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RME User Forum → ADI-2 & 2/4 Pro series, ADI-2 DAC series → Polarity usage?
So, what exactly is the idea of this setting, besides testing if one of your speakers are wired incorrectly? If I select "both", I understand, is it supposed to actually change the sound in any way?
The manual doesn't really tell about this setting.
So, what exactly is the idea of this setting, besides testing if one of your speakers are wired incorrectly? If I select "both", I understand, is it supposed to actually change the sound in any way?
The manual doesn't really tell about this setting.
With certain headphones connected and about 70% of the tracks I am playing, I can hear a difference.
With the tracks where I can hear a difference, again about 70% normal polarity (Phase Invert = OFF) sounds better to me.
When using STAX headphones the opposite (Phase Invert = BOTH) is true, which perfectly makes sense as those have reversed polarity themselves.
The difference is subtle, by no means night and day and not always easy to detect.
The preference for a positive (normal) polarity makes sense, as in the studio we try to maintain exactly that - first pulse of a bassdrum e.g. is pressure increase, = positive.
Other instruments are aligned to that, or mostly left in their natural polarity.
Seems, opposed to what is “common audio knowledge”, the ear can detect absolute polarity.
Okay gotcha, never been able to hear a difference with either headphones or speakers so I was wondering if I should be able to. Thanks for clarifying!
Exact,
This is an interesting Topic, and one that first appeared on my Radar about 40yrs ago. I find myself in agreement with KaiS's logic, as shouldn't a Positive going sound impulse strike my ear as Positive going also? It gets messy in practice as we have NO idea of the Absolute Polarity of an individual recording, and I'm not about to go through them all in my collection. Fat chance that I would ever identify correct polarity with Violins! A well recorded Kick Drum however gives me an opportunity
I do have a few recordings that Might illustrate this a bit more audibly than others.
Nena: "Mein Freund" has an impromptu, open Mic, Studio Banter intro, with just a couple "Warm Up" Kicks that are quite impressive in their authenticity, and might give you an insight into whether you have a Polarity Preference, or perhaps none at all.
Nirvana: MTV Unplugged (DVD) had a "Sound Checks" segment at the beginning which is almost like sitting at the Soundboard yourself! There's percussive elements there as well that could be "revealing" of your Polarity preference if any.
There's nothing to lose, so Give it a try!
Curt
For a while I did experiment, for fun, with the “Phase Invert“ OFF vs. BOTH parameter.
By no means the effect is strong enough to justify constant switching around.
So finally I leave “Phase Invert“ “OFF”.
The majority of recordings is polarity correct, that’s how studio equipment is wired, and mic‘s tend to be placed in the direction where a listener would be.
Polarity correct does not mean all attack’s 1st pulses are positive, from the audience’s view.
For a pop/rock/jazz bass drums it is, as the beater pushes the drumhead towards the listener.
For a lot of instruments it’s the other way round, or undefined.
Continuous waveforms of e.g. of voices and brass are very asymmetrical, with a smaller, higher peak going positive (waveform looks like this: UUUUUUU) , but I couldn’t hear any effect phase inverting these.
Whenever I could hear a difference it was in the lower registers, where sound turns into a bodily experience.
To say it clear:
Everything mentioned here refers to the settings of “Phase Invert“ OFF vs. BOTH only.
Setting “Phase Invert“ to LEFT or RIGHT simply would be wrong, unless one needs to correct a mis-wired cable.
I've been testing both "off"- and "both"-settings for a couple of days now with random songs with my speakers and I THINK I can hear a difference, just can't quite wrap my head around what's exactly changing. Feels like it's affecting the bass, maybe. It's definitely so miniscule that I couldn't tell in a blind test.
Need to give it some more testing and try to figure out what the hell it's affecting.
RME User Forum → ADI-2 & 2/4 Pro series, ADI-2 DAC series → Polarity usage?
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