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of music at realistic sound pressure levels while maintaining consistent dispersion. The
solution is the multiple driver array, with specific drivers dedicated to various portions
of the frequency range. Multiple drivers introduce their own set of problems. A challenge
typically ignored by speaker designers is preserving the precise time relationships of the
leading edge of the musical waveform.
The key to solving this problem lies in Wilson's innovative and patented Adjustable
Propagation Delay technology, which employs movable modules that allow the individual
adjustment of the drivers in the time domain. Using this technology, each driver's wave-
form propagation "matches up" with the other drivers in the system in such a way as to
create the sonic equivalent of a single point source. There are certain loudspeaker makers
other than Wilson that recognize the need to correctly align their drivers, but they do so
for only one theoretical listening position.
The fact is, misalignment of the drivers by fractions of an inch will audibly degrade
transient accuracy, soundstage height, depth, and width. Misalignment of the drivers will
also introduce tonal anomalies that destroy the otherwise convincing "presence" of an in-
strument or a singer's voice. Wilson's solution for propagation delay correction has long
set the standard for precise driver positioning in order to insure correct time-alignment for
a wide range of real room listening distances and ear heights.
The Mezzo cabinet is a further evolution of Wilson's philosophy that truly great
forms follow a corresponding function. It is a visual metaphor for the solution Wilson Au-
dio pioneered to address issues of phase coherence exacerbated by large speaker systems.
Typical of the creative process, the solution itself is an analogy to the field of optics and
the design of wide-angle lenses. The means of maintaining edge-to-edge sharpness at both
close and far focusing distances for a high quality wide-angle lens suggested a solution to
the similar problem of time domain accuracy for large speaker systems at both near and far
listening positions.
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