Stereo Imaging Issues and Hearing Test
 

Hello,

I hope to start a general discussion regarding an ongoing issue I have with stereo image centre. For a few years now, I have been bothered by the stereo centre image being off to the right: sometimes worse than others, sometimes I just don't notice... The issue has persisted for maybe four years, but it has become more bothersome of late. The issue has persisted through various speakers, amps, rooms and sources.

My current set up is in a non dedicated, open plan living room -- in a large old apartment building. The speakers are closer to a corner on the right, and open to the dinning room on the left. The speakers are about 9' apart and I sit in the dead centre, about the same distance away from them. The Tannoys are toed in about 4" to cross behind my head. There is about 6' of free air behind the sofa.

I recently did extensive re-measureing and setting-up the speakers; switching sides, channels, sources, distances etc. Regardless of set up, the centre image is consistently about 20° to the right. My girlfriend, who is not interested in audio, thought the centre was off the the left a bit...

----

Yesterday I finally had a hearing test. The technician said there wasn't anything conclusive that would point to what I described to him. And there was no physical blockage. However, I do have a somewhat significant dip approaching 4000hz in the left side. At this point is is the only thing that seems to explain my issue. I am no expert at this: perhaps it is only the high mids that are off but that messes with my entire sense of perception?

As an interesting side note, I cannot recall feeling the centre image being so off when demo'ing unfamiliar systems or when listening to headphones. Perhaps my brain over compensates in new environments.

All this being said, I comfortably enjoy my stereo with the balance knob at about a 1/4 turn to the left.

I wonder if there are others with this experience? Or if there are further tests I should pursue both in my system or in my head.

Thanks in advance for the general discussion. A little context: i'll be turning 40 in a couple months...

I'm assuming you've tried moving your speakers a little closer together?

Yeah, i started at 36" apart and landed where they are. The issue has transcended rooms.

Your shift of center focus makes sense. I have some hearing loss in both ears in the upper midrange, centered around 4k. My right ear is a little worse than my left, so I hear a slight shift to the left, maybe 5-10 degrees. It gets a little better when I wear my hearing aids. I also don’t notice it as much with headphones, perhaps because the in-your-head image makes the center a bit more diffuse than a speaker array in front of you.

...

I do have balance control and a Line Straight selection from the remote. So testing with balance control shifted and defeated is easy. Mono records are shifted to the right for me.

Interesting idea testing pink noise channel by channel at the listening position. I suppose an iPhone app would be accurate enough to get the idea.

This is a great point. The Sonus Faber/Sumiko Masters setup process often ends up with asymmetrical placement.

https://www.audioaficionado.org/showthread.php?p=979052

This is interesting to me, because I also have a significant drop off at 4k, but I don't have the same issue. The imaging is centered for me.

Two considerations...

When you say the off-balance image persisted through various equipment, rooms and sources, do you mean your rooms? Iow, do you experience this with other systems, besides your own? You might try listening to someone else's stereo or go to a dealer showroom to compare your experience there with what you hear in your apartment. That could localize the issue to your hearing or your context.

If I understand your description correctly, one speaker is near to a wall while the other has open space. If so, you get reflection on the side near the wall and some degree less on the open side. That difference in room boundaries could explain a shift in center fill.

I have experienced some recordings present off center, others do not.

Speaker placement is key

I would think hearing could be also be cause