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The device in question is a $25K CD transport

The CD transport is listed on the manufacturer's website as having polarity switching function. It is also mentioned in their owner's manual it has polarity switching function. The problem is - there is no polarity status indicator on the display screen.

When asked about this, the owner/founder's son (supposedly) checked with their engineers and then replied that the transport doesn't actually have this feature, and they had erroneously included it on their website and manual. (This product has been in the market since 2016!!!)

He further said that while the transport will recognised the infrared signal being received, it will not do anything.

However,...


....after having tried many discs, (including the Sheffield/XLO disc with the 2 absolute polarity tracks - "stormy weather") I can say I definitely heard differences in every case between the 2 settings.

That means the transport can actually switch polarity, but there is no status indicator so user will not know unless they take effort to listen and check carefully.

After each polarity presses aiming towards the transport, and covering the dac display panel to ensure not affecting it as well, I was shocked that I can hear distinct sound differences in imaging delineation, image palpability, dynamic impact and detail resolution.

To ensure that what I'm hearing is not due to any additional effects brought on by the remote control infrared codes entering into the transport, possibly causing momentarily disruption to the transport's power supply, and subsequently it's sound quality, I used the following method of checking:

Cover DAC display panel
Press polarity button and aim at the transport.
Check transport display panel for the momentary indicator at the bottom right hand corner that command codes have been received
Power off the DAC (using rocker switch at the back panel)
Power off the transport (using rocker switch at the back panel. Power off at the mains switch)
Power up the Transport
Load a cd. Let it read TOC and settle
Power up the DAC
Press [PLAY] button on the Transport

Using the above methods i cue up music from different CDs to play. Subsequently I heard changes in imaging delineation, palpability, dynamic impact and detail resolution. The sonic differences are so distinct I could easily identify which polarity status I had been listening for that last 1 year, and it had been the wrong one!!!

What this means is that despite what the manufacturer's son is claiming, the polarity button on their remote control does affect their $25K transport, and that each polarity status carried on even after the transport has been switched off completely with the rocker switch at the back and from the mains switch.

As for measurements I was told that the best way to test this would be using a test CD with a sine wave signal. If the output is connected to an oscilloscope or similar test equipment that can display a time-varying signal (some PC software are said to be able to do this). I was told that i can then see the sine wave flip its polarity if inverted.

However, after playing a 1kHz sine wave on CD disc through the transport and checking the output response through the speakers with a pc based oscilloscope, I was still unable to see any positive/negative wave flipping, as I understand, the acquisition is time continuous.

So now I need to find, either a CD track that contains only 1 half of the sine wave, or as what I was told earlier, a pc based oscilloscope that is able to control it's acquisition timing.

Any suggestion?

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