How to Set Speaker Delay for Time Alignment

How to Align Speaker Delay Times

Delay alignment ensures that sound from multiple loudspeakers arrives at the listening position in phase, preventing comb filtering and improving clarity. This process is essential for any system with delay fills, under-balcony speakers, or distributed zones.

Step 1: Measure Impulse Response

Open SonaVyx and switch to Transfer Function or IR mode. Play a log sweep through the main PA system while capturing with a measurement microphone at the delay speaker listening position. The impulse response will show the direct sound arrival from the main system.

Step 2: Find Propagation Delay

Identify the first arrival peak in the impulse response display. SonaVyx's delay finder automatically detects this peak and reports the propagation delay in milliseconds. For manual calculation, use the formula: delay (ms) = distance (m) / 343 (m/s) x 1000.

Step 3: Calculate Delay Setting

The delay speaker should be delayed so its sound arrives slightly after the main system (typically 5-15 ms additional delay for the Haas effect). Subtract the delay speaker's propagation time from the main system's propagation time, then add the desired offset. This ensures the listener perceives the sound as coming from the main PA while receiving reinforcement from the nearer speaker.

Step 4: Enter Delay in DSP and Verify

Enter the calculated delay value into your DSP processor or powered speaker's built-in delay. Re-measure the transfer function at the crossover zone between main and delay speakers. Check that the magnitude response shows constructive summation (a bump, not a notch) around the crossover frequency. The coherence should be high (above 0.8) across the speech band, confirming proper alignment.

Step 5: Fine-Tune

Adjust delay in 0.1 ms increments while watching the phase trace. The goal is maximum phase agreement between 500 Hz and 4 kHz, which corresponds to the speech intelligibility range.