Imaging issue leaning left

[OCA]

Thanks for taking the time to take a look, the measurements in your posted graph with Dirac on are with the fronts correction limited to 280hz. In the last part of my last message I did say I was not using Dirac now, and in my first post I did say it happens with Dirac off, are you able to advise how you got the phase graphs looking like that and how you did the average ?, I got part of the way there but unable to get it to look the same as yours ?, my current L+R measures with no Dirac is HERE, don't know if your able to check those ones if you have time.

I have tried extensively multiple calibration attempts with only 1point measures, the result is exactly the same.


Yep so a 0.1ms delay creates quote a noticeable shift, the issue with adjusting the delays is the throwing off the relationship with other speakers, like Center, Side Surrounds and Front Heights, a 0.1ms does definitely help but pink noise tests create a very noticeable difference (whereas currently although Left+Right together have an issue, testing other speaker pairs are quite well matched, such as Left+Center, Right+Center, Left+SurroundLeft, Right+SurroundRight). A short while back I did try turning myself around and listening and the issue shifted the other way, this is 1 of the things that prompted me to seek out getting my ears checked.



So my room appears fairly symmetrical at the front stage, although behind the front stage there are differences in how deep the cupboards go, behind me on the right there is a kind of imbalance with a brick chimney that I'm not able to remove so I've mostly covered with Rockwool and Black fabric, I did try moving the speakers further front and back but did not try asymmetrical placement. I am wondering if the TV may something to do with it, a 55" decent sized reflective panel, although do not want to move the TV.

I used to a long time ago, eventually realized it sounds terrible like that and it sucked the life out of the speakers, I have not used full correction on the front stereo pair for around 1 year now, previously limited to 300hz, then 280hz, now have stopped using Dirac altogether.

I just generated excess phase for L and R and divided them to each other but looking at your new raw data, I think the problem is in the sub integration. Cannot see exactly why because your L and R measurements are already with the speakers crossed over with the sub. I believe it has something to do with what's happening here:

 

[Longrail]

Was playing with the DEQ2496 Stereo Imager, it has a Stereo Width function which allows it to make the stereo signal completely mono to all the way separate, so I've maxed out the separation, then play some dialogue in the Left channel, it sounds like it comes from the Left channel/left side of the room, when I play that dialogue in the right channel, it sounds weird, like it's coming from the left side of the speaker, harder to localise.

Will try a couple of things to see if I can get that to change in any way.

 

[gwing]

So currently spoken words/dialogue leans left around 6" or so, however certain other mono content does not lean much, I keep facing an issue of correcting one, but then throwing off the other, so when using balance control, it's shifting everything so I'm simply going back and forth.

I have stopped using Dirac and have since done a calibration without it as I prefer the sound of the speakers without the room correction, I have tried just a basic stereo pair with no signal subs or processing happening, the left lean quite simply is enough that it draws ones attention to it, if it was minor I'd simply adjust the trim level on 1 speaker. I will try some more experimentation this evening hopefully.

So likely some frequency dependent imbalance between the channels seems there which "only" shifts the sound image by 6" or so. It could be a manufacturing tolerance difference in the drivers of l/r speakers or in their crossovers or something originating from the DIRAC or other processing going on, for which a small timing difference would likely affect the apparent sound origin more than an amplitude difference. Maybe it is even frequency specific variances in sound reflection and absorption in your room causing this, or even as you suspected your own hearing which although if I recall correctly "within normal tolerances" when tested doesn't mean that they were tested for whatever might cause this effect.

My recommendation is I think a glass of good malt whisky before listening. After all 6" is a very small difference and the wee dram might help convince the brain that there really isn't any good reason why the sound should be exactly centralised between the speakers