Preamp inverts signal.


My tube preamp inverts the signal and the manufacturer suggests to reverse the speaker leads at the speakers to correct. My CD player has a polarity switch, will activating this switch take care of this signal inversion, avoiding having to reverse speaker leads?
phd

Showing 1 response by onhwy61

Not every listener is sensitive to absolute polarity.  And even if a listener prefers one polarity over the other it doesn't mean the preferred setting is the "correct" polarity.

In a typical recording session the engineers pay attention to phase issues, but not to absolute polarity.  In fact, nearly every mic preamp and mixing console has a polarity switch for each input channel.  These switches are freely used which can result in a multitrack recording where the drums have one polarity and the piano another.

In a purist, true stereo recording absolute polarity takes on more importance, but for most modern recordings I don't think it's a major factor.  Someone may have a definite preference for how they have set up their system, but I think Almarg's comments about circuitry is probably a better explanation for one's preference.