2. amps-preamps
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Impact of phase inversion by preamp

This will be my first post on this forum so I thought I’d pose a question I’ve always wondered about.  I have a Conrad Johnson Premier 18LS preamp that I’ve been extremely happy with since first acquiring it some years ago.  This is a solid state single ended, single stage design that inverts the phase of the input signal at the output.  The manual states that you should reverse the connections to the speakers to account for this.  Obviously this is easily done but I really can’t see how it would really matter as long as things are connected consistently between the left and right channels.  I’d be interested to hear what others have to say on this subject.
ligjo
rodman99999
5,985 posts
 
@ligjo- This may be of interest(scroll down to the actual article): Polarity Think Piece: A Speculation Regarding Perception of Detail
and: https://www.stereophile.com/content/absolute-phase-fact-or-fallacy   Stereophile again:  https://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/988awsi/index.html    Then, there are ways to test whether it matters to your ears, or not. ie: https://www.stereophile.com/content/stereophile-test-cd-tracks-6-9
ligjo OP
7 posts
 
To answer part of your question twoleftears, in the case of hifi equipment, swapping phase and polarity should be the same.  Phase can be “rotated” by varying amounts within 360 degrees but that would not be applicable in home hifi systems.  Rotating by 180 degrees flips the phase.  I can’t answer what specific vendors might be doing when they implement a polarity switch but as almarg stated earlier, the circuitry is being changed which could impact the sound beyond just changing polarity.
ligjo OP
7 posts
 
Wow!  Thanks rodman.
rodman99999
5,985 posts
 
Hopefully, you can find something helpful/enlightening, in all that.  
boxer12
8,654 posts
 
One of the things I like about the Jeff Rowland preamps is the phase switch. I use it all the time & sometimes it makes a pretty big difference. CD's seem to be more prone to be recorded out of phase than analog LP's. Just my experience.  
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