2. analog
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phase correction for records?

I am probably asking this out of pure ignorance, but is it possible that some of my records were encoded in a different phase than others in my collections? I ask this because given the identical setup, some of my records have a very open sound stage while others seem very compressed. This variance occurs with records of the same production year and condition. I have compared the LPs to CD versions and found that certain LPs are far more open than their CD equivalents and vice-versa but have no other explanation.

My setup:

vpi Scout with TNT platter, Grado Sonata cartridge
Musical Fidelity X-LPS phono stage
Audio Aero Capitole 24/192 cd player
simaudio moon i3 integrated amp
mbl 121 speakers
mbl subwoofer
bybee power conditioner
various decent cables, only the tonearm cable being shielded

There's a lot I'd like to improve on in this setup and suggestions are welcome.
jennyjones

Showing 1 response by jennyjones

jennyjones OP
13 posts
 
Thanks to everyone for their comments. I performed the following experiment to see if I truly understood phase:

I found a record that I did not feel had any phase problems.

1. I switched the polarity of one of the speakers. The sound had a very unusual timing problem, as if one speaker were reaching my ear at a different time than the other.

2. I switched both speakers. I can't explain why, but suddenly the LP sounded like a CD. It was decidedly colder and transitions seemed choppy by comparison to having correct polarity.

The difference between switching only one speaker is far more pronounced than switching both.
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