Why is a balance control necessary?
Posted by: belsizepark on 27 June 2002
My understanding (and I stand to be corrected) is that unnecessary circuitary in preamps and other hifi equiptment are best to be avoided or they cause distortion. (This was an explanation I received for no bass and treble controls).
The balance control on my preamp has always been set to centre and when I have looked at other peoples hifi I have noticed the same thing.
I would be interested to know if anyone actually uses the balance control on their preamp and if so why?
Thanks in advance
Regards
Belsizepark
The balance control on my preamp has always been set to centre and when I have looked at other peoples hifi I have noticed the same thing.
I would be interested to know if anyone actually uses the balance control on their preamp and if so why?
Thanks in advance
Regards
Belsizepark
Posted on: 27 June 2002 by Phil Barry
I did with my 62 and 72. I listen at low volume, and depending on where I placed the volume knob, balance shifted slightly. I shifted it back with the balance control.
Phil
Phil
Posted on: 27 June 2002 by Arthur Bye
A bit of heresy here.
For WAF I keep my listening chair to one side of the room. When I'm too lazy to move the chair for a proper listening position I use the balance control. Very convenient.
Arthur Bye
For WAF I keep my listening chair to one side of the room. When I'm too lazy to move the chair for a proper listening position I use the balance control. Very convenient.
Arthur Bye
Posted on: 27 June 2002 by Andrew L. Weekes
I've removed the balance control in my 42.5, and replaced it with fixed resistors to match the existing pot impedance (which is low-loss at centre type).
I then added a simple toggle switch in the front panel, to allow checking of left and right channels when wiring speakers etc.
There is some small sonic gain to be had from removing what is a rather horrible carbon pot from the signal path. As a bare minimum it will reduce microphony in the preamp.
A.
P.S. I've always wanted to know why Naim use that bloody ch.1 / ch.2 nomenclature, now all is explained!
I then added a simple toggle switch in the front panel, to allow checking of left and right channels when wiring speakers etc.
There is some small sonic gain to be had from removing what is a rather horrible carbon pot from the signal path. As a bare minimum it will reduce microphony in the preamp.
A.
P.S. I've always wanted to know why Naim use that bloody ch.1 / ch.2 nomenclature, now all is explained!
Posted on: 27 June 2002 by Frank Abela
Most rooms aren't mirror images left to right. This means that they have a different reflectivity off the left wall to the right. Some rooms have chimney breasts on one side and straight wall on the other (as in my case).
These differences can cause the sound of a system to be unbalanced to the left or right. The balance control allows you to adjust the sound so you get a properly balanced result. Now although this is adjusted by keeping an ear (!) on the soundstage, the effect benefits PR&T as well since you haven't got the emphasis on instruments on one side of the band/orchestra being played.
It's important to note that best results are achieved using either a test disc or a mono recording to fix the soundstage in the centre. If you don't have a mono recording, you can use a stereo recording with the Mono button pressed in (another essential item in my view). Then you can set the system up (meaning balance, positioning etc) and check by switching to stereo.
Another use for the Balance control is in the unusual circumstance where your seating position is offset to one side of the speakers. If you have to sit closer to the right speaker, then (using the technique above) you can balance the sound to come from the centre of the speakers as you see it when seated.
Typically, if the room is wider than it is deep, in relation to the speakers, then the requirement for the balance control is diminished. However, my room is quite typical at just 12.5 feet by 11.5 feet and has a large chimney breast on the right hand side, making it seem acoustically longer than it is wide, so my balance control is set over to the right a little, even though I am typically sitting slightly left of the central position.
The added benefit of setting up the system properly in this way, is that I always get a central image whether I'm in the sweet spot or not. I don't know the maths as to why this should be the case, but it seems to work.
Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.
These differences can cause the sound of a system to be unbalanced to the left or right. The balance control allows you to adjust the sound so you get a properly balanced result. Now although this is adjusted by keeping an ear (!) on the soundstage, the effect benefits PR&T as well since you haven't got the emphasis on instruments on one side of the band/orchestra being played.
