Topic: absolute polarity test
I think one of my headphones has inverted polarity,
Does anyone know how I can test this by ear?
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absolute polarity test
RME User Forum → ADI-2 & 2/4 Pro series, ADI-2 DAC series → absolute polarity test
Posts: 11
- hasan.ay386
- AD/DA expert
- Offline
- Babaluma
- S/Mux specialist
- Offline
Re: absolute polarity test
Any DAW or the Voxengo MSED free plugin will allow you to flip absolute polarity, then it's just a matter of rendering one with regular and one with flipped and doing a blind A/B/X test to see if you can tell the difference. On my ATCs I can sometimes tell by listening to 808 or 909 kick drums, that initial transient should be positive and push the speaker cone out instead of sucking it in.
https://musicwall.app/hermetech
3 2023-05-30 13:38:16 (edited by KaiS 2023-05-30 13:41:58)
Re: absolute polarity test
Try ADI-2‘s function:
• I/O / [Output] / Settings / Phase Invert: “OFF” vs. “BOTH”.
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.
REMARK:
STAX headphones are inverted polarity by factory default, for whatever reason.
Re: absolute polarity test
try https://sourceforge.net/p/playpcmwin/wi … eningTest/
there's a test provided by RME as well. but I cannot find it anywhere. but the above test should work very well with sufficient loud volume.
5 2023-05-30 14:53:03 (edited by KaiS 2023-05-30 15:57:30)
Re: absolute polarity test
Measuring is better than guessing.
If you have an iDevice you can use AudioTools, I think there’s a free tryout period offered (can’t check, have the full version with all modules).
ADI-2 Pro makes a great measurement frontend for AudioTools BTW:
AudioTools Polarity Test, at 5.99€:
https://apps.apple.com/de/app/speaker-p … d293263027
AudioTools “Pro Audio Analysis Tools” - a bundle of all important modules for audio measurement, at 42,99€.
https://apps.apple.com/de/app-bundle/pr … 1319988828
AudioTools full suite:
https://apps.apple.com/de/app/audiotool … d325307477
Re: absolute polarity test
hasan.ay386 wrote:
I think one of my headphones has inverted polarity,
Does anyone know how I can test this by ear?
Get or create a mononoise on both stereochannels, i.e. the same signal on both channels. Soundforge for example can do this, probaly audacity as well.
Then listen to it.
If the noise comes from center, then the phase is correct.
If the noise comes from outside the center then polarity is wrong in one channel.
Peter
7 2023-05-30 19:59:37 (edited by pschelbert 2023-05-30 20:00:44)
Re: absolute polarity test
hasan.ay386 wrote:
I think one of my headphones has inverted polarity,
Does anyone know how I can test this by ear?
absolute polarity, I test with speakers with a 1.5 Volt battery.
Positive Voltage should move the membrane outside, i.e against the ear.
May be this works for headphonse as well (it does with tweeters)
Peter
8 2023-05-30 20:15:16 (edited by KaiS 2023-05-30 22:00:34)
Re: absolute polarity test
pschelbert wrote:
hasan.ay386 wrote:I think one of my headphones has inverted polarity,
Does anyone know how I can test this by ear?absolute polarity, I test with speakers with a 1.5 Volt battery.
Positive Voltage should move the membrane outside, i.e against the ear.May be this works for headphonse as well (it does with tweeters)
The test works well with speakers.
With headphones in most cases the diaphragm is invisible.
Some might even be in danger to break with 1.5 V DC, e.g. IEMs.
9 2023-05-30 21:22:31 (edited by hasan.ay386 2023-05-30 21:24:15)
- hasan.ay386
- AD/DA expert
- Offline
Re: absolute polarity test
Thanks! I have found out.
One of my Audeze headphones had inverted polarity, the kick drum sounded like it was pulling rather than pushing. Then I changed the polarity on the ADI-2 and noticed that it suddenly had a bit more punch and I didn't have to turn the volume up so much to hear the bass.
So I did some research on the internet and actually found measurements showing the inverted polarity of the headphones.
10 2023-05-31 16:00:45 (edited by KaiS 2023-05-31 16:01:14)
Re: absolute polarity test
hasan.ay386 wrote:
... One of my Audeze headphones had inverted polarity...
...
So I did some research on the internet and actually found measurements showing the inverted polarity of the headphones.
So you have the Audeze CRBN, the only AUDEZE ‘phones known to invert polarity?
How do you like them?
- hasan.ay386
- AD/DA expert
- Offline
Re: absolute polarity test
KaiS wrote:
hasan.ay386 wrote:... One of my Audeze headphones had inverted polarity...
...
So I did some research on the internet and actually found measurements showing the inverted polarity of the headphones.So you have the Audeze CRBN, the only AUDEZE ‘phones known to invert polarity?
How do you like them?
I can not afford the CRBN 
I have the MM-500 and the smaller LCD-1.
The LCD-1 had inverted polarity.
Posts: 11
RME User Forum → ADI-2 & 2/4 Pro series, ADI-2 DAC series → absolute polarity test
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