Why do amplifiers have a balance control?

Maybe the extra knob makes the facia look more, ahem, balanced?

Otherwise one possible answer: recordings can be off-balance and require correction. (However, in 48 years of record buying I have only come across that about twice,)

Another, maybe more likely: sometimes the listening position and speaker positions cannot conform to the ideal, and the listener may be off-centre or one speaker may be further away and so sound quieter -  whilst there could be adverse effects on timing (and phase) through such positioning, it may be unavoidable in some rooms, and the sound level mismatch is much more likely to be an issue for the listener. (I know someone with just that problem.)

Mind you, I haven't had a balance control in my system for the last 25 years.

Another reason is that the volume pots that Naim like to use, because they feel they sound the best, have a weakness and that is matching between channels at low listening levels.  In most cases it's negligible, but the adjustable balance does allow you to compensate if it's noticeable.

with a balance control you can correct for slight efficiency differences between L and R speakers, or correct for when you have to sit off axis. You can pan a mono recording to a single speaker. You can turn a stereo signal into a mono one from a single speaker if you can't get on with a hard right and left panned stereo recording. You can compensate when your left and right speakers are a diferent distance from you or when the acoustic environment of the two speakers is different due to asymmetric furnishings.

Dozey posted:

with a balance control you can correct for slight efficiency differences between L and R speakers, or correct for when you have to sit off axis. You can pan a mono recording to a single speaker. You can turn a stereo signal into a mono one from a single speaker if you can't get on with a hard right and left panned stereo recording. You can compensate when your left and right speakers are a diferent distance from you or when the acoustic environment of the two speakers is different due to asymmetric furnishings.

Except you'd lose whatever was panned to the other, so a mono switch would be better.

Dozey posted:

with a balance control you can correct for slight efficiency differences between L and R speakers, or correct for when you have to sit off axis. You can pan a mono recording to a single speaker. You can turn a stereo signal into a mono one from a single speaker if you can't get on with a hard right and left panned stereo recording. You can compensate when your left and right speakers are a diferent distance from you or when the acoustic environment of the two speakers is different due to asymmetric furnishings.

I agree you can do all of the above and more besides.  I've just never came across anyone that wanted to do any of these things.

I don't know, but I sometimes wish I had one.

Richard Dane posted:

Another reason is that the volume pots that Naim like to use, because they feel they sound the best, have a weakness and that is matching between channels at low listening levels.  In most cases it's negligible, but the adjustable balance does allow you to compensate if it's noticeable.

Richard, I know the story already. I wonder how many from Naim staff would buy a car that pulls slightly to the left (or right) at low speed because the steering wheel has a comfortable feel and drive.

Max, buy your car?  No.  But a Naim amp with an ALPS Blue volume and balance pot, definitely yes.

Regarding the volume control low kevel tracking, wouldn't a better approach (for other reasons, too) be to reduce the gain of the preamps (which may mean negative gain) to handle digital sources, so that instead of using only ever using the first third of the pot range as most people seem to do, maybe 2/3rds to 3/4 would be normal, therby very low level listening would be a bit higher on the pot, easier to control, and more limely to be above the tricky end bit that is difficult to ensure match. And it would not be difficult to have that gain reduction switchanle in or out, to allow more flexibility for different people's rooms and preferences.

Alternatively switchable power amp gain (there are arguments as to why either sould be better).

Naim did experiment with this but it was felt that it didn't sound quite as good.  Also, it would mean any cross compatibility across the range would be compromised (although the gain was very slightly revised many years back in the CB era). 

In the the future this may well all be moot if the volume tech from the Statement trickles down to the main range.

Funny, with my old NAC92, it used to have quite a bad channel mis-match at low volumes and having a balance control to compensate did work but it was still annoying nevertheless. I did have my old 92 serviced and Naim changed the volume pot for a new one, it was better than before but still annoying as the service didn't cure it, with which I hoped it would. Now I run a NAIT 5si where there is no balance control and there is no channel mis-match even at extremely low volumes. Weird...

Well Bryce, you have now come accross me. I found it useful when sitting off axis when I had a balance control. I haven't had one for the past several years however.

The room man, the room.................... 

My balnce knob is set permanently to a little bit to the right, to compensate for the room acoustics (especially needed at low levels). A very useful feature I would not want to be without.

My listening room has a vaulted ceiling; on the left side the ceiling starts at 8-feet while extending to 11-feet high on the right. When I had a SN2 I adjusted the balance slightly to the right to compensate. When I had a Nait XS and now with my current amp (no balance controls ), I adjust my listening position a foot or so to the right to get a centered sounding balance. The balance control is not a critical factor for me, and I guess by purists' standards it represents an unnecessary link in the pre-amp's chain.

if you check your ears they might not be at the same level of hearing performance, then extra know might be interesting

My room plays a bit lop sided to the right. Laws of Physics. Before the 252 and the 552, I positioned the speakers asymmetrically and tried not to let it bug me.  The volume pot on the 552 is also a little bit lop sided. Again, to the right. But no more pissing about with speakers for me

The volume pot starts to equalise past 9 o’ clock, which is too loud. If Naim ever come up with a retro fit 500 level full range volume control, I’ll be in the queue. Ironic that our MuSos and QBs are much easier and satisfying to set levels on.

Harry posted:

<SNIP>

The volume pot starts to equalise past 9 o’ clock, which is too loud. If Naim ever come up with a retro fit 500 level full range volume control, I’ll be in the queue. Ironic that our MuSos and QBs are much easier and satisfying to set levels on.

 

Now - there is a thought! I'll be right behind you in that queue.

I think there is a good chance it will happen. I may not live that long, but.......

C'mon Harry - it's not going to take 100 years...

It had better not!