Raz,
To put things in a context that everyone can hopefully appreciate, I'll make a few comments then shut up.
You say that, "I thought that physical time alignment happens when drivers physical location are aligned with each other..." or words to that effect.
This is, not correct. I was simply making the statement about time and phase correctness, assuming as I should not have, that the implication was such about Wilson versus Mr. Wolf's product.
Time alignment has traditionally been, an approximation, of drivers' juxtaposition based on the 'averaged' or suspected location of a listener.
Vague, yes, as I used the word, approximation. Let's say that THIEL's were aligned for a listener who was 8 feet away from the face of the speaker, and sitting at an ear height of 36 to 42 inches. Approximately...
What if, and this is truly the question, one could measure the exact distance to the listener from a predetermined and mathematically correct 'launch point', AND have the exact height of the listener's ears...then we could set the drivers voice coils so that their position assured that the arrival time of all drivers 'to the ear of the listener', could theoretically be perfect. ALL DRIVERS INFORMATION COULD/WOULD arrive at the listener's ear at precisely the same time. Think Soundlabs (no, I don't work for Dr. West) panel pulsing all the 'in phase' information arriving in the same time domain, since it's essentially one driver releasing a unit body of frequencies at the same time.
So we have, theoretical perfection, 1) In phase 2) Unitary arrival.
The 4/5 way speaker with voice coils mounted at varying distances almost preclude this event happening this way, unless the manufacturer has, as Wilson has, made the drivers adjustable in terms of their 'launch point'.
Years ago, I sold speakers that were alignable (new word), in that, using one 'launch point' determined mathematically, from the front of the bass module...then all other drivers, (there were 5 in all) were lined up to within 1/16th of an inch, based on the distance and height of the listener's ears.
Given the time, technology of that day, this was the 'best sound' I had ever heard within the 'arrival time' context.
Let me be specific about the dramatic side of this.
At a show in Chicago...I went into a room in which this exact speaker was set up--I was asked by the manufacturer to assess their 'set up', which my own technician had worked on...after listening for about 10 minutes, I said, there's a problem with the left midrange. Of course, looking like a racing team pit crew three guys came forth and checked the left speaker. And, and I swear to all that is Holy, they measured and found that the midrange driver had been accidentally placed 1/16 of an inch too far away. You can chose to believe or not believe this last statement but its TRUE.
I'm not sure I still have those ears at my age, but the point here is not me, but the veracity of TIME ALIGNMENT...when it's right, it's magic...when you once hear it that way, you'll not soon forget it.
There was something truly magic, when the 'launch' was mathematically, provably perfect in terms of arrival, using distance and height of the listener.
Without knowing, as I haven't researched Wilson's site, I would have to think that they too would provide settings based on distance and listener height--without which no alignment, as I can imagine it being calculated, could exist with accuracy.
I hope this lengthy message reaches someone...I did not want to become embroiled in a debate like this, but my experience and love of audio trumped common sense, as it is want to do on this site.
Love all audiophiles!
