Neutral electronics are a farce...

I should also point out that George’s criterion for determining which is better N or R for a given recording is that it’s one that sounds more like "live" music must be N. Roger’s criterion is the same, I.e., "live" music, for what his amp sounds like compared to amplifier X. In fact audiophiles generally speaking are fond of using the SAME CRITERION for what the home playback system should sound like or at least strive for - "live" music. Same question for Al: do you think the polarity issue is bunk or only George's list.  Can you point to any recordings on George's list that are R that you think should be N Or vice versa?

geoffkait,
 

The connection of course is that Roger claims that the speed of sound in air should be preserved by the amplifier. With inverted polarity, with the trumpet being sucked instead of blown it’s almost like the Acoustic Waves of the musician’s breath and coming from the trumpet are traveling backwards. So forget about keeping the velocity of sound in air consistent (Roger’s term is Mach 1) between the recording venue and the listening room. Obviously there are other potential issues but if 80 or 90 percent of audiophile type recordings are in fact R then that would be big news. And bad news for Rogers claim that his amp, the way it preserves the speed of sound, is the key to getting "live" sound, since statistically on 20% or so of recordings are in correct polarity.

How does the inverted polarity dismiss my claim about a stable velocity?
I know this is a hard concept because it is giving most audiophiles a tough time wrapping their heads around it.

I can assure you that even if you play the "venue" in the reverse absolute phase - you can still tell that the location of objects is secure. Obviously switching to the [plus] phase will make it sound much better as it could be perceived as live. As far as the sucking of air [into] the sax, at least with a stable velocity its "sucking point" in space would remain still. Not the case when velocity is left unchecked. In fact you will have a much harder time telling the correct phase with a system that allows velocity deviation.

There is no bad news here - just a bad understanding.

Roger

Roger wrote,

"How does the inverted polarity dismiss my claim about a stable velocity?"

Actually, it doesn't dismiss your claim about a stable velocity.  Score one for Roger.

Cheers

Same question for Al: do you think the polarity issue is bunk or only George’s list.

As I alluded to in my post of 4:27 p.m., I believe that for the majority of recordings there is no polarity that is "correct," although one polarity may in some of those cases sound "better" to some listeners with some systems than the other polarity. I also believe that in the case of the relatively few recordings that have been mic’d and mastered with purist techniques (just two or three microphones and minimal post-processing), that there can be a polarity that is correct, and a polarity that is incorrect.

Can you point to any recordings on George’s list that are R that you think should be N Or vice versa?

Just one of the preamps I’ve had over the years included a polarity switch, and I did not do a great deal of experimenting with it.

Regards,
-- Al

geoffkait,

And bad news for Rogers claim that his amp, the way it preserves the speed of sound, is the key to getting "live" sound, since statistically on 20% or so of recordings are in correct polarity.

Are you saying that your own system is not right 80% of the time but you still enjoy it - yes?

Food for thought...
If you can't tell the difference when you switch the phase then it [the system] is not clean enough to expose it.