[blackscorpio]

Recently noticed that the vocals sound a little bit to the left(when tweeters are positioned to be inside the listening triangle). First I thought it was placement issue, tried different positions then I thought may be something wrong with my electronics, tried a different setup. The vocals were not centered on most of the known music to me.

Then I switched the speakers(speaker placement makes tweeters to the outer edge), now the vocals moved to the right of centre. I believe something wrong with one speaker, can someone help me what could be the problem?

Thanks

[newzooreview]

Is your right ear to the tweeter on the right speaker the same distance as your left ear to the tweeter on the left speaker? That ear to speaker distance will shift left-right balance.

It does seem suspicious that the side that sounds off-centered shifts as you swap the speakers left and right, but confirming the fundamentals is a good starting point.

[blackscorpio]

Yes ear tweeter distance is same; did try lot of placement adjustments.

Right-left balance shouldn't shift when speakers are swapped right. I am very much sure.

Is there any easy way to test that? Any test that can be done at the speaker terminals or something.

[jsalk]

I would check to make sure all of the woofers are working.  I may be that one of them is not working properly and the midrange that would normally come from the pair in that speaker is outputting less because one of the woofers went bad.  Let us know what you find.

- Jim

[blackscorpio]

other things took priority, life I guess.

back to the issue, I will have to take time & remove the drivers & check them. Meanwhile, any chance that crossover can cause this channel imbalance?

I ruled out my pre btw. Borrowed one from a friend & tested it, still funny sounding. So, next thing is amp & drivers (as suggested).

[jsalk]

other things took priority, life I guess.

back to the issue, I will have to take time & remove the drivers & check them. Meanwhile, any chance that crossover can cause this channel imbalance?

I ruled out my pre btw. Borrowed one from a friend & tested it, still funny sounding. So, next thing is amp & drivers (as suggested).

It is highly unlikely that the crossover is the source of the issue.  I have only once seen a damaged crossover and that was when the owner ran white noise at full volume for 48 hours, burning up the resistors int he process.

- Jim

[blackscorpio]

It is highly unlikely that the crossover is the source of the issue.  I have only once seen a damaged crossover and that was when the owner ran white noise at full volume for 48 hours, burning up the resistors int he process.

- Jim

Thank you Jim.
I opened the drivers, I don't see any obvious signs. I checked the continuity and resistance with the basic MM I had. Both drivers show 6.x ohms and looks okay to me.

[blackscorpio]

Just took pictures of the inside also in case it helps.

Nothing looked suspicious to me.

[blackscorpio]

when checked the resistance at the speaker terminals, showing slight difference between the two floorstanders. About 0.4 to 0.5 difference. Does that matter?

[blackscorpio]

@jsalk anything else I need to check.

[jsalk]

@jsalk anything else I need to check.

It is hard to know what the issue is at a distance.  But here is what I would try...

Move the woofers from one speaker to the other and vice versa.  Does the issue move to the other speaker?  If so, the crossover is fine.  If not, it is probably the crossover (but this is unlikely).

Chances are the issue is related to the drivers (woofers).  So swap one of the woofers in each speaker.  Does the problem move to the other speaker.  If so, the driver you moved is probably at issue.  If the problem remains, swap the other woofers.  The issue should move.  Since you only moved one of the woofers, it is the woofer in the speaker with the issue that needs to be replaced.

This might take a little time, but you should be able to isolate the exact cause of the issue with these two (or three tests).

I you have questions about this, feel free to email me - jim at salksound.com.

- Jim

[blackscorpio]

It is hard to know what the issue is at a distance.  But here is what I would try...

Move the woofers from one speaker to the other and vice versa.  Does the issue move to the other speaker?  If so, the crossover is fine.  If not, it is probably the crossover (but this is unlikely).

Chances are the issue is related to the drivers (woofers).  So swap one of the woofers in each speaker.  Does the problem move to the other speaker.  If so, the driver you moved is probably at issue.  If the problem remains, swap the other woofers.  The issue should move.  Since you only moved one of the woofers, it is the woofer in the speaker with the issue that needs to be replaced.

This might take a little time, but you should be able to isolate the exact cause of the issue with these two (or three tests).

I you have questions about this, feel free to email me - jim at salksound.com.

- Jim

Will try that. Thank you!

[JakeJ]

Would a DCR check on the tweeters be a good idea too?  Since they are already open.

[rlee8394]

Try this little experiment when you get them put back together.  Used to find the exact balance from your balance control, if you have one.
1) Place the speakers facing each other about an inch apart or so.
2) Swap the speaker connections on one speaker. This puts the speakers out of phase with each other.
3) Play something in mono; music, white noise, test tone, whatever.
4) Adjust your balance control until you get a null output. The point where the sound is the lowest is the center.
5) Loosen balance knob and set to center and tighten.

Now in the case of no balance control, a null should already exist.
In your case if you get a null, then the speakers are fine and you should look at your room, speaker placement, or any other change you may have made.
If you don't have or can't achieve a null, then you are correct that the output of the speakers do not match. You may be able to tell which driver is at fault if you get/have a null at one frequency extreme but not at the other extreme.

-Ron

[blackscorpio]

Okay I am back with after some more experiments.

1. swapped the woofer(s), same output, same issue.
2. changed the electronics, I had a Denon AVR 3312, still the same issue. (DAC->BD RCA Input on the AVR->speaker FR&FL (room correction,whatsoever, disabled))
3. I have a pair of Ascend acoustics CBM-170SE, same room & same electronics chain, with these speakers sounds GOOD.

At this point, I suspect only the crossover. I wrote to Jim, enquiring about replacement crossovers, while I do some more troubleshooting.

[Rocket]

Hello,

Just to clarify what happened when you swapped the woofers from one speaker to the other?  Did the problem stay the same in the suspect speaker or did it move?

1. swapped the woofer(s), same output, same issue./quote]

Thank you for the clarification.

Regards Rod

[blackscorpio]

Hello,

Just to clarify what happened when you swapped the woofers from one speaker to the other?  Did the problem stay the same in the suspect speaker or did it move?

1. swapped the woofer(s), same output, same issue./quote]

Thank you for the clarification.

Regards Rod

It stayed the same.

[Rocket]

Hi,

I guess you have 2 options one is to replace the components on the crossover and the other is to replace the mid bass drivers. It a really tricky issue...  I suppose you've tried different music to ensure that its not the source?


Regards Rod

[blackscorpio]

Hi,

I guess you have 2 options one is to replace the components on the crossover and the other is to replace the mid bass drivers. It a really tricky issue...  I suppose you've tried different music to ensure that its not the source?


Regards Rod

Yes I tried my favorite playlist.

why do you think I may need to replace the bass drivers, as they seem to be fine?

[Rocket]

Hi,

I guess like Jim said its unlikely to be a crossover component that is causing the problem. The drivers are fairly cheap and they would totally exclude the possibility of damaged drivers and you would also have a backup pair if required.

I have had problems in the past with the recording being left of centre.

All the best.

Regards Rod