Can any of you change the group delay on any part of your loudspeaker system from the listening position? Can any of you change absolute phase from your listening position?
I can and these are my observations. I can not hear any difference at all changing absolute phase. Both directions sound absolutely the same. I should also add that my entire system is balanced. I have Three drivers on each channel. The main speakers are one way ESLs. Then there are the subwoofers, two on each channel. The critical timing is between the subwoofers and the ESLs. I can delay either. Once you get into 5 ms delay or more deterioration in bass impact and definition becomes obvious. What you hear depends on the crossover point and slopes. You can see the group delays with a measurement microphone. The only way you can adjust them is with digital signal processing or moving loudspeakers. This is a problem for subwoofers because they work besy only in certain locations, in corners and up against walls. Being able to put the speakers where they work best and deal with the delays digitally is a large advantage. There are many processors on the market that will do this and some are very reasonably priced.
