FH-168 polarity tool. Do you trust it?
12-01-2018, 09:39 PM
#1
FH-168 polarity tool. Do you trust it?
Picked one of these up from Amazon for 8 bucks just to double check things moving forward. Tried it out tonight using the +++- track from DandF tool box and it’s telling me I have the polarity reversed on Every. Single. Speaker. I’m no pro installer but I am a 17 year Master Lexus Tech and know my way around a wiring diagram. Everything is wired per the diagrams pulled directly from Ford Installer Support. I do have to admit that I changed the polarity on the sub as it is the easiest to access, and it does sound better. Tighter with more accurate kick drum. So I gotta wonder, should I trust this thing and change everything else? Or look for a backup tester / second opinion? I downloaded the speaker pop app on iPhone, a waste of 5 bucks.
12-01-2018, 09:44 PM
#2
Grab a 9 volt battery and connect it to your speaker leads one speaker at a time. If the cone moves outward, your polarity is correct. If the cone moves inward, your polarity is wrong.
12-01-2018, 10:26 PM
#3
I could do that all day long. They’re wired correct according to the diagram. What if the diagram is wrong? Or the source unit polarity is incorrect? Nothing would surprise me in a Ford lol
12-02-2018, 05:38 AM
#4
Senior Member
Picked one of these up from Amazon for 8 bucks just to double check things moving forward. Tried it out tonight using the +++- track from DandF tool box and it’s telling me I have the polarity reversed on Every. Single. Speaker. I’m no pro installer but I am a 17 year Master Lexus Tech and know my way around a wiring diagram. Everything is wired per the diagrams pulled directly from Ford Installer Support. I do have to admit that I changed the polarity on the sub as it is the easiest to access, and it does sound better. Tighter with more accurate kick drum. So I gotta wonder, should I trust this thing and change everything else? Or look for a backup tester / second opinion? I downloaded the speaker pop app on iPhone, a waste of 5 bucks.
I'm coming from 30 years of stereo Hi-Fi, mostly tube gear that I have restored. repaired or updated myself. You are reading the schematics correctly, no doubt. The gizmo you got is probably true. DHMcfadin is correct with the 9 volt battery test. However audio polarity is a subjective term as you can attest to because you witnessed it by changing polarity on your sub. A simple trick to try at home on a stereo set-up, I don't know how it would work in a vehicle, is to sit and listen. If the soundstage sounds as if it is behind you reverse polarity. The soundstage will move to the front. Now here is the kicker. Although you have wired your system correctly electrically, how do you know the polarity the material was recorded in? You have about a 50/50 shot there. I spent many hours years ago experimenting. swapping polarity at the source (Vinyl & CD) only to give in and say F##K it.
12-02-2018, 12:14 PM
#5
All great points. In the end it’s your ears that tell the tale. The tools help us see what we think we may hear. My ears didn’t say anything was glaringly wrong with the miss and highs, as EVERYTHING was on the same polarity, albeit reversed. After installing this sub, I could hear that something was off. The kick drum was sloppy, and the low bass I could feel but not hear. It’s a new install tho and a vehicle is a horrible environment. I didn’t know if it just was the way this particular box in this particular location in this particular vehicle was going to sound or if something was wrong. The tool helped me to see what I thought I was hearing. I could have played with all the dials and spent weeks tweaking things until I figured it out, but the tool saved me a pile of time and head scratching. 8 bucks well spent I suppose.
I tried the tool on my home theater system today using the same track. Klipsch Reference with a Pioneer Elite receiver. Everything checked out OK except for one rear satellite tweeter. I had been hearing a cancellation / oddity in the rear stage since I’ve had this setup, 5+ years now, and the tool verified what I already knew was there. Now I know what to tweak. It also gave me some confidence in the tool and less confidence in the Ford.
I’ll be installing a 4 channel amp in the Ford within the next couple weeks and will make the polarity changes when I do the harness.
I tried the tool on my home theater system today using the same track. Klipsch Reference with a Pioneer Elite receiver. Everything checked out OK except for one rear satellite tweeter. I had been hearing a cancellation / oddity in the rear stage since I’ve had this setup, 5+ years now, and the tool verified what I already knew was there. Now I know what to tweak. It also gave me some confidence in the tool and less confidence in the Ford.
I’ll be installing a 4 channel amp in the Ford within the next couple weeks and will make the polarity changes when I do the harness.