What does the phase switch on an electronic crossover do?
It’s important to understand the difference between a reversal in “polarity” and a reversal, or change, in “phase.” Polarity problems are usually caused by the positive and negative speaker wires being hooked up backwards on a speaker. They should be corrected by connecting the speaker wires properly. Phase switches on electronic crossovers are meant to deal with a change in signal phase caused by an electronic crossover. An electronic crossover will alter the phase of the output signal by 90 degrees for every “order” of slope that the crossover uses (i.e. a 6 dB/octave, or 1st order, crossover will skew the output phasing by 90 degrees, a 12 dB/octave slope, 2nd order, will skew it by 180 degrees, and so on). The phase switch on an electronic crossover usually changes the phase of the output signal by 180 degrees. Depending on the interior dimensions of your vehicle, how the subwoofer is mounted, and where it is mounted, the bass may sound better if the phasing switch is utilized. Som