Hearing loss and center image

Bojack,
Yes, it was a McIntosh preamp.
This particular customer, a surgeon, was well versed on the internal parts used by McIntosh. His eval was that it was a very high quality control. As I listened to it, I agreed that it did track very well for such a device, something not all do well.(Actually not many high end pieces, including my own company's products, even have a balance control).
He bought the Mac preamp and was VERY pleased, as it really solved his problem.
Having visited McIntosh about that same time for McMasters factory training, I too was impressed (still am) with their overall quality contol and parts used.Plus they were, and I am sure, still are very nice folks.

I hope this helps in some small way.
Good luck!
Larry

Bojack,
I suggest that you have a audiologic exam.
Each hearing loss is different and an audiogram (which looks just like a frequncey responce chart) will tell you in which ear and at which frequencies you need correction.
In my case, the right ear is down 20db at 3000hz, but near normal at 2000hz and 4500hz. This kind of wipes out the violins on the right side.
The good news is that your brain can adjust. In my case after about a year it is much less noticeable.
I also find that sitting slightly to the right and setting the balance right +1.0 helps.
Have you had your ears tested?
Ken

In fact I have, and found out that my left is down only 2-3 dB @2,000 Hz. The audiologist told me she found it incredible that I could even detect that amount. I am, however, convinced that the loss is more than that, as the test did not seem all that advanced/thorough and by the fact that I also have difficulty catching words when people are on my left side. Might have to go to someone else.

Bojack I am glad to learn that your loss is 2-3db.
I took a look at my audiogram and I'm down 35db over a very limited range, in one ear. I describe my loss as annoying, not disabling. I needed the test to really be sure. Having your ears tested again is a good idea, if you are concerned. Get a copy of the report and compare it to the one you have for confirmation. I had several when I first had a problem and annually since, and they are very consistant.
Based only on my own experience, I think you will have to look elsewhere for your imaging problem. Consider yourself lucky.

Yeah, it sounds like things could be considerably worse than they are. I'm off to hear Willie Nelson right now, and hopefully I won't be worrying about the center image! (bringing the trust earplugs just in case). Thanks for the points of reference.