Well, I, and I imagine others have said the inverse of the OP's statement:. "There's no balance control? I'll pass.". Many recordings are not made with perfect L-R balance ( poor mastering, faulty studio monitoring equipment, etc.). I find my balance control, on my remote, to be indispensable. An off-center center stage is like fingernails on a chalkboard for me. One reason I sold my CJ PV-11 was the limited range of balance adjustment. Of course, separate left and right volume pots also work, but not having any means of adjusting channel balance rules out a preamp for me. One major rag reviewer refers to the balance control as his soundstage control. Horses for courses.
It comes with a balance knob?!?! I'll take it!
...said no one ever! I've been researching new gear and it hit me. Why, just why, do pieces have a balance knob? The only time in my life I can remember using said knob was to mess with the music and irritate my friends. You know, because it was cool to make every song sound like that classic Led Zep track. I think it was the 80's and on my Sanyo "boom box".
What is the point? To look retro? Do people actually use it and why?
Thought this might be fun to discuss and learn something new.
Showing 2 responses by bondmanp
@izjjzi Yes, a balance control can center a vocalist within the soundstage. I do it all the time. Sometimes, the vocals are panned to the left or right intentionally. In these cases, centering the vocals will produce a lopsided sound stage. Not only can you center most vocals, but I find that vocal transients coming at me from the left or right can sound harsh, but this harshness lessens or vanishes when the vocals and transients are centered. |