IMAGE PROBLEMS VOCALS OFF CENTER

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.

HOw much closer together?

I'd try moving each speaker inward about 6 inches(total 1'). If there is no change, move'em back. If its better but not perfect try moving them closer an inch at a time. If it works then start moving the further apart again, inch at a time, until you lose the center focus, then move the closer ay an inch and you probably will have as good a central image as you're going to get.

Another thing to try, cross the axis of the speakers in front of the listening position. You will not only reduce side wall reflections but you will also change the 1st and second reflection points of your speakers.

If thru all of this nothing changes, move your listening chair sideways a few inches and forget about the perfect triangle. :-)