of the crossovers into account so that the frequency response has no dips/valleys where they meet. Here is an example from a speaker I designed, the LM-1. Look at the second and last chart for more information.
At it's most stringent, time alignment may mean having a perfect impulse or step response. Van DerSteen is famous for this type of design. Look at the step response in Stereophile's review of the Seven and compare it to the LM-1. Thiel is also a manufacturer that specialized in time-alignment.
Best,
Erik