Channel Seperation Issues

I dont have that test cd, but I imagine a channel id track is meant to do just that. In the old SP cd they had a dog barking out of one channel then the other. WRT a previous answer that bass should be equal out of both channels...it depends on the frequency. I do believe an electric bass or even an upright bass can be localized in one channel or the other...based on the overtones. Plus if the bass was recorded in just one channel...there is no way it would come out equally in both channels. So is everything but the bass divided right/left? Or is it just bass notes that are being played? Is there a mono switch somewhere?

Are the speakers themselves out of phase--as opposed to phase-reversed? Swap leads on just one speaker--have you done that? Find a mono cd or lp and see if it's centered. What's NEW in your system? If it's ALL new, (ie new to you) then no help, but if you installed a new piece, take it out and put the old one back in. Play just one speaker at a time--I would think a loose tube or bad tube would do more than mess up the localization...it should sound crappy on its own. Does the cd player have a headphone output that you could use to bypass the preamp and test it that way? Good luck finding it!

When did the problem START????? I mean, was everything fine for a few months or years and then all of a sudden...? Keep swapping! Put some old speakers in place of your current ones, etc. If the system used to be fine in the location it is now, you ought to be able to narrow it down. If the preamp isn't it, ...you say you have swapped all over the place. When I do this I have to constantly remember what I have done and why before I move on to the next swap. Also try to find some totally unambiguously "stereo sounding" cd...an old jazz cd where the sax is on the left and the piano on the right...is something like that mushed together? Continued good luck and be sure to post the solution when you find it! Regards, Tom.