I am particularly sensitive to the polarity and have a system which is very revealing but it has not been my experience that 'up to 90% of CD's are in reverse phase; although this figure has been quoted by others as well. My observations indicate a much more random distribution;which given the step of the recording and duplication chain,is mathematically more probable. Just mho.
How do you deal with absolute polarity?
I know there is some controversy about it, but I can clearly hear "The Wood Effect" in my system. IMO, some method for switching polarity is a must to get the best sound out of ALL your recordings.
Swapping the speaker leads was not a viable option for me. My stereo amp (Antique Sound Lab Tulip) came with a switch to invert one channel so it can be bridged for use as a monoblock. I had a friend add a switch for the other channel. By flipping both switches, I can go back and forth between "normal" and inverted polarity easily.
I listen to determine the best position for each recording and mark it.
Swapping the speaker leads was not a viable option for me. My stereo amp (Antique Sound Lab Tulip) came with a switch to invert one channel so it can be bridged for use as a monoblock. I had a friend add a switch for the other channel. By flipping both switches, I can go back and forth between "normal" and inverted polarity easily.
I listen to determine the best position for each recording and mark it.
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The number is actually 92%, the number stated by George Louis, polarity pundit, whose web site contains a great many audiophile CDs and their polarities. His results are drawn from listening tests. Now, I am not vouching for either his hearing, his results or his numbers but I have to say he certainly makes a very good case. You would have to read his complete explanation for how he arrives at the magic number of 92%. Since there is no Standard for absolute polarity one imagines anything is possible. I have heard estimates for percent of CDs being in reverse polarity ranging from 10% to 50% to 92%. http://www.absolutepolarity.com |
Among many interesting and surprising things in George Louis’ web site regarding absolute polarity http://www.absolutepolarity.com are some letters he received from certain audiophile electronics manufacturers in answer to questions regarding their products and absolute polarity. Here’s one such response (name of manufacturer withheld): Dear George: "From my research and development department, they advise. It is a source so as long as both left and right are inverted, then there isn’t an issue. We did this to get better S/N ration performance. Inverting amps are always quieter than non-inverting designs. Audibly, you can’t tell one from the other, you can only see it on a scope. That is the only way to know one from the other. So why they even check for this, I have no idea because it doesn’t mean anything. The signal is AC which means it swings both positive and negative." |
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