Cable Quandary

My systems have been dead center from the start. Once, for a while, I had a weak tube in one side of my preamp which moved the central image a couple feet to the left. Never  has a cable... even when I had dissimilar lengths long ago did the central image shift. 

Never had any wire cause a shift in level to one side.

Before anything else, have your ears cleaned by a qualified medical professional. I’m not even kidding. I’m totally 100% serious. Do it

@devinplombier if it were my ears then I would hear the same issue with Valhalla and I don’t but thanks for the advise.

@couger4u are you saying that the issue is present with Valhalla 2, but NOT with Valhalla?

Have you swapped Valhalla 2s from L to R...?

@devinplombier no I only have Valhalla 2 and never had Valhalla. I had Frey 2, Heimdall, Red Dawn, and Blue Haven and had the same issue with them but do not have it with Valhalla 2. I understand it is a strange issue and a mystery.

Swap Cables on the Speakers and see if the reported on off centre migrates towards the other channel.

Check symmetry of the arrangement for the Speakers within the Room, Dimensions for positioning to Side / Rear Walls - Accuracy equal dimension of the Baffle to the rear wall - Accurate dimensions for the Toe In if used - Accuracy of the Plumb of the Speaker- Side Walls are expected to be perfect Plumb - Baffle is to be matching Plumb on each Cabinet - Leaning Baffle to be matched as a fall on each Speaker. 

The Room used to produce the audio systems End Sound can be investigated to see what can be done to create a condition where the Speakers are very accurately Coupled to the room.    

The better your system is, the more aware of imaging.

I have many times had a shift caused by an interconnect being slightly moved, perhaps inadventently while doing something else. I like XLR connectors that lock, and I changed all my RCA to locking RCA connectors and Audio Classics replaced all my RCA jacks with new gold plated ones on my mx110z preamp (the factory jacks were both easily corroded, and slightly undersized).

Speaker wire connectors can mysteriously loosen, in my case I have my very heavy speakers on 3 wheels, and move them infrequently, to alter toe-in if two off-center listeners, to vacuum behind them ,,,,, Serious connectors, lock washers, double check ....

I have many times recommended using a Chase RLC-1 Remote Line Controller to get remote volume for a setup like mine with a Vintage Preamp with no remote features. It also has remote balance, what a treat to refine imaging from your listening spot. A small tweak can make a large difference. 

@couger4u I’ll give you a different perspective…

Speaker placement is what affects the shift to one side. Even though your image may be centered, you could hear more information from the left or from the right. Room layout can cause that too if you have an opening on one side of the room.
Now…speaker cables, especially an upgrade that’s as drastic as stepping up to Valhalla 2, usually results in a significant sonic difference.
Sometime the difference is large enough to require changes to speaker placement. What may have happened in your case, adding a cable as detailed as valhalla 2 resolved the less than optimal (for your previous cable) speaker placement. Now the details are pouring out of the speakers and it seems more even. 
That’s my take on it. 

@audphile1 Speaker placement is what affects the shift to one side. Even though your image may be centered, you could hear more information from the left or from the right.

I am having this exact problem, perfect center image and very good soundstage, but it always seems to lacking a bit on the left channel. I do suspect it is my room.

If your wires are equal in length, you can probably chalk it up to the speaker placement and how reflected energy affects your perception. Why is Valhalla 2 different from Heimdal or Red Dawn?  It does have lower resistance than all of the other models, so you are getting a bit more free flow of current to the speakers. This would have no effect on the room reflections, so that leaves only psychological explanations, like expectation bias. 

@jasonbourne71 Wrote:

Never had any wire cause a shift in level to one side. 

I agree!

Mike

All good points from everyone. 

@zlone Good to know i am not crazy and other people have the same issue.

@audphile1 Could be that simple that Valhalla2 outputs more detail because I do hear more notes.

i will keep enjoying my Valhalla2. as it is for me the end of my search of speaker cables. i must say Awesome speaker cable. I have not heard Tyr but this cable beats all other Nordost cables except for Odin probably. Thanks guys.

I have demoed tyr 2 speaker cables in my system. I thought they would be a good match with Tyr 2 XLR and Frey 2 power cords that I already have. Nope. Wasn’t to my liking. I’m sure Valhalla 2 kicks ass thought. 

What ever works for you and gets the job done for you, is the right answer.  If moving the speakers around doesn't work, but changing speaker cables gets the job done, then, there it is there!!!  Happy listening.    

I’m running 33 ft of Kimber Kable TC12  speaker cables to my Quatro wood CT’s with good effect. Same situation as you, can’t change the room arrangements. Amp is Aesthetix Atlas with Rogue RP 7 preamp.  Wish I could decrease the distance and expect it would improve the sound but I still love what this system does.  

Oops wrong stream. Ignore last. 

What you're experiencing is fallacious reasoning.

It is probably your room or speaker placement.  

My Wilson speakers always seemed a tiny bit louder from the left channel.  No one complained, but I could hear it. If I positioned my self slightly right in the chair it largely went away. I have always assumed the seven foot proximity to a wall on the left and open to the right was the issue.

The speakers are eight feet apart and four feet out from the wall behind.  That wall is all glass ten feet tall.  I have some four by two foot absorption panels I place around for effect.  I decided to try them vertically against the doors between the speakers making a four foot square.  What a difference!  My channels instantly centered and the center filled in perfectly.  I lessened the toe in a bit and the sound is super wide now.  So, lesson learned.  Except my view outside is now lousy but only during serious listening sessions.

I also had Valhalla 2 for some time and found it much better than the lessor Nordost.  Really pretty too.  Switched more recently to Wireworld Platinum Eclipse for more body in the sound.  Better for me… Nordost is first about exciting detail vs music.