Getting phantom image perfectly centered


This is driving me nuts! I can't get the image centered unless I turn the balance control on the preamp to the 1:30 position. I've tested the system from source to loudspeakers from an electrical standpoint, so I know each speaker is getting the exact same electrical signal with a test tone and each speaker outputs the same dB with the same test tone.

So, it HAS to be the speaker room interaction, right?

I've read http://www.linkwitzlab.com/listening_room.htm and I THINK I understand everything.

All of the following measurements are in inches:
The room is 189 long by 144 wide. (15.75 feet by 12 feet)

The speakers are precisely 45.5 inches from the back wall.
They are each 26.5 inches from the side walls with a caveat. The left speaker is 27.5 inches from the window sash, which is 1 inch deeper than the wall. It's 30 inches to the top panes of glass and 28 inches from the lower panes of glass. But measured from the actual wall, both speakers are exactly 26.5 inches from the wall.

The speakers are precisely 90.5 inches apart.

The listening position is pretty close to 45.5 inches from the back of the room. The back of the room is open to the rest of the house and the wall on either side of the opening is symmetric with each partial wall being 36 inches.

Listening to a recording were I know the voice is dead center, the voice is actually just to the left of centered, and I mean "just". Would you recommend moving the left loudspeaker towards the center an inch or two?

What kinds of techniques to you use to "dial it in" when you've got a really revealing system and you are past the "math" and it's all more art than strict science?

I think you should be able to see a picture of my listening room here: http://orion.quicksytes.com/download/file.php?id=3096

My apologies if this isn't the right sub-forum to post this question to.
marktrav
Marktrav, did you ever swap out the channels, ie connect the left speaker to the right amplifier and right one to the left channel and see what happens? It's simple just swap the speaker cables from one to the other.

2nd, the room picture you supplied isn't clear and doesn't show the whole room but based on what I see there's a soft piece of furniture in front of your right speaker, that must be sucking energy from the right channel. It also looks like the right speaker is sitting on something which I can't make out, what is that?
David
Good to hear that you got it dialed in! By the way, Nice job on the speakers! There is a pair for sale local to me and if I had the $ I would have bought them. Heard them at RMAF 2 years ago and they are awesome. Enjoy!
You have made a lot of measurements but I didn't see the following. Measure from the front of each speaker to the listening position, they should be the exact same length. Make sure if speakers are toed in they have the exact same angle. Good Luck
BMWMCAB - Are you sure toeing IN the left speaker and toeing OUT the right speaker, if the image is leaning left, is correct? Would that not cause the sound from the left speaker to arrive "first" and shift the image even more to the left?
Or maybe (and probably) I'm missing something here. BTW, I've been wrestling with this exact same problem for a while and have found this thread to be (hopefully) somewhat of a Godsend, as my image shift imbalance usually reduces me to writhing on the floor in the fetal position, begging for its induced madness to stop...
Relax...Lindsey Buckingham famously said most stereo recordings are off centered slightly to the left...its the recording... Not your system