Question about inverting polarity

sarah: my boulder 1012 also allows remote polarity inversion, which the (very handsome) manual explains nicely as being different from phase inversion. here’s what it says:

NOTE: Often polarity is mistakenly called phase. As phase indicates any angle between two channels from 0 to 360 degrees, the correct term of polarity is preferred to indicate the 180º phase change, or inversion, available on the 1012 DAC Preamplifier.

so, as I understand it, cd’s and even tracks on the same cd are frequently recorded, intentionally or not, with “positive” or “negative” polarity. By toggling between these settings on a polarity inverter of the same form employed on the boulder 1012, you can replicate the polarity of the original recording. my experimentation has also shown that “positive” polarity is the preferred setting for “normal” listening of cd’s or lp’s. this translates, i believe, to the pre being connected "in phase" or in "common polarity" with the amp.

-cfb

additional questions....does bridging an amp reverse phase and how does one go about bringing it back into phase if it does? also, how does one know if a cd is recorded out of phase?

I think you can only tell if a CD is recorded out of phase by guessing with your ears??

some recordings are quite intentionally produced "out-of-phase" to maximize soundstage width. the most recognizable of these are "q sound" products, including roger water's "amused to death" and madonna's "music." -cfb

Cornfed and Sugar, thanks for the additional info. I don't know if the BAT "polarity" switch actually reverses phase or not, I'll ask them. That Boulder piece is certainly a marvel, wish I had a chance to hear it, or even see it, around here.
Off topic tangent to Sugarbrie/Monotrub--my FM antenna that I had installed blew down in the recent high winds! and it was only that Magnum dynalab wand antenna. Next time around, I'm going with an actual rooftop installation, hopefully shielded by the chimney.