You should keep your sub and speakers in phase...place them all close together and then play with polarity - the strongest signal is usually in phase.
Absolute phase has proven to be audible with certain very specific test signals. Some claim to hear it with regular music but this is rare and difficult. At the end of the day the subwoofer cone should first move OUT with a kick drum and not inwards first (very hard to see). If you follow manufacturers recommendations then you should be OK. There is unfortunately a big risk that many recordings may not be recorded with the correct phase (if you assume nobody takes care then there is a 50/50 chance of mistakes). It is well known that many preamps invert.
Absolute phase has proven to be audible with certain very specific test signals. Some claim to hear it with regular music but this is rare and difficult. At the end of the day the subwoofer cone should first move OUT with a kick drum and not inwards first (very hard to see). If you follow manufacturers recommendations then you should be OK. There is unfortunately a big risk that many recordings may not be recorded with the correct phase (if you assume nobody takes care then there is a 50/50 chance of mistakes). It is well known that many preamps invert.