ricktate Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 I was wondering if anyone used a DB metter to set balance? I dont know if its my receiver or room making my balance off but i have to run balance turned to boost the left channel. Any commets or help would be great.Thanks Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Don't use them. I move my chair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Out of phase speakers can cause apparent imbalance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted December 15, 2011 Author Share Posted December 15, 2011 Well its not that far off and know phase is correct. I was just wondering what would be best way to test it.I have a DB meter a forum member sent me as a gift,,,wow huh.I'm sure some amps are not balanced perfect.Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 I turn on mono, close my eyes, and move the balance until it sounds as though the singer is coming from right in front of me. Then I open my eyes, and see where the balance knob is. I am pretty sure my left and right ear hearing are the same, but I aint no spring chicken at 49. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 http://www.aperionaudio.com/AperionU/spl.aspx This is a link on how to use the SPL meter. It is concise and easy to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I turn on mono, close my eyes, and move the balance until it sounds as though the singer is coming from right in front of me. Then I open my eyes, and see where the balance knob is. I am pretty sure my left and right ear hearing are the same, but I aint no spring chicken at 49. Doing what "mustang guy" suggests is the easiest way to set it. There are many variables at play here- room acoustics, slight efficiency differences between the speakers (try switching them between the 2 channels and see if you now have to swing the balance control to favor the right channel), differences in power output between the 2 amp channels, and your own ears. Remember also that potentiometers are rarely balanced to provide exactly the same resistance between the midpoint of rotation and the ends. And ganged potentiometers (as used for the volume control of stereo amps) never allow exact tracking between the 2 channels. So, at a given setting, one channel may be providing more signal than the other. Is this something that has developed now, or has it always been that way? And does it happen with any source that you're listening to, or just with a particular one? The other factor, which many never consider, is whether you have a large gob of wax in your ear canal which is attenuating the level. I'm my ENT doc's favorite patient as I come in 2-3 times/year to have everything cleaned out. I can actually tell when it's time as my high frequency response decreases when the buildup gets to a certain point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Several things come into play (not withstanding the placement of speakers in a room). First is the source recording balance. LP's often seem to be biased to one side or another. Second is how the recording or source was made. Usually you can detect that as Mustang said by looking for the voice. Sometimes, however... the amp or reciever needs to be adjusted for balance, etc. Whenever I "suspect" that an amp's left or right channel may not be performing, I'll set the source (not the amp) to mono (I use an FM receiver with a 1 khz test tone for that purpose), and it's real easy to find out if the amp is the problem. What you should do however, in addition to what Mustang said, is to swap the source inputs. If the weak SPL follows the swap, then it's the source. Then swap the speakers from L to R and see whether or not the issue follows the speaker. Eventually you will track it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.H.E. Droid Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I was wondering if anyone used a DB metter to set balance? I dont know if its my receiver or room making my balance off but i have to run balance turned to boost the left channel. Any commets or help would be great.Thanks Rick I can't figure out why this should be an issue that demands a lot of effort. Getting the balance set up to your listening position is what the control is there for in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I don't even have a balance control. MyTube Pre-amp has left and right volume controls. I set them about the same. If one is too loud, I back it off a bit until it sounds right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennie Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I was wondering if anyone used a DB metter to set balance? I dont know if its my receiver or room making my balance off but i have to run balance turned to boost the left channel. Any commets or help would be great.Thanks Rick I can't figure out why this should be an issue that demands a lot of effort. Getting the balance set up to your listening position is what the control is there for in the first place. I use the Balance "Knob" in my set up. I sit on the right side of the room/couch and have the left speaker 3 to 5 db louder than the right. No problems at all. So, to answer the original question. Yes! You can use a SPL Meter to adjust the balance with great results. Dennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted December 16, 2011 Author Share Posted December 16, 2011 I know thats what the balance knob is for i just wondered what everybody else did to fix the problem. Also wondered if it was a common problem with amps or more of the room problems.Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennie Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I know thats what the balance knob is for i just wondered what everybody else did to fix the problem. Also wondered if it was a common problem with amps or more of the room problems.Rick Where do you sit? Do you sit in the very center of the room? How far away from the speakers do you sit. Are the speakers up against the back wall? Side walls? The more info you can give us, the better we can help. Since you are now calling it a problem, we need details. Cables/interconnects? Amp? Room? Source? Carpet? Chair? Is it high back? Etc......? Dennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Oshiro Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I know thats what the balance knob is for i just wondered what everybody else did to fix the problem. Also wondered if it was a common problem with amps or more of the room problems.Rick All of the equipment in the playback chain is subject to production tolerances, so small balance control adjustments are expected, say +/- 3 dB if the volume controls are two-section analog controls. Digital controls should be good within milli-dB <one of my favorite measurement units!>. Detented analog controls aren't that trustworthy either. The detents tell you the angle of the control shaft, not the amount of attenuation the control has. Stepped attenuators can be much better if close tolerance <expensive> resistors are used, but stepped attenuators also require multi-deck switches with a lot of positions <expensive>. Speakers are far from "flat" and have sensitivty variations. In a good room with electronic components tweaked for identical gain and the speakers reasonably flat, you will be able to hear fractional-dB gain differences between the two channels. If the listening room and speakers are acoustically symmetric about the listening position, you can safely eliminate the room as the problem. I wouldn't recommend using an SPL meter to set the balance control. An SPL meter measures acoustic pressure. It doesn't hear or perceive anything. It doesn't separate the direct sound from reflected sound. It doesn't indicate the direction from which the sound comes. I just tells you the SPL at the microphone location, and that's not enough to tell you if the soundstage is correct. Long story short, twist the knob like the man said... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted December 16, 2011 Author Share Posted December 16, 2011 That was good...just twist the knob...got to love it..lol.....well this has went farther than i thought. But will use the meter when everyone is out of the house if that ever happens..lol....Thanks for all the ideas and iformation. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Hope nobody thought of throwing a rock at those while he had them on. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillerman Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 I chased an issue like this myself. My conclusion, after swapping interconnects and speakers, was that my room's furnishings had the most to do with the L/R imbalance. I find that I need to adjust the balance control to favor the L side somewhat. My listening room is symmetrical, and the speakers are equidistant from the back and side walls, but there are more large pieces of stuffed furniture on the L side than the R side. Hence, I think my imbalance of furniture is absorbing more of the sound on the L side of the room. As others have said, I set to mono with a center recorded vocalist or FM DJ and adjust the balance control until the voice is dead center. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I don't even have a balance control. MyTube Pre-amp has left and right volume controls. I set them about the same. If one is too loud, I back it off a bit until it sounds right. [Y]... One of my tube setups is like that. I use volume output on CD player to adjust level from my chair after setting up the preamp for balance. Taz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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