2. amps-preamps
  3. 147027-10803

Why do some manufacturers reverse preamp polarity in the first place?

My Rogue RP-5 reverses polarity, so I switch the pos / neg at speaker terminals. The manual does not mention this, however, I wrote the company and they the amp does reverse the polarity. 

Now my question is...why? I would say 98% of buyers of this amp do not know to reverse the cable connections. I would say most reviewers did not as well. Yes, I realize, polarity reversal is not noticable in most instances. Especially, since many recordings are all over the place when it comes to polarity (at least that is what I've read).

So the question remains...why...why not just have the amp terminals set up so the buyer can just plug in as normal?
aberyclark
erik_squires
16,064 posts
 
That's the beauty of CD's, unlike digital files. If your CD is in reverse polarity, just play it upside down and the 0s become 1s and vice-versa.
Those of you who have traded in your CD players for media servers should feel pretty sheepish right about now.
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georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
aberyclark OP
Why do some manufacturers reverse preamp polarity in the first place?
They don't do it on purpose, it's the topology of the circuit they've used that does it, and to put in an additional stage just to bring it back in phase, is probably more detrimental to the sound than leaving reversed.

Cheers George  
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,807 posts
 
The Polarity pundit claims 92% of CDs are in Reverse Polarity. And he has a Polarity List to back it up. Furthermore the Polarity Pundit claims entire record labels are in Reverse Polarity. What evidence do you have? Who is right? I await your evidence.
He does and presents no evidence whatsoever. He came into our room one time and insisted that our room was in reverse polarity. I flipped the polarity switch on our preamp. Then he insisted that you couldn't hear it on LP- only CD. So I played the same track on CD as I had it on hand. Then he insisted that you couldn't hear it if the source was analog...
And then he left the room hastily, leaving behind only our impressions of him, with which we made jokes from for the rest of the show.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Be that as it may, you didn’t present any evidence, either. It’s what you choose to believe. Nothing more. Making jokes behind someone’s back is not evidence the person is wrong, actually. I find your anecdote unconvincing.
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