Phase Inversion, to flip polarity or not

Hello Kosst- Like I said; I didn’t have a problem, with your other propositions. There are many phenomena, without clear cut, cause and effect solutions, surrounding us. I too notice, as a result of the Wood Effect, what seems too tight a focus(as you say, "...a hyper-real, artificially forward sound."), that hinders what some call, "bloom". If that’s the correct term, for how sound naturally expands, from a source, into the sound stage’s ambiance(which also seems stifled). At least; that’s what I notice, on the media that’s recorded with attention to phase, voice to voice, by the recording techies.  Then too, over the years I’ve noticed with speaker systems, in which everything’s not properly phase/time aligned, whether the drivers, in a multi-way system, or- subs not aligned with mains, most of the ambient material is lost in the first place. If a system doesn’t recreate images, within a sound space to begin with, the listener won’t hear a loss(The Wood Effect is of no effect). Also, the kind of interference/distortion you mention, perhaps. Have you ever used the LEDR test, available here: https://www.audiocheck.net/audiotests_ledr.php and on some test CDs, like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Chesky-Records-Sampler-Audiophile-Compact/dp/B000003GF3 It’s an excellent way, to hear whether a system is actually recreating, what’s on well recorded media. Happy listening!

I use to use a preamp that allowed for polarity inversion by remote control so that one can easily A-B the difference.  In my system, the effects of flipping polarity varied greatly, depending on the particular recording.  In most cases, the change is subtle and whether one or the other polarity was better was not clear cut.  For example, even in one particular cut, one polarity may make the vocalist sound more "present" but the piano might sound slightly "phasey."  It might well be the case that polarity is not consistent between different parts of the same recording.  My preferred polarity, when I bothered to listen for this, varied from recording to recording, so it would make no sense trying to set up a system to consider polarity; if that is important to you, a switch of some sort would be needed.  

You can buy test CDs that have music presented in two different polarities so you can hear for yourself it matters.  One example is the Jazz sampler/test CD from Chesky Records.

One of the reasons I stuck with planar speakers, for so long(Acoustat Model III’s, were my first, in 1981/Magnepan, until 2017), was the knowledge that they were inherently time/phase aligned. The obvious/audible benefits of which were learned, through mirror imaging a few customers’ DQ-10s, back in the day. I’d always actively bi-amped the planars, with my own bass units, physically aligning the acoustic centers of the drivers and panels and enjoyed excellent reproduction. Things certainly became easier, when TacT/Lyngdorf came out with their DSP/active crossover systems, relaxing the need for exact placement. Again- SO MUCH depends on the attention paid, by the people laying down the tracks. It’s nice to know(once one tests and confirms that their system is doing it’s job correctly), if something’s askew; it’s the recording.