IMAGE PROBLEMS VOCALS OFF CENTER


My image is off center.
I have changed practically everything.
Swapped interconnects, cd players, placed left speaker on the right and right speaker on the left and vice versa. Switched amplifiers, power cables etc etc. The image (noticeable on vocals) is about a foot to the right of center. DRIVING ME INSANE!!!!!!! I have this gear in an architecturally sound room. It was designed by Obsession AUdio in the U.S. and it is definitely not a room issue. It is not my hearing (as first thought) because others have noticed and confirmed the problem as well. HAS ANYONE ENCOUNTERED THIS PROBLEM?
Could it be an electrical issue coming in to the house????? Is that even possible?
Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Randy
butterscotchmusic
Tried all of your suggestions, no change, vocals still off slightly to the right in all instances. Tried an Arcam Delta 290 tonight in place of the Cayin and image was perfectly centered. Definitely an amp issue. Tried moving the power and pre amp tubes around. No change.
If the Arcam has a centered image, I don't understand some of your earlier information about swapping things. How come you did not identify one side of the amp as the problem?

I suspect that you may merely have a biasing problem in that channel, but a technician is what you need.
Okay, here goes, for anybody still interested that is.
I initially thought that I had this problem solved. Swapped amplifiers. Tried an Arcam Delta 290 and the vocals were perfectly centered. I was happy, this issue had dissappeared. I was getting ready to drop my tube amp off the house.

NOT SO!!! Just realized the other night that the balance knob, (I wasn't even aware the Arcam had one), was turned a quarter turn toward the left. That of course caused the image problem to be compensated and to now become dead center. I'm not amused!!!

Sooooo, I called two of my friends. One guy relatively new to the world of audio and the other as experienced as one can get in this area. I tested both of them by asking where they heard the vocals. Both stated slightly to the right of center. I tried this using my Tube Amp first. THen, I switched to the Arcam. I first turned the balance to the left to make the image appear centered. I called the lads back into the room and sure enough, both thought the image sounded dead center. I then thanked God that it was not my hearing. I then tried all of this with an additional Classe CAP 151. Once again, same issue. I measured all distances from seating area to the tweeters. Perfect triangle. All distances the same from all walls, (which by the way are perfectly symmetrical.) Then I switched the speakers, (placed the left speaker on the right and vice versa), Same problem. Then I swiched the cables, including interconnects. Same problem. Then I switched the interconnects, (left channel to right channel and vice versa) same problem. Then I switched the power cord, same problem. I tried using a dvd player in place of the cd player, no change. I tried listening to a movie with just vocals and speech, same problem, vocals off to the right of center.

The only thing left is to take all of the gear apart, remove it from the room and to introduce each piece back into the room. I could also try bringing an entirely complete and different system into my room and listening for the problem on that system.

Could something be causing some sort of interference?

Could this be an electrical issue?

The room is not an issue (for those of you thinking this) because the problem was happening in a small bedroom upstairs before I moved my gear into this dedicated and archetecturally designed and engineered room. The room is essentially a room within a room. All walls are drywall on two by four. Nothing special or unique. All bass traps and diffusion is symmetrical in the room. Also, the issue was present before I moved into the room, but I figured it was just that room. Now, I am in a professionaly designed room and the issue is still present.

My contact person who designed the room has asked me to wait until all diffusion and traps are finished before trying to assess for this problem, but I am just so baffled by this.

Hopeless!!!!

Anyone know an exorcist??????????
Have you tried moving your speakers slightly closer together yet? A perfect triangle may just not be the right angle for them. A bit closer together may get you a better focussed center image. Try it, its free.