The Polarity List

DaveyF said:

My fellow a'phile and friend Mr.George Louis has a thing about correct polarity when listening to audio and CD's in particular....so much so that he has compiled a list that is pretty amazing in regards to this issue: The list is : The Polarity List

Revised December 30, 2011

9winds – Harkins Golis Turetzky – Glossarium R
A & M Records R
ACCORD Duke Ellington – PLUS TIME 2 Great Concerts R
ACCURATE – Jimmy Weinstein Group – Nostalgia R
ACOUSTIC MUSIC RESOURCE Solid Air Records R
Acoustic Zebra* – Beatle Jazz – A Bite Of The Apple R
AirCraft Records – Round Sounds Vol. II R
Allegretto Sampler Series – Manuel Barreco (etc.) – Spotlight on Guitar R
Aloi Records a Division of Linn Products N
AMBRUS DISCS& TAPES – Amadus – It’s Just Beginning R
American Recordings R
Analogue Productions R
Analogue Productions – FI The Magazine of Music & Sound R
Antiles R
Archiv Produktion R
Ariola – Greenhouse Effect Plan B R
ASTREE AUVIDIS R
ATCO RECORDS – Bobby Darin – This is Darin R
ATLANTIC JAZZ – Cyrus Chestnut – The Dark Before the Dawn – R
AudioQuest – Robert Lucas – Layaway R
Audiostas ummy-Head-Recording (binaural) R
BEAST RETRO Concert Friday the 13th Cook County Jail R
Big Cat Records – Mary Coughlan – After the Fall R
BIS R
BLACK LION – Cliff Jackson – Carolina Shout R
Blix Street Records R
Blue Note N
BLUE NOTE Music from EMI* – Patricia Barber – Live A Forthight in France R
BRC-JAM – Todd Coolman Trio – Tomorrows R
BROWNSTONE RECORDINGS – HARRY SKOLER – Conversations In The Languate Of Jazz R
Burmester – Art for the Ear – Volume II & III R
Café RECORDS –Moro – Pieces of And A collection of Romantic Music for Cuitar R
CAMELEON/BEACHWOOD RECORDS – Laurence Juber – Solo Flight R
Capri Records Ltd, NU – Drifting Timelessly R
Cascavelle – Duo De Harpes R
CBS Records (Associated) Hubert Laws: The Rite of Spring – R
Cedille Records R
CEMA SPECIAL PRODUCTS – 10 BEST SERIES – Peggy Lee – Fever & Other Hits R
Chesky R
Clarity Recordings R
Collectables – Grassella Oliphant Quartette – The Grass Roots R
Columbia – Miles Davis – Kind of Blue R
COLUMBIA/DMZ/LEGACY – T Bone Burnett –Twenty Twenty The Essential T Bone Burnett (2 discs) R
Columiba BP
Concord Jazz BP
Concord Jazz Collectable Series BP
Curb RCA R
Delos R
DENON – tact JAZZ SERIES – Toshiko Aniyoshi Quintet – Toshiko at Top of the Gate N
DENON PCM DIGITAL RECORDING – Beethoven symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op 36 R
Deutsche Gramophone R
DISCOVERY – Hal Schaefer – Solo Duo Trio R
Dmp Digital Music Productions, Inc.
Dorian R
EAST WIND JASRAC – The L.A. Four – Going Home – R
ECM – Ralph Towner – Works R
ECM NEW SERIES –Gyorgy Kurtag – Jatekok R
ECM Records GmbH R
EMI Angel DIGITAL – Arron Copland R
EMI Classics R
Enja – Tete Montoliu – Songs for Love R
Epic –Poco- The Very Best of Poco R
Everest R
Excelsior JAZZ GOLD – Jazz Is R
Fantasy ORIGINAL Jazz CLASSICS – The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album R
Favored Nations ACOUSTIC – Tommy Emmanuel R
FIM R
Geffen R
Geffen - Eagels – Hell Freezes Over R
Gema – Bowers & Willkins Audiophile Recordings For The Road R
GLOBAL PACIFIC RECORDS – David Friesen – Departure R
Gmp AMERICAN MUSIC HALL (THE) – The Carmen McRae-Betty Carter Duets R
GRAMAVISION – R
Grove
Grp DIGITAL MASTER – PASTI AUSTIN – LIVE R
GSPJAZ Recordings R
Hallmark Music – Acoustic Evening R
HARMONIA MUNDI – 30TH ANNIVERSAIRE R
HI FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW – HFB/NR TEST DISC II R
IMP CLASSICS – Marcelo Kayath -Guitar Classics from Spain R
Impulse! N
Inak MUSIC COMPANY – Dice of Dixieland Sideways R
INNERTUBE – The Surf Kings –Coming Up for Air R
INTUITION Records, Inc. R
