I don't get it either, but I know someone here will have the answer for you. I've read an explanation before, but I forgot what it was. I vaguely remember someone saying that it was a design choice. I don't think it's a cost saving issue as much as it is a way to keep the circuit simple (but I'm not positive about that). I really don't think there's any adverse effects. It's a clean switch, so you're okay as long as you switch it back. Most people wouldn't even notice the phase problem, but the correct phase should sound noticeably better when you compare the two. It should sound more natural. To confuse things even more...some recordings (or mic'd instruments within a recording) are out of phase. That's out of your control, but you can sleep soundly knowing you did your part to fix your system phase. :-) You may want to ask the manufacturer of your preamp...they should be able to tell you if your's in phase inverting. You could also pick up a test record or CD (Hi-Fi News and Record Reviews, or others) that have a phase test...usually just a voice saying, "Yo...dis be da right chanel" and "Yo...dis be da left". If you're hearing the voices from the wrong speaker, you should check all of your connections and make sure they're correct. If they are, you know that some component is inverting the phase. My CD and LP source were both backward, so I assumed it was my preamp.
Phase inverting preamps
Apologies in advance for this newbie question. I was reading some reviews of preamps and a couple said that the preamp "inverts phasing" and that this would have to be accounted for elsewhere in the system. I know what phasing means, but how and where does one allow for it elsewhere in the system?
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- 49 posts total
- 49 posts total