Lets recap on an important part of the OP. First there may be a component that inverts the phase (for this discussion, lets just use this term and not polarity) of the music. That is something that should be stated in the manufacturers spec sheet. That is NOT what is being discussed here. Secondly, it is possible to connect one or both speakers out of phase, either with the amplifier or each other, but not both. Think in terms of a car battery. Red to positive, black to negative. Same thinking goes with your amp and speakers, but in 'stereo'. So then, if just one of the speakers is wired out of phase in relationship with the other speaker (think red to black, and black to red at the connections on one end OR the other), this is what the OP was describing. It results in a loss of bass, and a wider than 'right' soundstage, where there are poor positions recognized for the musicians.
An encounter and lesson in speaker prices ...
Not to long ago, in a shop I like but will remain nameless I got to observe a customer evaluate a pair of systems side by side. The buyer had an eastern European accent. First they listened to the larger system, $50k speakers, equivalently priced amps and digital.
It sounded _really_ good. Then we moved to another system. Slightly smaller speaker pair, around $20k, completely different DAC and amp. Sounded like crap. The digititis was unbearable and the speakers were clearly out of phase. On top of that, the treble and bass balance were now all wrong.
The buyer was "I like them, what colors do they com in? " and that was that.
After the buyer left I looked behind at the amp. Yep, I was right, the pahse was reversed. The darkness of the room and angle made this an easy and common mistake to make. But the rest was unbearable.
What is my point? The people buying the top end gear are not necessarily the one’s with decent ears, so we really cannot trust price points to be any sort of guide to value. If you develop your taste on your own, independent of prices, you can score some fabulously performing gear at a fraction of what this buyer was going to end up with.
Best,
E
It sounded _really_ good. Then we moved to another system. Slightly smaller speaker pair, around $20k, completely different DAC and amp. Sounded like crap. The digititis was unbearable and the speakers were clearly out of phase. On top of that, the treble and bass balance were now all wrong.
The buyer was "I like them, what colors do they com in? " and that was that.
After the buyer left I looked behind at the amp. Yep, I was right, the pahse was reversed. The darkness of the room and angle made this an easy and common mistake to make. But the rest was unbearable.
What is my point? The people buying the top end gear are not necessarily the one’s with decent ears, so we really cannot trust price points to be any sort of guide to value. If you develop your taste on your own, independent of prices, you can score some fabulously performing gear at a fraction of what this buyer was going to end up with.
Best,
E