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One speaker louder than the other. What to do? (1 Viewer)

Sean_B

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One of my new paradigm speakers are noticeably louder than the other. My receiver doesn't allow me to adjust left and right mains. How do I compensate, the balance control?
And if so doesn't the balance control than affect my center speaker?
 

Charles J P

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Let me guess, You have a Yamaha receiver. I just swapped out my ill-functioning Marantz for the new RX-V1200, and the first two things I noticed where 1) this thing is a pain in the arse to setup, and 2) it sounds way better than the Marantz (unfortunately, I discovered them in that order, which was frustrating, but now that I have it setup, I am pleased as punch(
So any who, enough about me. There is probably a test you should do first before just moving the balance. Swap the two speakers and make sure that it is one side of the room that makes the speaker louder, and not the actual speaker. If the speaker is still louder after being swapped, you have a problem, and should exchange them for a new pair. If the speaker is not the problem, go ahead and move the balance to correct. If you do have a Yamaha which doesnt allow you to actually change the level of each main, then this control does the same thing and applies to all inputs and modes on the receiver.
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Brian OK

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Sean,
Any way you room setup will allow you to play with speaker placement.
In my old living room arrangement, I too had the same problem with my left main due to a tight corner placement as well as an archway opening at the first reflection point.
Solution for me was when I moved into my dedicated basement HT room. Now, both mains are dead on with SPL readings.
Best guess --- your room is causing this. That is, that you already have ruled out your connections as the potential problem.
BOK
[Edited last by Brian OK on October 29, 2001 at 11:33 AM]
 

Ted Lee

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i agree w/charles. the first thing i would do is swap the speakers. then you'll know for sure if the problem is related to the speaker or something else.
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Chris PC

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I noticed my setup always had one speaker louder than the other and I finally narrowed it down to the stupid RCA cable I bought for my CD player. Replaced it with the original that came with the CD player and all is good.
So Charles J P, do give us some more feedback on the Yamaha. How is the volume with stereo sources? How is the sound quality with music? Any other comments?
 

Bob McElfresh

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I had the same problem. Turns out it was reflection from a nearby side-wall and NOT the speakers causing the problem.
Sean: try this:
- Make sure your speakers are aligned the same to your listening position. Get an inexpensive laser-pointer and roll it on a flat table. Watch the spot on a wall and make sure it moves back and forth without making small loops. If the beam loops, the laser is NOT aligned with the body so you should select another.
When you find a good laser, just hold it against the side and top of your L/R speakers to "see" where the speakers are pointing. You will be suprised at how far off you might be just using your eyes. Check both the horizontal and vertical position. Either one being different could explain the different volume.
- Swap the L/R speaker connections on the back of the receiver. Is the left speaker still louder or did it move? If the loudness moved, you have a receiver issue, not a speaker issue.
If it is still a speaker problem, yes, you can use the balance control to trim things up.
Good Luck.
 

Sean_B

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Dec 9, 2000
Messages
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Thanks for the input guys. I know its not a room situation because I did indeed swap the two speakers and now the louder one is on the other side.
Bob: I will the connection on the back of the receiver to see if the loudness changes sides. I have a feeling though that it is the speaker and not the receiver however because I didn't have this problem with my paradigm 20's that I just replaced.
Charles: Yes, it is a Yammy..!
 

Charles J P

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Well Chris, none of the problems present with the Marantz exist with the Yammy. It has no noise coming from any of the effects speakers in stereo mode no matter how much you mess with it and turn it up. It also has a lot less noise with noisy sources that I had tested before with the Marantz. Like I have said, it is not as easy to setup, but it sounds 10000% better in my opinion. To me, the sound is just so much more enveloping.
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