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[Steve Mason]

Is there an easy way to check/test speaker polarity without having to open every speaker cabinet and make sure they are all wired the same way?

[Scott Holtzman]

Is there an easy way to check/test speaker polarity without having to open every speaker cabinet and make sure they are all wired the same way?

Apply a little DC and make sure the cones all move the same way (assuming they are supposed to by design).

[John Penkala]

Is there an easy way to check/test speaker polarity without having to open every speaker cabinet and make sure they are all wired the same way?

You can use a galaxy cricket device $99. Or, do the 9v battery test or a sine wave sweep and use your ears. More importantly, you should know what "right" is for your speaker. There are loudspeaker systems in which drivers are deliberately wired in reversed polarity. And it's correct for them. 

[John Roberts {JR}]

There are audio polarity check devices (like cricket) but they can be fooled by crossover phase shift.

If you have two identical speakers play them side by side with white/pink noise. If you hear any suck-outs that suggests a polarity flip of one driver.

JR

[Steve Mason]

Thanks for the quick replies.  They are 6 matched (same model) subs and when I ran them up together last weekend and did not notice a strong power alley when I was walking the lot. Making me think one or two could be "mis-wired".  Prosumer Peaveys and first time I have run them all together.  I will look into it.  Thanks again

[Tim McCulloch]

Thanks for the quick replies.  They are 6 matched (same model) subs and when I ran them up together last weekend and did not notice a strong power alley when I was walking the lot. Making me think one or two could be "mis-wired".  Prosumer Peaveys and first time I have run them all together.  I will look into it.  Thanks again

Hi Steve-

For a front-loaded bass reflex subwoofer the 9v battery test will suffice.  In *most* subwoofers a positive voltage applied to the red or + terminal should cause the cones to move away from the magnet (or toward you, if that makes more sense).

Make sure all your cables are wired correctly; often a sub that is presumed to be miswired internally is being powered by a cable that "looks right" to casual inspection but is wired backwards on one end.  At the very least check all your sub cables to make sure they're the same.

[Don T. Williams]

If you are only comparing two like subs that are close to each other (side by side), and with bass heavy music playing, a simple test is to unplug one speaker.  If the bass gets louder, they have drivers wired with reversed polarities.  This won't work with 6 subs at once or with mismatched units.  Phase relationships get really complex when different models and different brands are mixed.

[Steve Mason]

Hi Steve-

Make sure all your cables are wired correctly; often a sub that is presumed to be miswired internally is being powered by a cable that "looks right" to casual inspection but is wired backwards on one end.  At the very least check all your sub cables to make sure they're the same.

Using heavy gauge Pig Hog brand cables which have hard plastic encased ends. Quality cable but I have to assume they are properly wired as the ends can not be opened to inspect.

[Steve Mason]

If you are only comparing two like subs that are close to each other (side by side), and with bass heavy music playing, a simple test is to unplug one speaker.  If the bass gets louder, they have drivers wired with reversed polarities.  This won't work with 6 subs at once or with mismatched units.  Phase relationships get really complex when different models and different brands are mixed.

Thanks Don.  That's why I went with these matched single subs.  It allows me to send them out in pairs for small gigs but I can bring them all out together when I have some bigger or outdoors. Not mixing subs is a lesson learned from reading these boards.

[Steve Mason]

So for the record a speaker cable with a banana plug on one end and a 1\4" on the other makes a fine piece of equipment for bridging across a 9 volt battery.  Succeasfultest on a speaker at the house. Be testing all of the subs tomorrow. Thank you all for your help.

[Ivan Beaver]

Using heavy gauge Pig Hog brand cables which have hard plastic encased ends. Quality cable but I have to assume they are properly wired as the ends can not be opened to inspect.

An ohm meter and a couple of seconds will tell you if the cable is wired correctly

[Michael Lawrence]

You could also use free software such as Room EQ Wizard to run sine sweeps (or Smaart if you have it) , then overlay all the phase traces. I do this as part of a routine bench test, and also to check boxes before an install.

SynAudCon- Line Array Checkout

[Tim McCulloch]

You could also use free software such as Room EQ Wizard to run sine sweeps (or Smaart if you have it) , then overlay all the phase traces. I do this as part of a routine bench test, and also to check boxes before an install.

SynAudCon- Line Array Checkout

Probably overkill for the simple test the OP needs.

[Michael Lawrence]

Probably overkill for the simple test the OP needs.

Probably. Depends how many boxes there are, I suppose.

[Stu McDoniel]

There are a few apps for android phones

JBL tools app has a polarity check

Polarity tester is another app

Youtube has pulses

[ProSoundWeb Community]