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Reversed Polarity LP Cuts - Examples?

I recently bought a custom made phono stage equipped with a three-position polarity switch on the front panel with the positions "+", "mute", "-" and, so far, have not had occassion to use the "-" function. I found an old UK pressing of the Stones "Sticky Fingers" at a garage sale Saturday and, after a thorough cleaning, found that a few tracks sounded a bit "flat", for lack of a better term. Recalled the polarity switch and snapped it to "-". Huge improvement.

I have heard vague mention of LP's or tracks of LP's being recorded "in reverse" before but am wondering how commonly this is found. Can anyone give specific examples of what they've discovered (not including intentional phase shifting done for particular efffect, such as used by the Beatles and others). Thanks.
4yanx
cmk
397 posts
 
Dave Grusin - Discovered Again on Sheffield Lab.
There's a note in the centre of the folder that's marked to Audiophiles to reverse polarity for best results.
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
Cmk - That's amazing...Do you have any clues as to why Sheffield would press this record with what they considered to be 'incorrect' polarity if they were clearly aware of the issue?
cmk
397 posts
 
Not sure about that. I do know that about half of LPs pressed at the time, maybe still, are reversed phase. Most of the time, it doesn't matter to the sound, but on certain LPs, you will notice weaker bass. Reversing polarity, either at the cart or the spk terminals, should solve the problem. I haven't experimented with this, but my phono reverses polarity anyhow and I haven't had any problems.

If you do try, let us know.
downunder
1,329 posts
 
The 5LP Elvid Presley Box set of his Las vegas live concerts is an obvious LP I know of.
It sounds like when he is singing like he is breathing in when he should be breathing out. very undynamic and unmusical.

Find it hard to believe that they missed this when they mastered the LP.

cheers shane
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
Cmk - If your contention that 1/2 of LP's are pressed with 'reversed phase' were true, and if reversing your system's polarity 'fixed' something like 'weaker bass' supposedly caused by this, then your phono with the inverted polarity woud cause the other 1/2 of LP's - the ones pressed 'in phase' - to display the same alleged symptoms. If you're not prepared to experiment finding the 'best' polarity for each recording, then by your reckoning at least half will be played back 'wrong', whether you arrange your system to be always polarity-correct or always polarity-inverting. Yet, you say you "haven't had any problems." Think about the implications...
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