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Want to Blow Up My Stereo

If anyone has ideas as to the culprit of my issue I'd sure love to hear it.

For I don't know how long I've had an issue with my stereo putting the center of the image just inside the right speaker. This week I decided to "fix" the issue, and began trying everything I could think of. I had previously tried all the usual suspects: swapping the left and right interconnects, swapping the speakers, changing speaker positions. I've added a preamp (no effect on this issue), changed CD players, interconnects, and speaker cables. I thought for the longest the issue was the 24" dropoff in depth of the back wall, as the sound "pools" just inside that dropoff. But this week I've tried even putting the stereo on the flat, long wall instead of the short wall. I've also tried reversing the polarity of the interconnects and the phase on the preamp. (As an aside, reversing the polarity of only the interconnects from CDP to preamp resulted in a mirror image of the image shift, but the sound was very diffuse with no bass at all, and inverting the phase on the preamp had very little effect on the sound.) I've tried moving my room treatments (GIK absorption panels and Echo Busters diffusers) with very little if any effect. I tried moving the speakers completely against the side walls, very close together, and with the left speaker 3 feet closer to the side wall than the right. The image doesn't move. I just want to take a sledgehammer to my entire system. I haven't built a (I don't even want to think about how much money) ridiculously expensive system by sane person's standards (just ask my wife) to have some stupid issue like this that doesn't exist with my "normal" investment home theater.

And if you had any idea how many times I've had to edit this post to remove foul language and inappropriate phrases I think you'd feel my pain a bit more...or maybe not.

At any rate, please help.

Link to system: http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vdone&1258245716&view
aggielaw
tvad
9,467 posts
 
If this has been a problem regardless of equipment swaps, then that rules out equipment as the source, IMO.

I'd venture to guess that it's a speaker placement issue. I had a similar problem in my room (although mine wasn't as extreme as your seems to be). I solved the problem by adjusting speaker placement using the Sumiko (or Iron Chef) method. It resulted in one speaker being a bit farther out into the room than the other speaker, and the toe-in angles being slightly different as well. Correct speaker placement is often asymmetrical.

Now, you could always cheat by using some attenuators like these EVS Ultimate Attenuators at the amps as balance controls...

Good luck.
mtrspt5
11 posts
 
Tvad,

Couldn't the EVS attenuators be used to balance the output of two different amps in a biamp arrangement. My thought would be to use them on the bass amps with SS to balance my tubes on the mid/tweet. Cost effective?
seditious3
183 posts
 
Maybe ask your speaker manufacturer for placement advice? Could help.
tvad
9,467 posts
 
01-08-10: Mtrspt5
Tvad,

Couldn't the EVS attenuators be used to balance the output of two different amps in a biamp arrangement.
Perhaps. I haven't tried it myself. You should probably pose this question to Rick Shultz of EVS.

I believe the recommended method for your application is to use an external crossover.
tpsonic
1,092 posts
 
The most important thing one of my mentors had said to me:the visual center and acoustical center may occur in different places.Think of setting up the speakers,as three different "planes" (not aero).Left,center,right.Left will control that occuring L-speaker outward.Same with right and the center is summed L+R (adj for image focus and proper weighting in the bass).One speaker will anchor the soundstage.Then finding the appropriate "other" may be easier.The final set-up may not be symetrical (as mentioned above)IE:toe-in,distance from back wall.
Try starting out with no absorption-this can lead to shorter image height or pooling of the sound.Any absorbative material should be up in the corners-if a must.
Where are you located?? As I'm sure a fellow member would be willing to lend assistance.Tom
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