JAZZ HERITAGE – CARMEN MCRAE: CARMEN SINGS MONK R
Jazz Focus N
JVC 20bit K2 SUPERCODING Ernie Watts – The Long Road Home R
JVCJ-CD R
JVCxrcd BP
KnitClassics – KnitClassics Sampler R
KOCH SCHWANN – Bohmen & Mahren R
LASERLIGHT DIGITAL R
LIMELIGHT (JASRAC) – The Oscar Peterson Trio – Canadian Suite R
LINN RECORDS IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE hit label – Sstephane Grappelli –Martin Taylor – Reunion R
London N
M*A R
MAD-KAT Records – Kitty Margolis – Live at The Jazz Workshop R
Mapleshade N
Mark Levinson – Red Rose Music-– Volume one R
MCA GRP – Rob Wasserman (etc.) – Trios R
MCA Zebra* – David Grisman Acousticity R
Mercury Living Presence R
Mercury R
MHS Musical Herritage Society N
Milestone –The Kenny Drew, Jr. Trio – Winter Flower R
MOBILE FIDELITY MFSL (Polydor original R) – Eric Clapton Slowhand R
MOBILE FIDELITY SOUND LAB ORIGINAL MASTER RECORDING ULTRA DISC UHR GAIN 2 –(hybrid SACD) Patricia Baber – Café Blue R
MOBILE FIDELITY SOUND LAB ULTRA DISC II (original Verve – R) – Getz/Gilberto R
MOBILE FIDELITY ULTRA DISC II SAMPLER – (multiple original CDs) MP
Mode 26 (Records) R
MOTOWN – Diana Ross – Lady Sings the Blues R
Music from BMI*- BLUE NOTE – Patricia Barber – Live a Fortnight in France R
N Coded Music N
Naim – Charlie Haden & John Taylor R
Narada R
Narada Collection Series R
Nature Recordings R
NAXOS R
NEW WORLD RECORDS R
Nimbus Records English Stsring Orchestra – Mendelssohn Complete String symphonies R
Nonesuch R
NOVUS (BMG RCA) – Marcus Roberts – The Truth s Spoken Here R
Opus 3 R
Opus 3 – Depth of Image Test Record 1 R
Pablo N
Philips R
PIERRE VERANY – Mamba Percussions R
POINT GEMA – Pasha – Christmas Music - Christmas Carols R
Private Music- Leo Kottke – Regards From Chuck Pink R
Proprius R
Proprius – Jazz at the Pawnshop R
Proprius – Contate Domino R
RCA RED SEAL – Charles Munch BSO – Debussy – La Mer R
RCAVictor R
RCAVictor, The Chieftains – Tears of Stone R
RealTime Records – Real Hot Jazz R
Rearward/Schema N
Red House Records R
Reference Records R
Reprise N
Reprise – Joni Mitchell – Blue N
Rhino R
River North Records N
Rounder R
SANSTONE MUSIC – MEL TORME – THE LONDON SESSIONS R
Sheffield Labs R
SHILOH RECORDS – Greg Harris – Acoustic II R
SIRE – Talking Heads – Stop Making Sense R
Solid Air R
Solid Air Records – Grove Masters R
Sony R
Sony – Miles Davis – Kind of Blue R
SPECIAL MUSIC COMPANY (THE) – Ragtime Piano Favorites R
SteepleChase R
Stereophile R
STUNT RECORDS –Marie Bergman – Fruit R
Telarc N
Telarc Digital N
Telarc Jazz N
THE Jazz Alliance – The L.A. Jazz Choir – From All Sides R
The World Ryko 360 AU 20 – Mickey Hart – Planet Drum R
The World Ryko 360 AU 20 (gold) R
Three Blind Mice R
Tomorrow International – Nathan Davis – I’m A Fool to Want You R
Triloka Records Living Proof Series – Richie Beirach – George Coleman – Convergence N
UAE MCPS – Memphis Slim R
UNIVERSAL MUSIC Special Markets – STARBUCKS COFFEE – Repertoire R
Usher R
Vanguard N
VANGUARD – Pete Seeger – Live At Newport N
Varse Sarabande R
Verve R
VOX ALLEGRETTO –The All Star Percussion Ensemble R
VSOP CONNOISSEUR COLLECTION – Hugh Masekela – Stimela R
WARNER BROS. – Bela Fleck & The Flecktones – Flight of The Cosmic Hippo R
Warner Bros. – Bela fleck & The Flecktones –Live Art (2 discs) R
WARNER BROS. Records, Inc (Phonogram Ltd.) – Dire Straits – Love Over Gold R
Water Lily Acoustics – Strunz & Farah – Misterio R
WCJ Warner Classic Jazz –The Puccini Experience R
WIENERWORLD RECORDS – The Music of Red Shoe Diaries R
Wilson Audio (Wilson Audiophile Definitive Recording) – James Welch Organist – Concert And Recital R
Windham Hill R
Windham Hill Collection (A) R
Zebra Acoustic* - Beatle Jazz – A Bite Of The Apple R
Zebra MCA* – David Grisman Acousticity R

