Question for the MASTERS here.

[Nipper]

This is a question regarding vintage amps I have not seen addressed anywhere else. I could be looking for the topic incorrectly but I trust you guys.

If some of the gurus here (you know who you are) would share an opinion on this it would be greatly appreciated.

Older amplifiers did not have a polarized power plug. With this in mind... It is possible to plug it in upside down so to speak and have the hot and neutral switched. Would or could this have any effect on the amplifier?

If you can answer this please take a moment to explain why it would or wouldn't.


Thanks in advance!

[gvasale]

The overwehlming majority of amplifiers discussed here all use power transformers which negate having a polarized plug. In the unusual case where one might have a 3 wire ac cord, this is for extra security. Better minds can offer additional details.

[Nipper]

Hmmmmmm.
I dont know a lot about amplifier construction. I am just looking at this from an electrical point of view.

Newer amps that have transformers have a polarized plug. It could be a UL requirement now? Most everything that runs on 120v I buy now has one.

There are some really fanatic folks that would swear the "monster" speaker wires can make a difference. I personally never heard it. This might be a similar issue. It seems like someone who is that particular about their connections might have thought about this.

Most people here would agree that switching the speaker cables will cause them to operate out of phase. With that in mind it seems to me that the chassis of the amp should always be connected to the neutral especially since a lot of them have a ground lug.


If you had an older amp, would there be any benefit to installing a polarized plug?

[Steve Mac]

It's for safety...there are many articles out there...this explains the basics:
WHY THREE PRONGS? Electrical ground, stray voltage

[bfish]

(disclaimer: I claim Jack-of-all-Trades, MASTER of none status)

Everything after '48 at least had the option of polarized plugs, since all receptacles (in the US) made after that had to be polarized (NEMA 1). If there was advantage to polarization, they took it.

Things were a little different then too, we weren't so helpless as now... As kids, it was our job to unplug the TV and radio after use so lightning wouldn't get them. To reconnect, we had to look for the brass terminal and plug it into one (can't remember which) side of the outlet.

I'll bet there are at least a few here that can remember porcelain surface devices and in-the-room wiring on insulators... :mooning:

[Art J.]

(disclaimer: I claim Jack-of-all-Trades, MASTER of none status)

Everything after '48 at least had the option of polarized plugs, since all receptacles (in the US) made after that had to be polarized (NEMA 1). If there was advantage to polarization, they took it.

Things were a little different then too, we weren't so helpless as now... As kids, it was our job to unplug the TV and radio after use so lightning wouldn't get them. To reconnect, we had to look for the brass terminal and plug it into one (can't remember which) side of the outlet.

I'll bet there are at least a few here that can remember porcelain surface devices and in-the-room wiring on insulators... :mooning:

ROTF
Hey Fish, well I did get my E-1 Masters in Electrical during the time of the hot chassis.
It was great back then because it kept DIYers hands out of our stuff.
Things are a lot different now and todays answer to such questions would be Google it.

[gvasale]

Going to the phasing question, Its an easy thing to check and noticable if the bass output seems weak or the imaging shifts as you move your head from side to side. Just replacing cables, without checking to see if the wires are done right will be 50-50 to be out of phase.