Speaker and amp balance question?????


I just recieved my tweeters back from being matched and I am pleased with the results. What I noticed when I installed the tweeters and played music was that they sounded different so I switched the tweeters from one speaker to the other to find that my tweeters were fine and that the difference in sound was due to something else. In a diagnostic I switches the speaker cables left to right channel and right to left channelon my amp and upon listening I realised that both the channels in my anp(Pass X250) and my speakers crossovers were slightly different from each other and I was able to get the two speakers to sound extremely close to each other by switching the speakers themselves right to left and left to right. I am getting pretty balanced sound but my question is that is it normal for the speakers to be off by a noticable difference(when an inch from the speaker's tweeter). Before one channel was cleaner and one speakers tweeter was cleaner.. In both my amp and my speakers there is one side cleaner than the other so I put the cleaner speaker with the less clean channel of the amp and the less clean speaker with the cleaner side of the amp and the sound is pretty balanced. Are differences to this degree normal?They are subtle and not very noticable if at all noticable from the listening position.In fact you could not hear the differences two feet from the speakers but it was there. If my amp were identical channels the sound would be off and if my speakers were identical sounding I would have a less balanced sounding system. Does this make sense?
128x128mitchb
Do you have the volume turned up with no source music playing when making your test?

If so, you will be hearing the noise floor of your system.

It seems quite possible and accceptable that you could have slightly different noise floor levels/signals in one channel versus the other at these kind of extremes (listening at 2" distance with volume turned up). At this extreme, you might be hearing something that is actually 95 db lower than regular amplified music at the amp output and and therefore something which is quite normal in any system and you should ignore.

Once your speakers start playing music at reasonable SPL levels, then your noise floor will jump from ultra low levels of the CD player/amplifier to around 60 db below the rest of the music....So you won't even hear this tiny signal!

Why is this? Typicaly even the best high end speaker/amp combinations, playing at reasonable sound levels, have all kinds of IM, harmonic and other room borne distortions that raise the general noise floor to around 60 db ....unfortunately this is a limitation of mechanical vibrating transducer systems in a room....and you just have to live with it until they invent something better.
Lacee, I do have a hearing problem in that my ears go like normal peoples ears go when in an airplane. My ears get blocked if I drive my car. It took me 25 years to figure this out and then I realised I could equalise my ears by pinching my nose and lightly blowing as well as certain jaw movements as in swallowing or yawning can cure. I sometiomes listen to music and forget my ears may be blocked and then when I equalise it's like wow!!!. I know how to equalise now but it was a disturbance not knowing about it for years.
Shadorne, If I listen to the speakers without a source it doesn't matter if my preamp is at 1 or at 25 the noise floor remains the same. It's not bad at all. There is just the slight hum out of the right speaker when right up 2" from the speaker. Very low level. What I was trying to explain is that I think this extra noise in the right channel is what makes the slight sonic differnce between channels. It is ever so subtle and not noticable unless looking for it. It becomes less noticable with meduium to hi volumes. I actually don't play my system that loud ever. No need. It sounds good low or at comfortable volumes without shattering windows. It's sometimes fun to see what the system will do if pushed more than usual but for the mostpart I don't listen loud. I kind of think I answered my own question in that the speakers and the amp are well within tolerance. It was just my initial question of that "Is it normal for two speakers playing a Mono source normal to sound slightly different". I think it is normal due to acceptable tolerances within parts used in products at a certain price point. The channels should sound for the most part the same but there could be slight variences althouigh subtle between two two channels as well as between a pair of speakers. I may be wrong so please set me straight if I'm off base with this one.
Mitch -- fm yr latest description, there seems to be a very slight difference b/ween the two tweets (or the attendant xover components). The hi fre is probably airborne that's being picked up somewhere.
Gregm. It would be appeciayted if you could explain what you mean in your above post. One of my tweeters high frequency's are airborn? What do you mean? It's OK if there is error but I don't understand what you mean. The x-overs are slightly different but in a subtle way. Maybe if you explain what you mean I can fix it. Thanks for all your help.
Mitch
Sorry -- I mean that the HF noise you hear is probably airborne and picked up by the system -- not system generated.
OTOH the difference in sound pressure level fm the tweets would normally come fm the tweets and (more likely) from their attendant xover. IF this isn't noticeable at normal listening --or higher-- volume, leave as is.