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Out of Phase?

Has anyone stumbled on a recording they could swear is out of phase - meaning that you need to reverse the connections on ONE speaker to give the recording focus, to create a center image? I have, and I'm stunned when it happens, particularly the latest discovery - RCA LSC 1903 - Brahms Violin Concerto - Heifetz. I've had the CD for a while and I often don't pay attention to CDs, but I recently purchased the Classic Records vinyl reissue. As soon as Heifetz came in it was apparent. The violin sounded like it was coming from all over the place. I couldn’t believe it, but having run into this at least two other times (RCA – Julie Andrews – Sound of Music and a Carpenters album) I thought, well… maybe. So I reversed the connections on the right speaker. It was a little less conclusive than with the other two albums. But the violin had more focus although it was mostly clumped up behind the right speaker.

Just curious if others have run into this?

KLee
kalee
nrchy's avatar
nrchy
2,124 posts
 
That happens more than one would think.
jfrech's avatar
jfrech
1,816 posts
 
I swear some parts of recordings are out phase, the rest in...

I have one record, The Firm, that I think the bass guitar is out...the rest is in. The phase switch fixes the bass, messes the rest up.
overhang
199 posts
 
I am sure you need to switch connections on both speakers,not one.
newbee
4,767 posts
 
When you reverse the speaker lead on one speaker (and assuming they are correctly connected in the first place) the speakers become out of phase and you will have destroyed the focused center image - you will now have a sound that spreads apart from the center and sounds like its coming from the speakers and about the room. This is not the result of any recording. Recordings can be recorded with reverse polarity - to correct this you would have to reverse both speakers leads identically. Playing a recording with reversed polarity can make the record sound thin as opposed to full. Some equipment comes with a switch to allow you to easily reverse polarity - if you don't have one don't worry about reversed polarity on the recording, it will drive you crazy. To check to see if your speakers are in correct phase, play a simply recorded voice, or the voice of an announcer on the tuner - the stereo image should be centered and focused - it sould not sound like its coming from the speakers or elsewhere. If its not focused and in the center, reverse the speaker leads on one speaker and do it again. Make sense to you?
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