Definitely a "quarantined for too long" question.
Speaker popularity
Speaker *Polarity* (sorry autocorrect)
>:(
This is sort of a poll question for anyone to chime in. In general, I believe people on this forum have a good ear for finer details.
Can you tell the difference if the polarity of *both* speakers are reversed?
I remember a thread from way back where someone shared an experience of a vendor at an audio convention that deliberately reversed the speaker input connection?
...Yes, no, depends(please clarify).
If yes, how would you describe the difference.
Thanks in advance:-)
>:(
This is sort of a poll question for anyone to chime in. In general, I believe people on this forum have a good ear for finer details.
Can you tell the difference if the polarity of *both* speakers are reversed?
I remember a thread from way back where someone shared an experience of a vendor at an audio convention that deliberately reversed the speaker input connection?
...Yes, no, depends(please clarify).
If yes, how would you describe the difference.
Thanks in advance:-)
14 responses Add your response
The absolute phase of recordings is not consistent. Most are in "normal" polarity but quite a few are in reverse polarity, perhaps because one of the preamps or processors in the studio inverted phase. Some preamps have a polarity reversal switch (mine does) so that you don’t have to switch the speaker wires to listen for which way sounds correct. Duke |
It's all good, I know about a few of the recording tricks too. Hope we don't have to start listening to records backwards again, "Paul is Dead" LOL It's something I prefer, wiring in phase. I use planars/ribbons 300 hz > Round speakers 300 hz <, in a 4 way... and/with subs. My older Macs have, L,R, reverse, ect. I've seen a lot of speakers wired out of phase when I was looking, I quit about 25 years ago. I knew something sounded weak, bad, or both. Normally mids were washed out by doing that.. Same time of super hot tweeter. Actually need tone control in cables to fix it. Yea, old school here. BUT I do use a processor for 300 hz <.. Easy peasy for phase correction, timing, delay, and thresholds, if needed. Servo bass same way, in phase, but it has a processor, and a step baffle, no phase issues. Regards |
Some phono amps and the phono stage of some pre-amps invert the polarity of the signal from the pickup they are fed, others don’t. Some recordings contain music whose absolute polarity has been reversed in the recording process, others don’t. Some recordings contain music recorded such that one or more channels in a multi-track recording are in polarity opposite that of the other channels in the multi-track recording. It’s a real mess. Also a mess are many loudspeakers, even very expensive ones. The three drivers in many 3-way speakers are wired in polarity opposite one or more of the other others(s). The Quad ESL inverts the signal, but the speaker as a whole is in polarity with itself. Since the polarity of some amplifying stages and many recordings is so random, what difference does it make? Sheffield direct-to-disc LP's are known to be in varying states of polarity. The Dynaco Quadaptor of the 1970’s created a rear-channel signal that were merely a left-minus-right inversion of the front channels (the opposite of a left-plus-right mono signal), to reproduce the out-of-phase content found in some stereo recordings, particularly live recordings made in large venues. |
I remember a thread from way back where someone shared an experience of a vendor at an audio convention that deliberately reversed the speaker input connection? More than likely one of the components in the amplification chain inverted phase, therefore, the vendor was merely attempting to re-establish correct phase. As previously noted, there is not a recording standard for phase, therefore, source material is all over the map with respect to phase. You have a 50/50 chance of getting it correct. |
Is there a difference between phase and polarity? I wonder how prevelant source material , recordings and players, have this, today or in the " old days" ? For those who have a switch, is the A-B difference then obvious and which do you all prefer. I'm wondering if this will be a 50-50 response. What are the characteristics of the sound when emitted sound has reversed polarity: loss of detail, loss of note leading edge, speaker driver wear, due to the cone flexing inward at the start? Thanks for everyone's input. |
Phase or polarity? While I can't answer in a technical sense, to me the word polarity seems to be right. I gather that the original question is about "absolute" polarity (both channels inverted at the same time) rather than about the polarity of individual drivers. I happen to be very sensitive to both absolute polarity and also to just one speaker being inverted compared to the other one. I have found that not all listeners are real sensitive to this issue. My take on it is that inverted absolute polarity results in the whole sound stage being pushed back and it is compressed into a shallower space. The images are flatter.The overall sound is duller. Yes, the leading edge and overall articulation are reduced. The sound just loses life. To my ear, polarity inversion of just one speaker gives a "spacey" ethereal character with a less controlled position of each voice or instrument. |
Surprised no one’s mentioned, "The Wood Effect", which is the term used to define what you’ve described. This article offers some details (about half way down the page): https://www.stereophile.com/content/absolute-issues-page-2 More, here (but, read the responses, as well): https://www.stereophile.com/content/absolute-phase-fact-or-fallacy This Chesky demo CD, contains test tracks that should help you determine if it’s audible, to you, on your system: https://www.amazon.com/Chesky-Records-Sampler-Audiophile-Compact/dp/B000003GF3 Track 8 of this CD, starts out in correct phase and is then reversed, at an unspecified point, to test your hearing’s susceptibility to the, "Effect": https://www.amazon.com/Stereophile-Test-CD-1/dp/B0000049XN |
