Soundstage and voices lean to the left side????


Is this just a common occurence on recordings that one channel is stronger on LPs?? I have checked azimuth with a meter and it is spot on! I am getting equal output levels from both right and left channels on test tones.

Rather than the singer being dead center, they seem to be left center. My speakers are spaced equally from rear and side walls, etc.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

R.
red2
If you play CD's or a tuner, are you getting this same off balance? If so you might just have a small difference in your hearing ability which can easily be allowed for by turning the balance control if it occurs only on some records, or if it is on all you can move you right speaker a bit closer to you (an inch or two might be all it takes to bring them back into balance.) If it is only LP's you might try increasing your VTF to the max recommended by the manufacturer and check your anti skate (although this shouldn't make a difference, its possible that it could).

Another possibility - if your listening position has you facing dead ahead between the two speakers and side wall and ceiling/floor reflections are the same, try twisting your chair so that you are looking into the center of the space between the right speaker and the center of the stage. If you find that the image moves back into the center go see an audiologist for a hearing test.
It can happen that orchestral classical music seems to come from left channel, because the violin sections, which often carry the melody, are positioned left, and are relatively higher pitched, hence more directional. The effect is exagerated in recordings because stereo effect itself is exagerated realtive to the concert hall, when sound mixes before reaching your ears -- one reason "soundstage" is largely an "audiophile" rather than a "musical" parameter, nice though it is.

So if you are listening to lots of orchestral music, this might be part of it. I sometimes get the same effect, and then put on some blues, chamber, rock, piano, or jazz, and am reassured there's nothing wrong with my setup.
Have you tried a mono pressing? I often hear the singing voice from different locations in the soundstage (stereo of course), depending on the song. They are not always centered. The also shift in distance from front to rear of the soundstage.
Check your cabling. Make sure everything is hooked up right. + to + & - to -.
If it continues,upon following all of the excellent suggestions above, try moving you right speaker more forward. Even 5 inches straight forward might move the soundstage more to the right, thus centering the image (listen to mono or vocal recordings or KOB from Miles get them centered). Speaker placement is your issue (if it happens with other sources as well as analog)
It seems to just be some recordings. Others sound just fine. So I assume it is the recording. I do not have a balance knob on my setup, so I guess I will just have to live with it.

Thanks for all the thoughts!

R.
I have also noticed that it is the recording. I have many CDs too that favor the left channel.
Check your anti-skating. Too much or too little can skew the soundstage to one side or the other.
I think it's the recordings. I have had the same issue and on a lot of recordings the instrument or singer tends to be on the left of center.

The best way to know is with a mono recording mentioned above.

Rob
I had a similar problem with music sounding "tilted to the left". My house is about 50 years old, and it occurred to me that the floor might not be level. So, I used a jack to lift the left side of the floor in my listening room, and the sound slid back to the center. I had to try several different heights for the jack, but after some experimentation I found that about 1.5 inches was just right. Any further jacking up made the sound move too far to the right. You may need to raise your floor more or less, so be patient... If you don't have the time or interest to try this method, then I have also found that tilting your head to the left (or right) helps to make the sound more balanced.