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In Reply to: "...should be listening for when I change polarity?" posted by Allen Wright on March 23, 2007 at 08:25:29:
OK.First, after hearing from others I thought the changes would be dramatic, so I'm glad this is not a quick learning thing. I do hear subtle changes and yes, my wife is better at it than me. With some CDs we hear no difference. Why is that?
Now, if I'm hearing changes does this mean that my speakers ARE phase coherent? I just need to understand better why some speaker designers choose not to make speakers phase coherent and why phase coherent speakers are better, if that's what you're saying?
Follow Ups:
...so I'm glad this is not a quick learning thing <Totally depends on the person. Once sold a basic system to a client who played woodwinds in the Sydney Symphony - he could get it perfectly on 2 seconds of music - his "audiophile" friend couldn't get it at all - ever.
> I do hear subtle changes and yes, my wife is better at it than me. With some CDs we hear no difference. Why is that? <
Are they live recordings of acoustic music? If so, they have a chance of being phase coherent recordings - but multitracked studio recordings can have mixed phases - the LA recorded band out of phase with the NYC recorded vocalist etc.
> Now, if I'm hearing changes does this mean that my speakers ARE phase coherent? <
Maybe, but there are gradient s to phase linerity in spekaers.
> I just need to understand better why some speaker designers choose not to make speakers phase coherent <
becuase often they can get a far better frequency response flatness if they hook drivers up out of phase, or if they use crossover designs that are optimised for flatness and no phase response. Because frequency response is the spec that people know to ask about.
> and why phase coherent speakers are better, if that's what you're saying? <
I'm not saying they are "better" - just that for me they are better!
if you want a really simple test - go down to RadioShack and pick up a pair of 4 to 6" single cone full range speakers (drivers - not in an enclosure) for no more than (say) $15 each and mount them slightly off center in some largish sheets of plywood (say 3' x 3') - the larger the better. Hook them to you amp and use them to listen for phase changes - because as long as they are single cone (no crossovers or seperate tweeter involved) they will be as phase coherent as a speaker will get!.
Regards, Allen
Allen, thanks for the feedback.I checked with my speaker dealer and my jmLabs are phase coherent, but not time coherent because the drivers are on different planes. Something to look for next time, I suppose. How critical is this?
Thinking of 'tweaking' my speaker cables now by having the bananas removed and using bare leads. Why not?
...the ear is sensitive in this area, and most speakers have the woofer or woofer-midrange driver handling this area...you should hear something. A speaker that is totally phase-coherent will have the entire wavefront, regardless of frequency change, so it is easier to hear (perhaps because it is most "natural sounding").
But on most speakers you should hear something if you listen carefully in that frequency range.
Harry
Thanks Harry. Will do as you suggest. Have to also listen to my new Marantz burning in, especially in the lower midrange. Sounds a little nasty right now.
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