HELP w/Preamp Polarity Inversion Problem

Pmkalby, your experiential results conform both to what the reality of the situation and the laws of probability dictate...congratulate yourself on possessing hearing more sensitive than some audiophiles seem to be to the placebo effect... :-)

Plato, I don't understand your reluctance to use the polarity switch on one of your DACs, stating that using the switch introduces a switch into the cicuit. The signal still goes through the switch whatever position it is in!

Bob P.

Thanks Zaikesman (patting self on back)

And excellent point, Bob-- in my particular case, the preamp makes an audible click as a relay is triggered to invert phase, but whether that relay is open or shut, the signal passes through its contacts.

Last night I found a pretty good example of this phenomenon on a disc that many folks probably have-- On the Stevie Ray Vaughn posthumous release "the Sky is Crying" check out "Little Wing" and "Chitlins Con Carne" in and out of phase then report back. I'll be interested to see if you all hear what I hear, and how system-dependent it is...

I don't want to tell you now because I think that might color the continued conversation-- people might just come out to snipe and say I'm full of crap or be lazy and agree with me, but I'm curious to see what you all hear so hopefully someone does their "homework" on this.

A polarity switch on a DAC is not 'another switch in the circuit' in the sense that it would be on a piece of analog gear, because it operates by reversing the polarity in the digital realm, with no sonic penalty.