Phase switch on pre amp use?

It inverts the polarity of the signal output to your amp 180 degrees. So anything that follows would be out of phase from the original source. My cdp has a phase switch and I can't say it makes a difference although I've never listened critically for it. It certainly won't hurt anything. Why do you think they would put a switch that would cause harm so readily accessible?

I just bought a preamp (Aesthetix Calypso) in large part because it has such a switch and I was tired of switching speaker cables to change the polarity. You won't hear much if any difference unless your speakers are polarity-coherent (many aren't) and have no or very minimal crossovers. Even then, many discs were recorded in mixed polarity and defy anyone to hear a difference.

Bottom line: As Kal says, don't sweat it. But once you do begin to recognize polarity differences, you can't NOT hear them. Or I can't anyway. Best to leave well enough alone. Good luck, Dave

Thanks for the notes. Electricity has a mind of it's own and sometimes can be confusing. It struck me as odd that one can swap directions of the juice in an instant without causing some electrical grief. "Safety first" as my dad used to say.
-John

You will find that many high end preamps in particular will indicate that the preamp out is inverted phase. (And they do not have a switch to change it). This is due to circuit design philosophy, allowing a simpler circuit (read purer) in their opinion, by not needing addition circuitry to bring the phase back to noninverting.

Personally, I love having the phase switches available on components. I have one on my pre-amp (Calypso) and my CDP (Resolution Audio Opus 21 GNSC) and will use them when enjoying music intently. About 50% of the time, I will hear a difference and the other 50% of the time I will not.

FWIW, the Rel subs also have a phase switch and in their instructions it states that to find the correct phase for the set-up, compare the apparent volume with the switch at 0 and at 180 degrees. The louder of the two is the one the switch should be set to.