Van Den Hul make a Polarity Checker. A small pen shaped digital meter.
You can also check all your components and plugs for correct polarity with a simple test meter.
Instructions from the Chesky website:
By Michael Trei
One simple tweak that many people tend to ignore, is to be sure that each piece of gear is plugged into the power outlet using the proper polarity. The power supply transformer in every piece of gear will leak a little current to the component's chassis, and in most cases, you'll get better sound if this leakage is minimized by observing the proper A/C plug orientation.
A few decades ago, audio gear had simple two prong A/C plugs that could be inserted in the socket either way, but now all plugs are polarized so that they only go in one way. To get around this, we need to use a simple adapter called a cheater plug, available for a buck or so at any hardware store. The cheater has two narrow prongs that allow you to use it in the socket either way, and cheaters will also take a three prong plug with a ground pin, replacing the ground prong with a metal tab or wire that you can connect to the center screw on the outlet plate. If you want to reverse a three prong plug, you'll want the version that uses a wire so that you can still connect the ground with the plug in the reversed position.
While there are fancy polarity checkers that you can buy from companies like Van den Hul, the same tests can be done using a simple inexpensive digital voltmeter. First, disconnect all of the cables except the power cord from the component that you want to check, as any connection to other gear can throw off the results by providing multiple grounds. Then plug in the component using the normal orientation, but with the cheater plug in place. If the component uses a grounded cord, make sure to connect the green ground wire on the cheater plug to the outlet plate screw. Turn the component on, and set the voltmeter to A/C volts. I usually simply pinch one probe between the fingers of my left hand, then I hold the other probe in my right hand and touch the tip to a metal part of the component's casework such as a cover screw. Note the reading in volts. Turn off the component, reverse the plug in the wall outlet, turn the component on again and check the voltage once more at the same point on the case. If you got a lower reading this way, leave the component plugged in as it is, otherwise remove the cheater and plug it in normally.
If you repeat this test for each component, you should hear cleaner, more transparent high frequencies, and a lower overall noise floor. Total outlay? About five bucks. OK, $25 if you need to buy the multimeter, but still a bargain.
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You can also check all your components and plugs for correct polarity with a simple test meter.
Instructions from the Chesky website:
By Michael Trei
One simple tweak that many people tend to ignore, is to be sure that each piece of gear is plugged into the power outlet using the proper polarity. The power supply transformer in every piece of gear will leak a little current to the component's chassis, and in most cases, you'll get better sound if this leakage is minimized by observing the proper A/C plug orientation.
A few decades ago, audio gear had simple two prong A/C plugs that could be inserted in the socket either way, but now all plugs are polarized so that they only go in one way. To get around this, we need to use a simple adapter called a cheater plug, available for a buck or so at any hardware store. The cheater has two narrow prongs that allow you to use it in the socket either way, and cheaters will also take a three prong plug with a ground pin, replacing the ground prong with a metal tab or wire that you can connect to the center screw on the outlet plate. If you want to reverse a three prong plug, you'll want the version that uses a wire so that you can still connect the ground with the plug in the reversed position.
While there are fancy polarity checkers that you can buy from companies like Van den Hul, the same tests can be done using a simple inexpensive digital voltmeter. First, disconnect all of the cables except the power cord from the component that you want to check, as any connection to other gear can throw off the results by providing multiple grounds. Then plug in the component using the normal orientation, but with the cheater plug in place. If the component uses a grounded cord, make sure to connect the green ground wire on the cheater plug to the outlet plate screw. Turn the component on, and set the voltmeter to A/C volts. I usually simply pinch one probe between the fingers of my left hand, then I hold the other probe in my right hand and touch the tip to a metal part of the component's casework such as a cover screw. Note the reading in volts. Turn off the component, reverse the plug in the wall outlet, turn the component on again and check the voltage once more at the same point on the case. If you got a lower reading this way, leave the component plugged in as it is, otherwise remove the cheater and plug it in normally.
If you repeat this test for each component, you should hear cleaner, more transparent high frequencies, and a lower overall noise floor. Total outlay? About five bucks. OK, $25 if you need to buy the multimeter, but still a bargain.
.
.
.