Center imaging problems


I am having problems getting an exact center image. It always seems that the vocals are slightly to the right instead of exact center in most of the music I play, which is very annoying. Does anyone have any good test tracks with the vocals at EXACT center? Also what is the best way to compensate for not getting an exact center image? Balance control? Move left speaker forward just a little?
nemesis1218
Play something mono. Move the left speaker more toward the center or move your listening chair to the left. Also swap inputs to the amp back and forth to see if the preamp has a weak channel. If not swap left and right speaker cables to see if the amp has a weaker channel. Balance controls usually add distortion to the signal. So avoid if possible.
Two theories come to mind. The first is that one channel is louder than the other. You can test one speaker at a time with an SPL meter, and if it turns out one is louder, then you will have to track down which is the offending component. This can be done by swapping out components one at a time, assuming you have redundant components lying around.

The second theory is room interactions. If your setup is asymmetrical, or if large objects in the room are near one of the speakers, it can cause center imaging problems. I have experienced this in my system. It can usually be solved by addressing the asymmetries. Good luck.
Often it a room/set up issue. Sometimes it an imbalance in the electronis somewhere, or as likely as that, a hearing imbalance. If when you swap cables from one speaker to the other the voice doesn't shift to the other side you may just have a hearing problem in your left ear or an unbalanced set up for example which can be caused by an open area on the left side and a wall of the right side. Simply shifting speakers or your listening chair as suggested by Rwwear can be a good solution.