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Can hardware change speaker phasing over time??

After years of great listening, I suddenly noticed I wasn't getting the sharp center image with vocals.  I spent hours moving the speakers and even did Room EQ on my Denon receiver (which normally would tell me if speakers are out of phase). The vocals sounded diffuse.  Finally, I switched the wires on one speaker.  BOOM!  Right back to crystal clear center imaging on vocals, on all of my favorite tracks.  I've checked all the wires.  Everything is hooked up right, though now red is hooked to black on one speaker.

Could something have changed the phasing in the hardware?  There is no other place in the set up the wires could have been reversed.  I have triple-checked that the ++++ cable is connected to the red output on the amp.  

Signal goes from Mac Mini by USB to Bryston DAC, by two single channel cables to Denon receiver, by two single channel cables to Parasound A21 Halo amp, by speaker wires (one wire marked ++++) to B&W CM10s.
stroud27612

Showing 2 responses by erik_squires

erik_squires
15,870 posts
 
Hey, what I think is going on more likely is you are training your own ear-brain mechanism.

It's like learning to read upside down.  For a while, you have to work at it, and then one day, bam, you can read upside down just fine, but you no longer can read normal directions of writing correctly. Same kind of thing has been tested with watching TV.

You are flipping the phase, your ear/brain mechanism is going "oh, look, something new!" and then one day your ear/brain gets used to it and that sensation is gone.
erik_squires
15,870 posts
 
More likely your connectors needed a good cleaning. :)
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