Informed opinion(s) on phase inversion?

[jono1]

One of the 10 commandments of tube design is that you don't want to invert the phase from input to output.

Yet I see a lot of line stages have one tube for gain, which would invert the signal going forward (I'm not talking about CFs). Even from noted designers.

So at the end of the day, how important is it not to invert phase, if both channels are kept the same, and why?

Thanks in advance,

Jon

[HollowState]

Originally Posted by jono1

So at the end of the day, how important is it not to invert phase, if both channels are kept the same, and why?

This is an age old question that has been debated for years. I'm of the opinion that for reproducing equipment, it makes little difference.

Regardless of the source, be it vinyl records, tapes, digitized CDs, downloaded music or off the airways, it is impossible to know the original phase reference. So the best we can do is to keep both channels equal and, using our ears, reverse speaker phasing to determine which sounds best.

But this becomes a double edged sword that will drive you nuts because now you have to do it for every piece of music you listen to. So forget about it!

Of course, keeping your own local system phase accurate is quite simple with an oscillator and an oscilloscope.

[aardvarkash10]

its not important. Its one of those fetishist audiophool canons that bears no scrutiny...