Kenny Burrell's album Midnight Blue

for me i have a few recordings where i KNOW where the performers are. for me it’s Ben Webster ’Georgia’ Live at the Renaissance, Ben is prominent hard left.

i put that on, there is Ben, and i KNOW the channel set-up is right.

Any number of test CDs or albums have left/right channel identification.  It's nice to be consistent, but it's only really important for certain types of classical performances, IMO.

Jennifer Warnes song "Shot Through the Heart". During the last chorus she sings "shot from the left, shot from the right" out of their respective channels. A nice musical way to check.

@OP - your connections were correct before the change. The guitar should be on the left.

There is no absolutely foolproof way just from recordings to know whether the channels are connected correctly - except to use a channel identification test disc.

However, in the majority of rock and pop recordings, hi hats will be panned right of centre as you face the system. That is the perspective you would have if you were looking at a right handed drummer at a live gig. Exceptions to that presentation are pretty rare.

Great album, Midnight Blue btw.

so, having not heard this, I went on qobuz...will listen...but Chitlins Con Carne - My Wife and I just discovered this little diddy, first from Stevie Ray Vaughan, then from various other artists. This song seems to be some kind of rights of passage that artists have to create their own way of playing. Nice...listening now.

also, listening to it, guitar is on the right with my system here at the office.

Jim, listening as I write to Midnight Blue and loving it. Always looking for new music. Greg in MD

@pfeiffer 

You have good taste. I have many Kenny Burrell recordings. In my system,   "Midnight Blue" Burrell is on the left and Stanley Turrentine (Tenor saxophone) is on the right.

Charles

Check your owners manual for both your " new " preamp and your amp ,

one of them seems to be inverting the output .

I discovered that I had inverted my output when connecting the RCA cables blindly having to reach behind the amp .  I didn't notice until I listened to a classical symphony album where one knows that the violins are on the left and the cellos are on the right . 

Listening on cd, blue note edition  7 463992, guitar is on the left, sax on the right, when facing the speakers

If you like Midnight Blue you might like "Idle moments" by Grant Green.