How often should I be hearing the same thing from the front L/R speakers?

[55katest55]

This sounds really stupid, I know, but bear with me...I'm coming from using TV speakers all my life so I don't know any better.

In trying to figure out if my L/R speakers are the same, or if there's a problem with my receiver, room, whatever, I've come to realize that a lot, if not the vast majority of the time, I hear different stuff from my front L/R.

Is this on purpose, or should the front L/R be the same most of the time?

It's hard for me to grasp this concept since I've not had them separated like this before. This would only make sense to me if they're supposed to blend with each other, and since I'm just sitting too closely to them that I can distinctly hear different things from each speaker that WOULD blend together if I were sitting further away. It's kind of distracting IMO.

Thanks!

 

[Hocky]

Left and Right should rarely be the same. 2 speakers playing different tracks are used to created the stereo image.

 

[MDS]

If you mean different sounds in each speaker then that is totally normal. It all depends on how the mixing engineer mixed the various instruments and voice into different channels.

 

[zhimbo]

Stereo imaging means things sound like they're coming from different places, so it depends on what you mean by "blend". Some recordings (a lot of old rock recordings) will place completely different instruments in the different channels (with perhaps the vocals "centered"); in other recordings the effect is much more subtle.

Now, if your speakers are very wide apart and you're sitting very close, this can lead to too much separation, and it won't sound right.

 

[BillCinLR]

Perhaps THIS:

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/virtual-surround-sound1.htm

will help you understand.


Bill C

 

[agarwalro]

Today's top of the line media (Blue Ray Discs) and associated electronics have been standardized for playback of 8 unique audio tracks. These audio tracks can be sent to 8 unique sources of sound playback (8 speakers or 7 speakers and 1 subwoofer, therefore giving the 7.1 we see ubiquitously). But, this is the limit of current mainstream technology.

In most cases fewer than 8 audio tracks are being used/ played back. For example,

DVD - standard maxed at 7 unique audio tracks (pop nomenclature 6.1)
CD - 2 (2.0 aka "Stereo")
MP3 - 2 (2.0)
FM Radio - 2 (2.0)

Any time you use one of the sources with less than 8 unique audio tracks on a receiver that can process 7.1 formatted information, the receiver can process the fewer tracks and create an artificial track in place of the empty track. For example, playing a CD or FM Radio on "7 channel Stereo" mode. The Left and Right tracks are being processed and to create the missing 5 tracks. So, all the left side sound sources (L Main, L Side Surround, L Rear) get the some form of the signal from the source's Left track. Likewise for Right track. The center gets a processed combination of L+R. Sub may or may not get any signal.

To answer your question, any time you are listening to a source with more than one unique audio track, you MUST NOT hear the same sound from the Left and Right speakers unless intentional (due to tracks having matching info).

An easy verification is, a CD made by a good mix engineer. One can easily tell when an instrument or vocals are meant to be on Left or Right or both (and appearing to come from the somewhere between the two).

 

[55katest55]

I honestly cant figure it out. Play this in stereo and tell me if you hear it in the left speaker more prominently, the right speaker more prominently, or the center (where i'm thinking it should be):

The Mechanic - Soundtrack - Piano - YouTube

I'll provide more info about my setup once i figure out how crazy i am. For reference, i hear it in the right speaker the most, throughout pretty much the entire song.

The thing that drives me nuts is that during some scenes, clearly the same content should be playing in the left and right speakers, AND IT IS, but i hear it predominantly in the right speaker...what i cant figure out, though, is that when i crane my neck to the left or move to the left in front of that speaker, it sounds the same. BUT THE TOE-IN IS THE EXACT SAME!

 

[Beatmatcher247]

When i receives my speakers and hooked everything up, my front right speaker sounded faint compared to front left. one of the plates that connect the two terminals when you are not wired for biamping had slid out from other the tightening nut on the binding post a bit so half the speaker was getting very little or no power. Doublecheck all your connections if one is sounding considerably weaker than the other. Also if your amp has gain knobs for each channel make sure it didnt get bumped.

 

[Hocky]

I honestly cant figure it out. Play this in stereo and tell me if you hear it in the left speaker more prominently, the right speaker more prominently, or the center (where i'm thinking it should be):

The Mechanic - Soundtrack - Piano - YouTube

I'll provide more info about my setup once i figure out how crazy i am. For reference, i hear it in the right speaker the most, throughout pretty much the entire song.

The thing that drives me nuts is that during some scenes, clearly the same content should be playing in the left and right speakers, AND IT IS, but i hear it predominantly in the right speaker...what i cant figure out, though, is that when i crane my neck to the left or move to the left in front of that speaker, it sounds the same. BUT THE TOE-IN IS THE EXACT SAME!

The piano should be in the center of the soundstage. You need to use a db meter and test tones to verify that your L & R channels are level matched. If they aren't, stereo imaging won't work.