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Time / Phase Aligning My Speakers / Subs with REW



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Up front: I'm not anything like an expert on this and this is just me showing how I used the alignment tool feature in REW along with an interesting way to set the timing reference for an all digital system like I have. If you can see problems with what I did (other than the one where I forgot to move the cursor back to 300Hz to do the phase alignment) then please feel free to say so in the comments.

Time alignment has never been a priority for me, since the speakers I've made in the past have always been "close enough" physically for it not to be a concern. And phase alignment with a subwoofer always shows in the frequency response, so I've taken care of that there.

With that said I thought I'd try to "nail" the timing and compare that to the setup that was just tuned by the frequency response without any delays added. The beauty of the DSP is that I can set different configurations and quickly switch back and forth to listen and decide if there is a difference.
Another disclaimer: my hearing is well past it's best before date and while I do wear hearing aids that help fill in what's been lost, I don't have golden ears.
In all cases I heard a difference, but can't say with certainty that the difference I heard was due to timing or small differences in the frequency response. And I can't say that one sounded best, or even better than the others. They sounded different - that's all. And within a few hours of listening to a new configuration, my ears (or more precisely my brain) got used to the sound.
I'll add that everything I tried sounded great. The differences were subtle and in all instances I aimed for the most even frequency response I could get.

As I pointed out above, I made a mistake while filming this. I failed to move the cursor back to the 300Hz crossover point before hitting the "align phase at cursor" button. But even then the final results STILL sounded great!
I later redid the whole thing again just for peace of mind sake. And it's my opinion (you may disagree) that doing these little tweaks are valuable for just that: peace of mind. I don't think time alignment on a single baffle is make or break thing. I think phase alignment is important, but like I said above, any major phase problems will show up in the measured frequency response.

I'll say it again: I'm not an expert or pretending to be one. I know quite a lot about designing and building loudspeakers, but I'm also aware of how much I DON'T know. Admitting I don't know it all shouldn't be taken as proof that you know more than me. You may, and the best way to show that is to be politely helpful. If you have tips and advice, think about how YOU would like to be told them.
Also realize that I'm first and foremost a practical man. I recognize factors that are genuinely important and pay a lot less attention to ones that are of marginal value. Time alignment is one of those marginal factors. We do it because we can and for peace of mind, but shouldn't expect miracles as a result.
Perfection only exists in the minds of those who have never tried to produce it.



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