Forgot to mention:
I've done A/B comparisons of the sound of segmented versus unsegmented panels using the very same panel operating in switch-selectable narrow and wide dispersion modes. This panel used welding rod conductors with a multi-pole rotary switch inserted to enable jump-over the segmentation resistors (for narrow mode) or leave them engaged (for wide mode).
The switch mode feature was fun but the novelty wore off fairly quickly because the switch was on the HV side so I had to power down to switch modes (to avoid frying the switch) and then re-EQ the panel because changing modes also changed the response curve.
Here's a link to that project: http://jazzman-esl-page.blogspot.com/2008/03/a-segmented-wire-stator-esl-with.html
Cool!
What was the conclusion on the A/B comparison?