“Delayed Sound” Defines Sound Quality and Soundstage
“Delayed Sound” Defines Sound Quality and Soundstage
Speaker systems using VCD speakers are characterized by their exceptionally fast transient response.
This rapid response makes it possible to detect even very subtle changes in the reproduced sound.
As a result, such a speaker system not only achieves high-quality sound reproduction but also functions much like a highly sensitive instrument for detecting changes in sound quality.
Taking advantage of this characteristic, we have investigated various system configurations by carefully examining differences in sound quality while modifying circuit designs, mechanical structures, and surrounding conditions. Through this iterative process, we have sought system configurations that preserve the inherent performance of VCD-structure speaker units as much as possible.
This page presents the insights obtained through these verification processes.
Delayed Sound that Influences Sound Quality and Soundstage
As a result, it became clear that one of the key factors influencing sound and soundstage reproduction is sound that arrives with delay (delayed sound).
The key to accurate sound and soundstage reproduction is reducing delayed sound.
Therefore, reducing such delayed sound as much as possible is essential.
To achieve this, the speaker system must be configured so that its time and phase response are disturbed as little as possible.
This perspective not only suggests areas for improvement in conventional speaker systems currently in use, but also represents one of the defining characteristics of VCD speakers.
In other words, the concepts presented on this page can be regarded both as conditions for bringing out the full performance of VCD speakers and as fundamental guidelines for considering sound quality and soundstage reproduction in speaker systems as a whole.
In this system, a channel divider (active crossover) configuration is adopted instead of a conventional LC network.
The influence of LC networks on damping characteristics and phase characteristics was examined not only from the conventional perspective of amplifier-side parameters, but also from the circuit conditions seen from the speaker side, where the damping force is actually generated. The analysis shows that, to a greater extent than expected, the damping current changes not only in amplitude but also in phase. As a result, the settling behavior of vibration and the transient response are degraded.
When a large baffle or reflective surface exists around the sound source, the following propagation path is generated:
Speaker → Baffle surface → Baffle edge → Diffraction → Re-radiation
This delayed sound appears as an early reflection in the Impulse / ETC response and reduces the transparency and clarity of the soundstage.
The front structure of a loudspeaker not only radiates sound but also becomes a source of reflections. Therefore, minimizing the frontal surface area is important for achieving natural soundstage reproduction.
The extent of this effect is examined.