What is Phase?
Phase is defined as a fraction of a complete cycle, and is usually expressed in degrees. Sound travels in waves, and waves are divided into degrees. The total number of degrees in a wave is 360 (just like in a circle). When you talk about the phase of a wave, you often refer to the number of degrees a wave has already fluctuated. This is important in sound, since many things can go wrong with phase and make a speaker system sound bad. The most common thing that goes wrong, is that some doofus hooks up one or more speakers out of phase. Most commonly, a subwoofer is hooked up backwards compared to its mate. Then, it is 180 degrees out of phase. The result is that the one woofer is moving out, while the other is going in, and you get piss poor bass performance. Phase can also affect performance between subs, mids, and highs.
Your amplified subwoofer system comes from the factory wired in phase with the PHASE switch in the 0 degree position. Depending on your room, and the placement of your amplified system vis a vis your main speakers, there is a possibility that you will have more bass if you switch the PHASE switch to the 180 degree position. We suggest that once you have set up your system, you experiment with this setting.
