Is phase control switch a deal breaker for you?

Viridian, I can't speak for all preamps but on our preamps the phase switch is very simple, as our preamps are internally balanced. So to do the phase reversal requires no circuitry other than the switch itself.

I have found that the switch does not have much use unless you are listening to a fairly pure recording- one that is done with a minimum of microphones (hopefully only 2 and if there is a third it is the center channel). Then the difference can be quite noticeable. I've not found the speakers to play a huge role in this.

Who is Ralph...and should I care?

Wolf Garcia,

Ralph is Ralph Karsten, the founder and principle designer of Atmasphere electronics. His designs are fully balanced, so, phase reversal is accomplished just by using a switch. Single ended electronics would require an additional "active" amplification stage, and for that reason, there is much more of an issue of whether the sonic benefits of the ability to reverse polarity is worth the inevitable degradation from having another amplification stage.