Right channel sounds louder in stereo mode

[dpristin]

Hi everybody,

Has anybody experienced anything similar – I have a 5.1 Ascend setup powered by Marantz SR-8400 and calibrated using a RadioShack SPL meter. Everything sounds as expected (perfectly centered) when I play movies or multichannel music (including Circle Surround mode - similar to DPLII) but in 2-channel mode the image seems to be shifted to the right; both me and my wife can notice that. The decoding is done by the receiver so CD player is not to blame. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Regards,
Dmitry.

[curtis]

I would try test tones with your SPL meter first, but it seems like your receiver has different channel level settings in stereo mode.

Some receivers have different channel levels per input.

[Eddie Horton]

Ditto what Curtis said. Go through the receiver's setup menu and see if it stores different channel levels for each input or DSP setting.

[nhan070]

I've experienced something similar. What I discovered is the effect was due to the room configuration. On the wall to the right (where the image is shifted) is a large window with vertical blinds (some times opened and some times closed). And on the wall to the left is just plain ole flat dry wall with nothing on it. As most know, having a flat plain wall isn't a good thing b/c of sound cancelation.

Anyways, I find that if I close the blinds (simiulating the flat surface of the other wall) the imaging improves otherwise it is wacked. I also tried hanging something on the left wall (using mirror reflection method to locate point of reflection) at one time and that also helped. I'm currently in the process of looking for something to place on the left wall permanently (acoustics panel or equivalent) to statisfy the WAF.

I also experienced this shift while helping a friend calibrate his system (not Ascends ). And I found the problem was also due to the room configuration and speaker placement although the SPL meter check out fine. He had the right speaker placed in a corner spot while his left speaker was opened to the room.

So this might be the problem.... so what's your setup?

[dpristin]

Hmm - I checked the manual and it turns out that my receiver doesn't have that option (separate settings for each input). The only thing that I could think of is if I pressed the "Source-direct" button which defeats all the processing. I'll verify this when I'm home.

Thanks for the advice!
D.

[dpristin]

I've experienced something similar. What I discovered is the effect was due to the room configuration. On the wall to the right (where the image is shifted) is a large window with vertical blinds (some times opened and some times closed). And on the wall to the left is just plain ole flat dry wall with nothing on it. As most know, having a flat plain wall isn't a good thing b/c of sound cancelation.

Anyways, I find that if I close the blinds (simiulating the flat surface of the other wall) the imaging improves otherwise it is wacked. I also tried hanging something on the left wall (using mirror reflection method to locate point of reflection) at one time and that also helped. I'm currently in the process of looking for something to place on the left wall permanently (acoustics panel or equivalent) to statisfy the WAF.

I also experienced this shift while helping a friend calibrate his system (not Ascends ). And I found the problem was also due to the room configuration and speaker placement although the SPL meter check out fine. He had the right speaker placed in a corner spot while his left speaker was opened to the room.

So this might be the problem.... so what's your setup?

Well - in this case wouldn't the soundstage be shifted on one side in every mode (both surround and stereo)? That's exactly the weird thing - surround mode works just fine (even a simulated surround like CS or DPLII), only stereo causes problems. But to be fair - the room is ugly. It's L-shaped and there is "a large window with vertical blinds (some times opened and some times closed)" . And guess what - one of CMT-340s is closer to a corner than another. Well - I need to think about buying a new house for my Ascends .

[nhan070]

Well - in this case wouldn't the soundstage be shifted on one side in every mode (both surround and stereo)?

I'm not sure but it appears to me the shift isn't as apparent with all the speakers "active". Especially for the front stage where you have the three active sources where the center ch. might be alleviating some of the shift vs basic 2 channel where impact to imaging would will be more prominent.

...I'm totally with you...on that new house fix idea...

[dpristin]

...On another hand - addition of the center speaker (as opposite to a pure stereo) would probably pull the soundstage slightly to the left thus reducing the effect of the room acoustics...

[dpristin]

I'm not sure but it appears to me the shift isn't as apparent with all the speakers "active". Especially for the front stage where you have the three active sources where the center ch. might be alleviating some of the shift vs basic 2 channel where impact to imaging would will be more prominent.

...I'm totally with you...on that new house fix idea...

You beat me on this one

[Lou-the-dog]

I've had exactly the same experience as nahn070 and in 5 channel it doesn't seem to be as prominent. Try moving that "weaker" sounding speaker forward six inches or reduce the tow-in on the "stronger" speaker a few degrees.

Randy