System balance

[khenegar]

What is the best way to check your systems balance? How do u determine whether or not if it’s ur speakers Or the preamp or the amplifier or CD player or possibly acoustics? I’ve been noticing it kind of favoring the right side. I have martin login summits and I would like to check the output level on each one but I’m not sure of the best way to do that. Can someone point me in the right direction on where to start! thank u

 

[khenegar]

The above post/title should have said system balance not speaker balance!

 

[roberto]

What is the best way to check your systems balance? How do u determine whether or not if it’s ur speakers Or the preamp or the amplifier or CD player or possibly acoustics? I’ve been noticing it kind of favoring the right side. I have martin login summits and I would like to check the output level on each one but I’m not sure of the best way to do that. Can someone point me in the right direction on where to start! thank u

Hola Ken,

It is good to write to you again. First of all, let´s try the speakers. With your system turned off, swapp the speaker cables at the amp. Turn on your system, and check if you now have the left speaker singing louder. If you do, you just found the culprit. Your right Summit has less output. In other words, perhaps a weak panel...it is my guess.

If you have now the left singing louder, then put back the left speaker wires correct position: Turn off your power amp, and now right with right and left is left. change the input cables at the amp, left to right and right to left, and turn on the amp, listen. Do you have the same problem? This means that your amp is OK and the right Summit is the culprit. If now the left Summit sounds weaker, then it's the preamp. Turn off the amp. With the help of a Y, from the left or the right output of your preamp, and using the Y, connect the same channel to both inputs at the power amp. This will assure you to have a monophonic input signal. Listen, if both channels sounds with the same level, then the amp is OK and the preamp has a weaker channel. If you still have the right channel weaker, it is the Summit right.

I have a question. Do you listen to LPs? or only cds?...

I hope this can help to track down your problem.

Happy listening!

 

[JonFo]

The above post/title should have said system balance not speaker balance!

No problem, title changed to 'System Balance'

 

[JonFo]

Ken, Roberto is right about first checking the speakers themselves.

But as you and the others know, I've been pointing out the room itself and how the gear is placed into t makes a huge difference.
And unless the room is perfectly symmetrical, with the speakers placed symmetrically (down to the mm in all vectors) and any major treatments of furnishings equally symmetrical, there WILL be a variation in soundfield between the two speakers, guaranteed.

What is your room layout? Any pics?

As for metrics, I find the smartphone app 'Audio Tools' by Studio Six Digital to be a great resource for spotting level or frequency balance issues. The RTA metric specifically lets you see variations in balance during test tones.

 

[khenegar]

Ken, Roberto is right about first checking the speakers themselves.

But as you and the others know, I've been pointing out the room itself and how the gear is placed into t makes a huge difference.
And unless the room is perfectly symmetrical, with the speakers placed symmetrically (down to the mm in all vectors) and any major treatments of furnishings equally symmetrical, there WILL be a variation in soundfield between the two speakers, guaranteed.

What is your room layout? Any pics?

As for metrics, I find the smartphone app 'Audio Tools' by Studio Six Digital to be a great resource for spotting level or frequency balance issues. The RTA metric specifically lets you see variations in balance during test tones.

Well I just discovered that the front firing bass driver on the right summit is not working just the down firing woofer is working. The stat panel is working ok. Any suggestion on how I can check it out to see if it’s the amp/crossover or the bass driver it’s self? Thanks