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Time-aligned speakers- who builds them?

thedelihaus

thedelihaus

Nocturnal transmissions
I find I'm drawn to speakers that use first-order crossovers and time aligned driver configuration, by default.

I am aware of Dahlquist using a time aligned driver configuration.

Also Thiel.

And vandersteen.

But who else subscribes to the time-aligned design approach?
 
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I've always liked the concept, but it also seemed like it was tough to not cause more baffle diffraction issues.

Handling it by electronic means in an active crossover or Speaker Management System is the route I've taken.
 
The first two I remember seeing in the late 1970's were the Dahlquist DQ-10 and the B&W DM-6 (ie the pregnant kangaroo). I owned a pair of the B&W's for awhile but they just couldn't play loud enough for me back then, so I sold them and bought my Rogersound Labs 6600-H's. Nowadays those DM-6's would play plenty loud enough for me....
 
dshoaf said:
My favorite speaker from back when Time Aligned was the industry buzz word: UREI 813
Click to expand...

There's a few pretty nice coax speakers these days... I thought about doing something with some BMS coaxes -with the BMS compression drivers on the back of them it could be pretty sweet.
 
Kef 105 was an early time aligned speaker. I think Heathkit even produced one model, but I can't remember the number. Leak also produced a few time aligned models in the 70's and 80's. JBL 220 and 222 were time aligned but it was hard to tell because they did it with a recessed midrange and a deep ring tweeter.
 
The main problem with all of the speakers mentioned (with the possible exception of the UREI) is that they are time coherent (at best) at only a single point in space if more than 2-way. They might be coherent along a curved plane if 2-way, but the chance of getting both ears and speakers at exactly the right places at the same instant is close to nil.

I think the best practical shot at time coherence is by using narrow full range line sources like the Beveridge or approximate point sources like the Quad 63.
 
The Sony SS-m series (SS-m7, 3 and 9) are time aligned. The 7s are aligned for a distance of 10 feet for the best results. I'm a fan of the same type of speakers. These sound a lot like my Dahquist DQ-30s (also time aligned, and my co-favorite speakers). It works on the Sony's especially well, they are some of the most coherent speakers I've ever heard.
 
Harmonic Precision spent a lot of time getting this right. I have a pair of their TOTL Echelons, and they can still impress with how TOGETHER they sound.

I still find the coherence of Tannoy dual concentrics really appealing, despite trying very different things lately...
 
Ed Long trade marked Time Aligned in the 70's.
He was working on Altec 604/605s and UREIs.
Bag End holds the trade mark now.

Ed's designs delayed the XO woofer signal to align with the HF horn by using high order ( 4 - 8 ) low pass filters.

Don
 
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