Always something new to learn, even if it's your profession.

Thank you! I look forward to doing more.

What's a punter?

@@QoraxAudio That word actually has many meanings, including usage in British slang, which is where I know it from. It can mean one who punts a boat, one who bets against a bookkeeper or gambles, one who is a prostitute, or who watches pornography regularly, one who is the customer of a business, and one who marks points in the game of Basset. The usage I intended as the context I had heard it used (and which may or may not be entirely correct), is that of the 'arm-chair know-it-all', also sometimes referred to as "the peanut gallery" (which, in turn, has its own origin and meaning, coming from the vaudeville era): People who hold forth on a topic or subject they know little about as if they were the World's foremost authority, often relentlessly heckling the actual authority on the subject. To be clear, I meant it in a half-joking, light-hearted way. There are actually some very knowledgeable people who frequent here. : ) And that, my dear sir, is your etymology and vocabulary lesson for today. 😆

Good start out of the gate. The difficulty I see in presenting this topic are the problems with trying to present highly technical information to a mostly non-technical audience. At least one assumes that. Speakers push air around. How well they do that, by following the original signal with the same intensity (volume) as well as accuracy is the rub. Frequency dividers, crossovers are inherently problematic. They introduce delays in the signals, and especially so with each other. As an example (wish I had a white board or overhead), the signal path to the bass speaker (woofer), generally has a large coil of wire tightly wound. Its through an increased magnetic field when a signal applied, and collapsing magnetic when the signal is reduced, creates sn opposition to rapidly changing signals. It therefore makes a good electrical device to block ever higher frequencies. It may very well pass 100 changes per second (Hertz or older reference CPS), but increases resistance to change, say at perhaps 2000 Hz. The two way design employs a high frequency speaker. By way of it's physical design, it's tinier and generally rigid radiating surface, responds well to more rapid signal changes. Since it can't physically handle lower frequencies, another electrical component is used to block or attenuate lower frequencies, while passing higher frequencies, all the way up to our hearing limits. At my age those limits come sooner. I'm no longer able to hear 18,000 to 20,000 Hz. Still like most people who have been listening through decent equipment for decades, can usually tell a nice sounding tweeter from one that can't keep up. This most basic description of connection to a simple crossover, is only adequate to illustrate another problem with time alignment. This is referred to as a 1st order crossover. More complicated crossovers, which use additional inductors to pass low signals, and capacitors to pass high signals in a combination, create further intrusions into the phase alignment of a reproduction of sound. The electrical & magnetic properties of an inductor cause the changing voltage to lead current flow. [Quick overview: voltage is the applied pressure in the completed circuit, whereas current is the actual flow of the electrical energy.] Capacitors on the other hand, allow the current to pass before the voltage catches up. Again an over simplification. When the woofer receives a changing signal, it's movement will be slightly delayed by the arrival of current. The tweeter on the other hand receives the current ahead of the voltage. If you're following up to this point, you can at least tell, the diaphragm of each speaker will move at slightly different rates because of the necessary frequency dividing electrical components of capacitors and inductors. So no matter tge actual physical distance to your ears, the electrical signals will be controlling how soon each speaker begins and ends movement. Now that I said all that, in order to make sense of it all, it will be drawing time. Thank you for your patience if you read all that.

@Fat Rat ...uh, huh. Should I call you Captain Coffee, then? 😆

Preach brother

Hi contradicts himself several times..time alignment, is difficult to get right, but when employed properly, there’s no going back to non time-aligned monitors

@@KCNYC I own time and phase aligned speakers with first order cross over (Lumen White Lumyere) and to me it's one of the things that make otherwise great speakers sound very authentic and natural (granted, this is a difficult task and comes with its challenges since the drivers are taxed more, drivers need to be aligned perfectly etc). There are many aspects to a great sounding speaker but speaker brands which heavily focus on getting psycho accoustics right and see it as a fundamental part of their design (to which time and phase alignment belongs as one part of the whole equation) just seem to sound very natural compared to brands which leave that more aside. Good examples would be Lumen White, Kaiser Accoustics and Marten speakers. Whether you personally like them or not, they definitely belong to very natural sounding ones and it has to do with giving psycho accoustics a high priority in speaker design, e.g. resonance patterns, acoustically more neutral sounding drivers etc

You always reverse the polarity of a second order crossover.

@@DumbSkippy It's not always beneficial. Nothing about speaker building is guaranteed in my experience. But hey, whatever works for ya

My read: every speaker design is a compromise. Some focus more on one thing, others on another thing. Essentially, that's what you said.

Why do you think I let Chris do it? He's much more informed than me.

It’s probably difficult when talking nonsense. Done correctly with proper crossovers, the results are amazing!

The DQ-10's great speakers specially if you consider their age. The DQ 10 and the Time Windows used to be among the best.

Fat Rat Pretty much everything he says I agree with. Most simple designs don’t require a whole lot of time alignment built into the crossover but even with some simple 2 ways it can be an important part to the final tweak of the speaker. Always exceptions.

Fat Rat Indeed. Many of the designer type love to chat at shows and the like. I’ve chatted with Andrew Jones before, such a nice guy. Sandy Gross I got to talk to at Cedia last year. He sold Golden Ear tho just lately.

Fat Rat You would of of really enjoyed it. They are all passionate guys like you and me. Real cool

Funny you should bring up Dr Toole, I was wondering what Harman's research found on this topic. Time to Crack the book

I have switched between minimum phase and linear phase crossovers digitally, and there certainly is a massive difference that I heard anyway. Linear sounded so much natural, but I do think you need the speaker itself to be perfectly time aligned first!

I had modified DQ10s - great speakers except for the woofers.

Are you talking about the speakers in the room? Those are the Buchardt S400 from Denmark and are designed to have the tweeter below the woofer.

@@BradMaestas I didn't mean that. I meant about inverted dome in Focal's tweeter.

@Fat Rat your analysis slways amaze me. But inteligent people understood what my question is about. There are probably others manufacturers but I gave an example, not a claim. If the driver is like an eye and midrange is looking backward and the tweeter us looking forward there is difference in the starting point of their exhibitions. So that have to be compasated somehow. So I wonder why there is no geometrical aligment between the drivers that, I think, would contribute to this matter. But since I'm a lay person there IS probably a reason for that and I just want to know a reason. Focal is just an example, not a claim of superiority. So, Rat, glad to see that you ok, probably virus realized that you are to tough to deal with...

@Fat Rat you have answered. So follow the line.

@Fat Rat you are not funny at all. Just sick and obsessed person with the extra amound of time. The best thing for you to do is to visit a doctor or talk to the mirror since you are always find the way to change the topic to irrelevant and personal level and haressment. To conclude - Fat Rat you are nothing but a troll so I recommend you to visit a doctor.

I know of them but have never had a chance to hear them. I believe that use a passive delay network on the tweeter, which isn’t something I’ve seen used much at all.

Well worth investigating the TW. 1a. They have some very special qualities ( and flaws) but for reach out and touch imaging quite remarkable. I would grab a pair and see what makes them tick.

Well worth investigating the TW. 1a. They have some very special qualities ( and flaws) but for reach out and touch imaging quite remarkable. I would grab a pair and see what makes them tick.