One speaker louder than the other?

[corysmith01]

I just got some "new-to-me" (used) speakers in the mail yesterday. I opened them and set them up today. When the wife left, I sat down to run through a few discs and give 'em a good listen. Now, I've never heard of anything like this, nor can I come up with any explanation for it, but I'd swear one speaker is louder than the other. Here's what happened and what I did to run tests.

After putting in my first disc, I noted that the right speaker seemed to be more prominent. I skipped through a few tracks just to make sure that channel hadn't been favored in the recording. On each track, the right always seemed louder. So, next I worked with positioning. Same thing. Then I checked my receiver to make sure one side wasn't being boosted somehow. All channels were equal...also, I put it on pure direct. So, the next logical thing to me was to swap speakers.

I moved the right to the left, the left to the right, and sat back down to listen. Wouldn't you know it, now the left sounded louder. Again, sifted through tracks and got the same result. Checked the cables and everything was as it should be. Thinking I was going nuts, I tried to again swap the speakers, putting them back in their original place, right to left and left to right. And, you guessed it, the right channel was back to being more prominent, more pronounced.

Now what in the world is going on here? How can one speaker be louder than the other? Does anyone have any possible theory/explanation for how or why this would be? I just can't figure it out. They're bookshelves, with two drivers (tweet/woof) so I was able to put my ear up to them and make sure there wasn't one out. Nope. All seem to be working.

Any ideas? This is very weird.

 

[highfihoney]

I'd just about bet that in one speaker a driver or both drivers have been replaced with either different drivers or new oem replacements from the manufacturer where the speakers specs are not the same,this could also apply to the xover inside the speaker being replaced or altered at some point,if the sound continues to be louder in the same speaker when you switch l&r as you did there is a reason inside the speaker.

 

[mike c]

it would seem you are using tracks/music to listen for the louder speaker, why not use (left and right) pink noise and an spl meter?

I've always suspected my right speaker to be louder but when using the pink noise thingy, they seem to be equally loud.

 

[Seth=L]

I'd just about bet that in one speaker a driver or both drivers have been replaced with either different drivers or new oem replacements from the manufacturer where the speakers specs are not the same,this could also apply to the xover inside the speaker being replaced or altered at some point,if the sound continues to be louder in the same speaker when you switch l&r as you did there is a reason inside the speaker.

This is a very good possibility. What speakers are they? How old are they? Will the seller accept returns? This could lead to trouble me thinks.

 

[Sean Parque]

Cory,

We have not changed any components... I would like to get these speakers back to check them out and send you a new pair of course. I will connect with you shortly.

Thanks!

Sean

 

[j_garcia]

Did you check to see if one of the tweeters is not functioning?

 

[corysmith01]

We have not changed any components... I would like to get these speakers back to check them out and send you a new pair of course. I will connect with you shortly

Thanks Sean. Got your PM. I'll be in contact.

Did you check to see if one of the tweeters is not functioning?

J, I did put my ear up within inches (with to volume down low of course ), and it certainly sounded like both were functioning. I'm very confused.

 

[j_garcia]

I ask because a friend complained about the sound being uneven in his system and when I listened, I immediately knew he had blown some tweeters, one in front and one in back. The sound collapsed to one side of the room due to that, but that doesn't sound like your issue though.

 

[Nuglets]

This is probably way off, especially if you've been using the system with other speaker's in the past but...Is one speaker wire considerably shorter or longer than the other? If that's not the case then everything else that has been suggested is probably correct.

 

[j_garcia]

Wire length shouldn't make any difference, unless the wire is undersized or if the difference was something like 100ft.

 

[Nuglets]

Yeah I suppose, especially a noticeable difference...Like I said, probably way off.

 

[j_garcia]

If the wire were too small of an AWG, lentgh could be an issue, but I doubt that is what it is also.

 

[corysmith01]

No, the wire is actually a matching pair of 15 ft from Impact Acoustics, so the length is the same.

I'm thinking the one true way for me to make sure the levels are indeed different (and that I'm not just hearing things) is to use an SPL meter. Unfortunately, I don't own one. Time to go spend money I don't have.

 

[dave1490]

I just got some "new-to-me" (used) speakers in the mail yesterday. I opened them and set them up today. When the wife left, I sat down to run through a few discs and give 'em a good listen. Now, I've never heard of anything like this, nor can I come up with any explanation for it, but I'd swear one speaker is louder than the other. Here's what happened and what I did to run tests.

After putting in my first disc, I noted that the right speaker seemed to be more prominent. I skipped through a few tracks just to make sure that channel hadn't been favored in the recording. On each track, the right always seemed louder. So, next I worked with positioning. Same thing. Then I checked my receiver to make sure one side wasn't being boosted somehow. All channels were equal...also, I put it on pure direct. So, the next logical thing to me was to swap speakers.

I moved the right to the left, the left to the right, and sat back down to listen. Wouldn't you know it, now the left sounded louder. Again, sifted through tracks and got the same result. Checked the cables and everything was as it should be. Thinking I was going nuts, I tried to again swap the speakers, putting them back in their original place, right to left and left to right. And, you guessed it, the right channel was back to being more prominent, more pronounced.

Now what in the world is going on here? How can one speaker be louder than the other? Does anyone have any possible theory/explanation for how or why this would be? I just can't figure it out. They're bookshelves, with two drivers (tweet/woof) so I was able to put my ear up to them and make sure there wasn't one out. Nope. All seem to be working.

Any ideas? This is very weird.

check the ohm readings per speaker they should be the same if not 1 can be louder then the other also check the amp reading,s.i had this prob more then once.and found alot of thing,s can go wrong{1 side weaker then the other amp}.this is why i never change manufactures.also chech the input,s.i had a dbx deck once the never looked right but worked fine. when seting up speakers.the object is to get a flat responce after that it,s up to you.

 

[dave1490]

check the ohm readings per speaker they should be the same if not 1 can be louder then the other also check the amp reading,s.i had this prob more then once.and found alot of thing,s can go wrong{1 side weaker then the other amp}.this is why i never change manufactures.also chech the input,s.i had a dbx deck once the never looked right but worked fine. when seting up speakers.the object is to get a flat responce after that it,s up to you.

i gather you tested this in mono?. dont worry about wire lenght for a home system.even at 100ft you get min phase differenal.

 

[j_garcia]

Phase isn't the problem with long wires, capacitance is. If the wire were too small, longer lengths will not work because there is a limit to the current carrying capabilities of smaller AWG wires.