Why do I see a stronger left channel?

[Alec124c41]

Have you tried this with a mono record? There is no guarantee that signal strength will be equal on a stereo recording. If you have a bass on the left and a rhythm guitar on the right ...

Cheers,
Alec

[pokearoo]

In servicing some stereo equipment I have noticed also some small variations in the outputs of pre-amps as the volume control is brought up and down. It seems that the potentiometers can wear (or even be manufactured) with a variance from one end of the scale to other.

I used the same signal in both channels and measured the output on an oscilloscope. The scope inverted one channel and added them, say left (inverted) and right. I adjusted the gain on one side of the scope to null the two signals. The result was to show the difference from one side and the other. A flat line on the scope was displayed when the 2 sides were equal. The dial was changed from one extreme to the other. The output showed a changing difference as the dial moved. Not always the same side is higher at all volumes, if you go and check the individual signals.

This result is typical of a range of equipment from Sony, Marantz and my McIntosh MX-112. Unless you can hear the difference I'm not sure it's worth worrying about it. Maybe adjust the balance or even look for newer higher quality potentiometers.

I like the idea of checking with a test LP. I'll check to see if the one I have can check the balance.

Great site, great Forum

[soundssupreme]

What about linking the left and right channels together going into the computer, i.e. making the input mono ? This would absolutely rule out any imbalance of the line in of the computer.
Unless you can hear the imbalance (particularly in the midrange), then I would not worry about it.

[Jim Leach]

Let's ponder this:

This was 1976. Records were mastered with nearfield monitors and/or headphones. You mentioned they sound right and image right, so the engineers did their job with the available technology.

Compare the sound to an all digital release of anything. But the all digital stuff looks better on the screen.

Who cares? The idea is to have good sound in an audio recording. I think you are over thinking it a bit. If it sounds good; it is good!

[soundssupreme]

If it sounds good; it is good!

I agree with that. If it doesn't sound imbalanced and you don'y notice it when you listen to it, why does it matter if the levels don't look right.
Going back to the days when cassette recorders were the order of the day if you wanted to archive (unless that is, you wanted to do it with reel to reel), then you should have seen the variation in channel balance with many records going by the recording level meters, yet they still sounded fine. I would rather have that than the probably perfect channel balance of a modern re-issue on cd.

[wordwizard]

... Balancing issues drive me crazy.

That's why they invented balance controls

[stepaan]

Hello!
I experience slightly different issue. It seems anything above cca 10 kHz is coming louder from the right channel. The rest of the frequency spectrum is "in place". Singing is OK, Snare drums are OK, but Hats, some cymbals and very high FXs come mostly from right hand side. Any help would be great!
Thank you,
Stepaan
Midranger: I would recommend you to try as many record you can. Try different wires, switch them, try headphones, if it's possible ask your friend to play your records on his/her gear, as someone has mentioned – try to obtain a digital copy and compare. Try to obtain another piece of the same record and compare. It helped me a lot. Now I know that error is definitely on my turntable (but still don't know what is it )

[soundssupreme]

Now I know that error is definitely on my turntable (but still don't know what is it ;-))

Many things can change balance between channels, and since you are sure the problem is with your turntable, these are some things you can look at :-

Check all cartridge alignment, i.e. Vertical tracking angle (tonearm height effects high frequency content). Azimuth (i.e. the angle of the stylus to record as viewed from the front). This will certainly effect balance, particularly in the high frequencies, and more so with elliptical than, for instance, a spherical stylus.
Check bias. Most cartridges don't actually need as much bias as is often set, i.e. 1 gramme is usually sufficient for playing weights up to around 2 grammes, so you can play around with the bias either side of the playing weight and see if this make a difference, but I would suggest the 1 gramme setting.
Channel balance of the cartridge. If the cartridge is fairly new and you have always had the problem since fitting it, the cartridge could have a low channel. This can happen !
Check all your connections from the cartridge right up to the amp, but especially the cartridge tags for bad connection. Apply some isopropyl alchohol to inside of the tags with a stylus brush and push the tags onto the cartridge pins a couple of times for each pin which should clean them. If is fitted to an SME style headshell, then clean the tags at the other end of the wires as well.
The only other thing that could effect balance that I can think of is either friction in the lateral bearings, or if the internal tonearm wire is twisted, for instance if it has been internally re-wired incorrectly, forcing bias on the tonearm.

I hope this helps you find the problem.

[stepaan]

soundssupreme: Thank you very much! It's amazing how many things can affect the quality those 30 years old gems Since I have bought my turntable at an internet auction site, I'm not sure in what condition the stylus really is. I have ordered a new one. I also have to visit a service, because it's Technics SL3 with a linear tracking tonearm, I doubt I could fix it (or make a proper settings) by myself...
But once again: thank you.

[soundssupreme]

soundssupreme: Thank you very much! It's amazing how many things can affect the quality those 30 years old gems ;-) Since I have bought my turntable at an internet auction site, I'm not sure in what condition the stylus really is. I have ordered a new one. I also have to visit a service, because it's Technics SL3 with a linear tracking tonearm, I doubt I could fix it (or make a proper settings) by myself...
But once again: thank you.

You're welcome. I hope you get it fixed soon (hopefully the stylus will sort it out for you).