Russell K writes: “Timing as a term and as part of a performance is a case of you either get it or you don’t! Timing refers to how reproduced sound emanating from a Hi-Fi system reaches the brain through the ears. The brain is trying to take the sound the ears pick up and make sense of it to the point where the music takes centre stage – not the Hi Fi trying to reproduce it. What we hear and react to at a live music event only happens at home when audio’s holy trinity of dynamics, tonality and timing are all delivered.
For Russell K timing is a vital and deliberate design goal that is tuned in to the speaker as it goes through development. There are no measurements available that can show if the design is on track or not, so it is many hours of expert listening and retesting to get to the point where the speaker times well. If a speaker is designed primarily using measurements or the designer does not appreciate timing, then the final design is unlikely to perform well in this fundamental component of music.
The no cabinet damping concept certainly is a big help, as is connecting all drive units in positive phase. Many speaker designers will invert the tweeter or midrange drive unit phase in order to make textbook crossover designs where timing may not have been considered part of the design.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿?
The music should flow, and the brain is not distracted with extraneous thoughts. Attention is drawn to the music; concentration is effortless and foot tapping is instinctive.
When a speaker does not time the sound can be extraordinary but a magazine on the table could catch your attention and boredom can set in. Another trademark is playing music to hear how it sounds, e.g., bass, soundstage, detail, rather than the musical content.