ATTN: PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
For those of you who run tube mono bloc amplifiers and just can't seem to dial in a good center image or soundstage, I may have the solution. (this can also be found in stereo units as well)
This does not apply to SET designs:
You will need to do a test to see if your mono blocs or stereo amp's channel's are in phase with each other. The easiest way to do this test is with the phase track on Stereophile's Test CD3.
If you do not have this CD, don't worry as you can still test the phase of your system. To do this, reverse the phase of the speaker cables on only ONE channel (be sure to turn of the amp first). Also be sure to do it ONLY at either the amplifier or speaker, not both...
If this results in a much more focused center image, let me know.
After modifying over 500 amplifiers including many sets of mono blocs over the last few years, I have found that many of them were wired out of phase at the output transformer's primaries. Reversing the phase of one channel's speaker cables will fix the problem and you can live happily ever after.
You would be stunned to know how many are listening to tube amplifiers that have their channels out of phase with each other and don't even realize it. If you have been listening out of phase, fixing this problem will make to feel lik eyou just purchased a whole new system.
I hope this little service helps those who could not figure out why they are not getting the imaging and soundstaging that their speaker or amplifier manufacturers are claiming.
If you do this little test and find out you are a victim of this situation, please let us know by posting your findings here.
