Reversing Polarity -- Voodoo or Easy Tweak?

so that sine waves are back in "phase" if you will pardon the term.

I know what you mean, in and out of phase just seems to sound right, and any use of the term polarity with a modifier seems to sound clunky and incorrect.

Both Hi and Lo signals are shifted 45 degrees at X/O, so the woofer/tweeter discrepancy is 90 degrees (for first order).

I think we are talking about 2 different things here. My point was that all musical instruments produce harmonics in addition to the fundamental tone. So if the fundamental falls inside the passband it will not be phase shifted and if a harmonic falls outside the passband it will be, or vice versa. I think this phase shift in the harmonic structure will be audible. I haven't conducted any experiments to confirm this hypothesis.

Well I am totally confused now. I just spent about 20 min listening to the CD of Jennifer Warnes, "The Hunter," track #8, "Way Down Deep". I listened to the first min and half at least 10 times then I reversed the speaker Cables at each of my ProAc studio 200 speakers. I then listened again several times. There is a definitely a difference in sound. I switched them back and forth several times.

On this particular track of this CD with the speakers cables reversed imo bass sounded tighter and Jennifer's voice sound more focused. Is it all in my head...

IF any of you have this CD check for yourself and post back.

Jim

Trust your ears, Jea48.

I listened to the entire Jennifer Warnes Cd, I spoke of in my earlier post, with the speaker cables reversed on my speakers. After a few tracks the sound just didn't seem involving, became kind of boring if you know what I mean. After the last track played, I reversed the speaker cables back the way the were originally, Amp+ speaker+, Amp- speaker-. Pushed play on the CDp, to cut to the chase, I prefer the sound better this way...Biggest thing I noticed Jennifer's voice was fuller, more involving.

Jim

Herman notes:

I haven't conducted any experiments to confirm this hypothesis

Someone else has -- and I tried desperately & unsuccessfully to find the ref. Apparently you WILL notice a discrepancy. This, (afa I remember) is variably termed as "slight loss of detail" or "microdynamics", etc. This "discrepancy" was particularly obvious when the same musical passage was played with fundamental & 2nd & 4th harmonic shifted into the pass band. ANyway, if I find the ref, I post it.