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

Showing 2 responses by viridian

viridian's avatar
viridian
4,184 posts
 
A single gain stage always inverts polarity, would you have the manufacturer add a second gain stage to change it back again?

And do you change the polarity of your speakers for each recording the you play? That would be necessary if the goal is to always be in correct polarity. In fact, many recordings that use spot mikes on different instruments will have the sax in negative polarity while the keyboard is in positive polarity, so I would suggest that you change the polarity of your tweeters, midrange and woofer as called for by the specific recording. 
viridian's avatar
viridian
4,184 posts
 
Soundstage is an artifact of the recording and reproduction process and is not correlated to the sound heard in the concert hall, IMHO.
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