Channel Imbalance at low volumes

In some case, the output relay is the culprit

I had a Rega Brio with this problem and assumed it was the volume pot. Had a new pot put in and it didn't fix it. God knows what the problem was but, presumably, there are many things that can cause channel imbalance at low levels. Maybe get a decent technician to check it out.

It can be some resistor along the way (maybe on the input of a gain circuit).  With the volume down low, the imbalance ratio between left/right resistance could be far enough apart.   With the volume higher or wide open, it is not such a difference.

It can be dried out off brand capacitors, dirty relays, dirty pots, dirty switches, and so on.

the unit is from 1986, and was made in Taiwan with off brand capacitors.

It’s old and it’s tired.

It needs a cleaning, check out, new capacitors on many spots, a general check out by a competent technician.

Nobody gets to luck out on a unit that old. They all need service, even one in a hermetically sealed perfected environment since 1986. (stereo cabinet, out of the sun, no heat and a level room temp and humidity environment). Even that ’perfect’ unit would be in trouble, in some way, just from the heat of being operated the odd time and general environmental aging.

I've  had my hands inside probably 3-4-5 of that exact model, never mind the other many many dozens of times I've handled a NAD product at that level (service).

But it sounds so good at high volumes!

What should I expect to pay for a tune-up?

Thanks!