N = Normal Polarity, R = Reversed Polarity. BP = Both Polarity CDs, W/S = Wall of Sound, S/W = Reversed polarity Wall of Sound, MT = Tracks with different relative polarity, i.e. some N and some R tracks, MP = Mixed polarity on one or more tracks. MN = Mostly Normal Polarity, MR = Mostly Inverted Polarity. Usually reissue labels such as Mobile Fidelity don’t change the polarity of the original CDs so their polarities are dependent upon the polarity of the label of the original compact discs. I only list the polarity of the CD layer on Hybrid SACDs, but I expect the SACD layer’s polarity is the same as its CD layer. A “The” at the beginning of a label name will be omitted for the purpose of alphabetizing but shown in parenthesis after the label name, e.g. (The).

I am going to invite George ( who is a member here) to comment further on this work and his thoughts on polarity in particular---

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FrantzM said:

HI

How does this polarity "wrongness" manifest itself?

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MylesBAstor said:

Did you ever read Clark Johnson's The Wood Effect?

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FrantzM said:

HI

How does this polarity "wrongness" manifest itself?

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mep said:

Imagine a drummer stomping on his foot pedal and the beater hitting the kick drum. In real life, as the beater strikes the drum head, a large postive going bass wave pushes into the room. Reversing the polarity will cause the sound to be a rarefaction instead of an excursion.

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mep said:

Frantz-It may be debatable if it's audible to you, but the point I was trying to make is if your system has reversed polarity or a recording has reversed polarity, when your woofers should be pushing air out into the room (excursion), they will sucking into the cabinet (rarefaction) instead. Will it make sound? Sure. Is it the correct sound? Not really. I think some people are more sensitive to absolute polarity than others. And maybe even the most sensitive couldn't detect a change if we tied them down to a chair, blindfolded them, gave their ears a good boxing, and then asked them to detect the change between correct polarity and reversed polarity. I could be wrong though.

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mep said:

Frantz-It may be debatable if it's audible to you, but the point I was trying to make is if your system has reversed polarity or a recording has reversed polarity, when your woofers should be pushing air out into the room (excursion), they will sucking into the cabinet (rarefaction) instead. Will it make sound? Sure. Is it the correct sound? Not really. I think some people are more sensitive to absolute polarity than others. And maybe even the most sensitive couldn't detect a change if we tied them down to a chair, blindfolded them, gave their ears a good boxing, and then asked them to detect the change between correct polarity and reversed polarity. I could be wrong though.

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Bruce B said:

If you had a more than one woofer in a system... as in the EA MM3, and one woofer was wired backwards, you would get a cancellation effect where it would not sound "right". Ask Mike about that one!

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Bruce B said:

If you had a more than one woofer in a system... as in the EA MM3, and one woofer was wired backwards, you would get a cancellation effect where it would not sound "right". Ask Mike about that one!

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FrantzM said:

Bruce not the same thing as a recording out of phase.. If you have two speakers reproducing the same sound i is almost intuitive to me that there can be cancellation. ..

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