Why delay upper PA cabinets?

To time-align wavefronts at the audience plane so arrivals sum in phase instead of comb-filtering.

Line Array Delay Calculator

Per-cabinet delay for arc or straight delay taper.

Number of cabinets

Center-to-center spacing (m)

Pattern

Audience distance (m)

Temperature (-C)

How the line array delay calculator works

For a vertical stack of cabinets with known spacing, the tool computes path length to an audience point and delay per box in milliseconds so wavefronts align at the aim distance. Temperature adjusts sound speed.

Key terms

Time alignment - delaying upper cabinets so all arrivals sum in phase at the listener.
Arc vs straight reference - different zero-delay reference cabinets (closest vs bottom).
Propagation delay - ?t = ?path / c; entered in ms on DSP or consoles.

Frequently asked questions

Why delay upper PA cabinets? To time-align wavefronts at the audience plane so arrivals sum in phase instead of comb-filtering.