It's important to note that best results are achieved using either a test disc or a mono recording to fix the soundstage in the centre. If you don't have a mono recording, you can use a stereo recording with the Mono button pressed in (another essential item in my view). Then you can set the system up (meaning balance, positioning etc) and check by switching to stereo.
Another use for the Balance control is in the unusual circumstance where your seating position is offset to one side of the speakers. If you have to sit closer to the right speaker, then (using the technique above) you can balance the sound to come from the centre of the speakers as you see it when seated.
Typically, if the room is wider than it is deep, in relation to the speakers, then the requirement for the balance control is diminished. However, my room is quite typical at just 12.5 feet by 11.5 feet and has a large chimney breast on the right hand side, making it seem acoustically longer than it is wide, so my balance control is set over to the right a little, even though I am typically sitting slightly left of the central position.
The added benefit of setting up the system properly in this way, is that I always get a central image whether I'm in the sweet spot or not. I don't know the maths as to why this should be the case, but it seems to work.
Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.
Posted on: 27 June 2002 by Alex S.
My preamp, being a rather advanced design, has ensured that when the balance pot is set to the middle the circuit is completely removed from the signal path.
Alex
Alex
Posted on: 27 June 2002 by Ron The Mon
Eliminating the balance pot in older pre-amps (ie; 42) by substituting a fixed resistor has two advantages; one it eliminates as Andy says a microphonic component, and two, it eliminates a shared grounding path. The older pre-amps don't have true "star earthing" for the pots.
Ron The Mon,
Arch Kan defender and wall driller.
Ron The Mon,
Arch Kan defender and wall driller.
Posted on: 27 June 2002 by Barratt
When connecting sixpack wiring the balance control allowed for left/right incremental testing and comparing of each driver.
Barratt
Barratt
Posted on: 27 June 2002 by Steve Toy
For pure music listening, a balance control just isn't necessary, imho. A solid soundstage is equally solid when heard from slightly off-axis.
I like to dive in there, and move around!
The Densen B200 pre has no balance control, and it's a good job really, because when I first took ownership of it, only the left channel of my power amp had been switched to "active pre" mode. The resulting channel imbalance was corrected following investigation ito the problem rather than playing with a balance knob.
The same applies to tone controls, imho.
Regards,
Steve.
The proof of the pudding...
I like to dive in there, and move around!
The Densen B200 pre has no balance control, and it's a good job really, because when I first took ownership of it, only the left channel of my power amp had been switched to "active pre" mode. The resulting channel imbalance was corrected following investigation ito the problem rather than playing with a balance knob.
The same applies to tone controls, imho.
Regards,
Steve.
The proof of the pudding...
Posted on: 28 June 2002 by seagull
"and I can't tell left from right (hence ch.1 & ch.2), "
Also may explain why the left and right channels are seemingly reversed on the back of the power amp. Or is it just that the left us on the left when they are built when seen from the back of the amp?
As for the balance control I only ever use it to check the speakers when re-wiring the system (I usually curse because I'd forgotten about the left/right crossover thing).
Also may explain why the left and right channels are seemingly reversed on the back of the power amp. Or is it just that the left us on the left when they are built when seen from the back of the amp?
As for the balance control I only ever use it to check the speakers when re-wiring the system (I usually curse because I'd forgotten about the left/right crossover thing).
Posted on: 01 July 2002 by Laurie Saunders
I never use the balance control on my 52....I have suspected for some time that removing(bypassing) it would offer some improvement in sound quality. Anyone tried this on a 52?
Cheers Laurie S
Cheers Laurie S
Posted on: 01 July 2002 by Andrew L. Weekes
quote:
Also may explain why the left and right channels are seemingly reversed on the back of the power amp. Or is it just that the left us on the left when they are built when seen from the back of the amp?
It would also explain why on my early Nait1 the channels are incorrectly connected on the tuner input (L&R reversed!).
I could never be bothered to get in there and cut a couple of tracks and link to fix the problem. No-one else seems to have this problem though, I wonder if my Nait was just a very early run, before the error was discovered.
A.