Speaker polarity, v3.0

[unvs]

This is the second time I'm starting to read about speaker polarity, and it's getting interesting, and when I hit "next page" the thread is gone. There was a lot of great info on those threads (like the diagram on how to check polarity with a battery) why just delete them?

 

[alberob]

Take a 1.5 battery[AA,C,D] and connect it to the speaker teminals.If the cone moves out the positve battery terminal is hooked up to the positive terminal.If it moves in its reversed.

 

[Jay Mitchell]

This is the second time I'm starting to read about speaker polarity, and it's getting interesting, and when I hit "next page" the thread is gone. There was a lot of great info on those threads (like the diagram on how to check polarity with a battery) why just delete them?

Appears to me that austinrocks got his panties in a wad over being mistaken and having folks who know better point it out.

 

[2leod]

The gist was that some amps may sound better if you flip the polarity, and the speaker wires are an easy access point. If it doesn't sound better, no harm, no foul. You just don't (generally speaking) want to put multiple speaker out of phase with each other.

 

[DC1]

one of the posters flames really got stupid, so I deleted the threads, and added him to my ignore list.

Good thing you didn't start this one then, huh?

I want to object, in the strongest terms possible, to you deleting an entire thread that a lot of people contributed to, because you did not like what someone was saying.

Thoughtless and arrogant.

Shame on you.





dc

 

[DC1]

What is at the core of speaker polarity in this context is how the amp interacts with the guitar. I have the instrumentation to tell you what each piece in the signal chain is doing to the polarity, and whether the total system is forward-going or reversed and I have checked this with a lot of my gear and found quite a bit of reversed pedals and a couple of amps.

You don't need the gear to check this. Simply reverse polarity at the speaker or with a cable and listen. It will sound different in one polarity than the other and generally one polarity will make the guitar more dynamic and notes will bloom and sustain better than the other. It's a fairly robust phenomena.

Try it.


dc

 

[hogy]

I can't believe that guy deleted the thread. Way to disrespect all of those who lent their time and expertise to clarify things. I certainly won't ever bother again, onto the Ignore list he goes.

 

[fullerplast]

I can't believe that guy deleted the thread. Way to disrespect all of those who lent their time and expertise to clarify things.

I don't even think posters should have the ability to delete threads for this reason. It undermines the desire of other members to make contributions of any significance.

 

[hogy]

I don't even think posters should have the ability to delete threads for this reason. It undermines the desire of other members to make contributions of any significance.

The info in that thread was really excellent and answered many questions that come up again and again. I hope the mods can somehow restore that info.

It is really unbelievable that one guy who doesn't like being proven wrong can simply take away contributions that would benefit so many other members.

 

[fullerplast]

The info in that thread was really excellent and answered many questions that come up again and again. I hope the mods can somehow restore that info.

It is really unbelievable that one guy who doesn't like being proven wrong can simply take away contributions that would benefit so many other members.

I agree, but prefer to think it was a combination of a poor rule (the ability to delete threads) and a basically good guy who had a temporary lapse in good judgement.

It would be good to have the thread restored, even if some posts had to be cleaned up.

 

[Guinness Lad]

I thought the stuff I lifted from Ted Weber's website really helped. I guess if people need to they can go there instead.

 

[StompBoxBlues]

What is at the core of speaker polarity in this context is how the amp interacts with the guitar. I have the instrumentation to tell you what each piece in the signal chain is doing to the polarity, and whether the total system is forward-going or reversed and I have checked this with a lot of my gear and found quite a bit of reversed pedals and a couple of amps.

You don't need the gear to check this. Simply reverse polarity at the speaker or with a cable and listen. It will sound different in one polarity than the other and generally one polarity will make the guitar more dynamic and notes will bloom and sustain better than the other. It's a fairly robust phenomena.

Try it.


dc

True, but also keep in mind, as you noted, some PEDALS do this...
just pointing out, the day you are out there without that pedal it's backwards again.

Good idea to make a reverse polarity adapter (not much help on hard-wired speaker like in the Peavey Classic 30) that is 1/4" mono female on one end and male on the other (doesn't have to be very long either...it is just to reverse the polarity) then one could easily try it when setting up...

Also, this will make sure all speakers in a multi are still going the same direction.

Like you say, some amps reverse it, and I imagine even some CHANNELS on amps do it (think if the clean channel is "normal" but feeds the OD channel which inverts it again after the first channel, etc.)...

 

[Jay Mitchell]

Like you say, some amps reverse it, and I imagine even some CHANNELS on amps do it

Yes. In many Fender amps with reverb (e.g., Twin Reverb), the reverb channel has opposite polarity from the normal one.

 

[voodoosound]

Yes. In many Fender amps with reverb (e.g., Twin Reverb), the reverb channel has opposite polarity from the normal one.

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't this the reason that a lot of eearly amps had a polairty switch? I still have a few.

 

[hogy]

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't this the reason that a lot of eearly amps had a polairty switch? I still have a few.

No, the polarity switch is for the wall AC.

 

[voodoosound]

No, the polarity switch is for the wall AC.

Thanks Hogy. To get rid of 60 cycle?

 

[DC1]

True, but also keep in mind, as you noted, some PEDALS do this...
just pointing out, the day you are out there without that pedal it's backwards again.

Good idea to make a reverse polarity adapter (not much help on hard-wired speaker like in the Peavey Classic 30) that is 1/4" mono female on one end and male on the other (doesn't have to be very long either...it is just to reverse the polarity) then one could easily try it when setting up...

Also, this will make sure all speakers in a multi are still going the same direction.

Like you say, some amps reverse it, and I imagine even some CHANNELS on amps do it (think if the clean channel is "normal" but feeds the OD channel which inverts it again after the first channel, etc.)...

I am fabricating a pedal-controlled relay-based polarity reversal device so that I can change this on the fly.

'Course the Kimock sig model Two-Rock comes with one!

:RoCkIn

dc

 

[hasserl]

The info in that thread was really excellent and answered many questions that come up again and again. I hope the mods can somehow restore that info.

It is really unbelievable that one guy who doesn't like being proven wrong can simply take away contributions that would benefit so many other members.

Yes, Jay had answered some of the questions I've had about this for some time, and I barely had a chance to read thru them, really didn't get to study them and respond.

Thanks Jay anyway for the replies, (re: string vibration mostly being vertical, or perpendicular to the pickups, not parallel; RWRP pickups; FX pedals).

 

[Rosewood]

I thought the stuff I lifted from Ted Weber's website really helped. I guess if people need to they can go there instead.

That's the one thing I didn't get to read, hope it's easy to find on his website.

 

[Guinness Lad]

Thanks Hogy. To get rid of 60 cycle?

It's there in case you get shocks from microphones and such.