jj@rabbit.UUCP (09/22/83)
The idea of switching the phase of one speaker has come up before in comparison with the phase shift of a CD. The two problems are completely unrelated, in both the technical sense and the perceptual sense. This continuing falsehood shows the utter uselessness of vehicles such as netnews, where unsubstantiated nonsense and rumor carry the same weight as informed opinion. FLAME ON FULL!!!!!!!!! This piece of blatant superstition has been mentioned on the net, in the news media, and in private communication. It is just that, blatant superstition. For the last damned time <I hope>: When you change the polarity of one of your speakers, you have introduced a uniform phase shift of 180 degrees BETWEEN the channels of your system. When you have a 180 degree phase shift at the top end of the frequency range of a CD, you STILL have EXACTLY the SAME phase in each channel, even though the signal at HIGH frequencies is at a different phase than the signal at LOW frequecies. As a result, the bass cancelation, imaging distortion, and other frequency response anomalies that you get when you have one speaker out of phase do NOT arise, IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER, in a CD. The effect of phase varying with frequency is different, sounds completely different, and is usually inaudable, unless extremely severe, and occurring over a very short frequency range. BOO HISS. I don't doubt that a lot of stereo salesmen have told this lie, but the word of most stereo salesmen is worth exactly nothing. This net used to be a good place for technical discussion and exchanging rumors of new products, good products, etc. It is now a haven for two things, first unmitigated snobbery, of the sort that claims that you MUST pay 2000$ and subscribe to all the latest audiophile trends, and second blatantly silly discussion about dingital vs analog recordig techniques. Please move this discussion to net.flame, where I can give it the roasting and basting that it so richly deserves. I don't read net.audio most of the time, because there's nothing of use in it. I was pointed to the article this one refers to by some people who read the last round of silliness. rabbit!<move it to net.flame>jj Oh, yes. Comparing the sound of violins is fine, if you know what miking techniques were used. Have you ever listened to a violin from 12 inches? Can you recognize the difference between miking techniques and recording techniques? Don't blame the recording media for the silly miking technique used by the people who recorded the disc you listened to. I've listened to CD's and analog recordings quite a bit, and I almost always like the digital recording better. I do NOT, in many cases, like the miking techniques or the performances, but that is the fault of the person using the system, not of the recording system.