is one ear usually stronger?

I would think that no two ears are alike be it from one person to another and with just between the two ears that one has.

It would be impossible to have exactly the same hearing acuity with each of your ears but the differences should be so small as to be inconsequential. All those years of adapting as you age should make it second nature and not readily noticeable.

The older you get, however, will reveal subtle differences that would still go unnoticed until you strain to hear or concentrate hard enough (like with listening to your system not for enjoyment but for discerning purposes).

The only caveat I can think of is some unfortunate and unnatural event or cause that would diminish your hearing in one of your ears. All of this is conjecture on my part and it just may be that one ear is always better than the other but I've heard of that.

As for the soundstaging favoring one channel over the other, this has been a topic for discussion for many a year, going back decades even. When I first started out with this hobby, I noticed it as well, but no longer pay any attention to it but now that you brought this up, it will probably occupy more of my attention than it should.:-)

All the best,
Nonoise

See an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat doctor), and have him check for wax buildup in your ears, and remove it as necessary.

I once had wax build up in one ear to the point that it was difficult to hear anyone on the telephone with that ear, while the other one was perfect. A visit to the ENT dr. fixed that immediately and completely. He found no wax whatsoever in the good ear. He indicated that it is very common for wax to build up unequally in the two ears, with no predictability or consistency.

I now see him annually. He generally finds and removes some wax at each visit, usually just in one ear or the other, not both.

Regards,
-- Al

Agree with Almarg a trip to the Otolaryngologist is strongly indicated here.

Unless you have tinnitus. In which case one ear can be markedly better than the other. Enter myself. My right ear is better than the left due to this hobby for the last 35 years. Or should I say the abuse I've inflicted on them. No fault of the gear. Just irresponsible use of it. "Hey, can you keep it down, please".

Al,

Thanks for the mention of the ENT as I used to have some pretty bad ear wax when young and the when they removed it, my hearing acuity went through the roof. I can remember how good it felt to hear all the little details.It's been decades since I've had it checked out and now I'm going to make an appt. with my HMO to check them out.

All the best,
Nonoise