Reversing absolute phase

Just because recording engineers are too lazy to bother with absolute polarity does not mean that having it does not sound better. You are correct that in many multi-miked recordings, some mikes may be out of polarity and others not. I would suggest that the industry should establish a standard.

I don't think I have ever stumbled onto an out of phase recording. I have heard instances where people were not careful and hooked up the cables wrong.

There's a bit of confusion here between these posts.

In any electrical situation, there is a positive and return leg of the circuit. Sometimes the return leg is synonimous with ground and sometimes there are discreet positive, negative and ground legs. Microhone lines are usually "balanced" three leg circuits with positive, negative and ground legs. Although there is some standardization that pin one should be ground, pin 2 positive an pin 3 negative, it is very easy for positive and negative to be reversed or for positive and ground to be reversed in unbalanced circuits. This ususally happens either by miswiring or in polarity inverting circuits, which are quite common. In certain circumstances it can require alot of attention to detail to ensure that polarity is consistent as well as "correct."

This means that not only is there an opportunity for entire CDs or LPs to reversed, one to another, or for polarity to be reversed from cut to cut within an LP or CD, but also one mic to another within one cut. This last issue makes it impossible to determine a consistent polarity for that cut/album and is very common. Even audiophile engineers who care sometimes have problems ensuring correct polarity.

Miswiring is hardly an excuse. Since one polarity is often superior, it is too bad that this issue is ignored.

not an excuse, just a reality. The much more common issue is polarity inverting circuits. An engineer mus be cogniscent of the polarity of every unit in his arsenal of gizmos and make sure to align them. I would hazard that most modern truly professional engineers do this.

"Since one polarity is often superior." No it's not. They're identical. The CD or LP can be recorded in either "normal" or "inverted" polarity* and played back in either. It helps if the playback matches the recording, but because most speakers are not polarity-coherent (with minimal or no crossovers) anyway, it only makes much of an audible difference on the ones that are. This subject is a hardy perennial, but that doesn't seem to make for much clarity about it.

* And many are recorded in mixed polarity. I have discs where I can bring the vocalist forward or put him/her in the background depending on where the polarity switch is set on my preamp.