Line Array Speaker vs Point Source Speaker

To me a point source if well executed should sound more coherent with much more focus. I have no idea why anyone (except Al Porter) would go down this road. Instead of ten tweeters why not use just one?

Let me know if you disagree and tell me what speaker you love and I will take a listen at the next RMAF.

To me a point source if well executed should sound more coherent with much more focus. I have no idea why anyone (except Al Porter) would go down this road. Instead of ten tweeters why not use just one?

Actually Dali Megaline have only one tweeter per channel, it just happens to be 7 feet tall, so yes it's a line source :^).

I like them a lot but also like point source speakers with Dynaudio, Kharma and Avalon immediately coming to mind.

Each design has advantages and there's probably white papers on the web explaining why each is superior to the other.

The obvious answer, there's no substitute for listening to every speaker that interest you and then considering room size and budget try to pick a winner.

Line arrays have dynamics across the band. A dozen bass/mid drivers that go down to 40Hz each still only go down to 40Hz but they can do it really well. Might seem silly to add subs to such large speakers but haven't seen an Incredarray in a while.

Impedance can be tailored with some brands.

They say that distortion is lower because the load is spread but that, like most things audio, means less than the perception.

Coming from an Infinity/Genesis background, like yourself Mitch4t, line arrays are naturally attractive. You might want to set them up lengthwise in your room to sit far enough back.

http://audioroundtable.com/misc/nflawp.pdf

Line array loses less SPL with distance point source should image a bit better but this all depends on total design. Line arrays are large, point source designs usually not so large.