I use my Rossini direct to my amp. I’ve noticed that the balance slider in Mosaic acts a bit different for a balance control. If I slide it all the way to the left, an appreciable amount of volume is present on the right channel and same for sliding the balance control all the way to the right - still an appreciable amount of volume on the left channel. Channel Swap is disabled and the Channel check feature works correctly as the left channel check has no volume on the right channel and vice versa.
My Rossini versions are as follows:
App ver: 1.1.0 (84)
Front panel ver: 2.01
Control Board ver: 2.01
Network Board ver: 1.1.0 (503)
I’m guessing it’s just the way the Rossini balance control works but I thought I’d check with Pete, our dCS Jedi Master.
I haven’t checked everything that you report but the Mosaic balance control allows minus approx 5-6dB per channel only. Which, for most practical balance purposes, is adequate. Hence you will still hear output from the other channel. Mosaic does not provide attenuation to infinity of a channel. For this you need to use the DAC menu as selected from the fascia buttons.
NB: I am checking this against a Vivaldi 2 DAC not a Rossini but I daresay the same situation applies.
I have not checked whether channel swap works or not as this requires me to listen and it is just too hot here in London currently for me to power up the system.
Thanks Pete. Thanks for the tip on the fascia buttons. I hardly ever use them but I was able to balance the L/R channels via them. When it cools down in London, check out the Mosaic Channel Swap. It works from Mosaic and the fascia buttons. I suspect the Vivaldi will be the same.
Brian, Just to say that if you have needed to use more than a 5dB attenuation on one channel to achieve correct balance then something is likely to be wrong elsewhere.
The most common problem of this nature that I have come across ( and have been guilty of myself on occasion) is not setting up the left and right speakers at exactly the same distance from the listening position.
Four reasons for this:
Eyeballing the setup rather than using measurement.
Measuring from the wrong point. A classic error is measuring from the front wall to the rear of each speaker while assuming that the front wall has been constructed to run at exactly 90 degrees with relation to the side walls. I may well not have hence, although the two speakers measure the same distance from the front wall , one is actually further away from the listening position than the other. The best method is to mark the listening position using marker and masking tape on the floor. Then use this as a datum point to measure to the front of the speaker ( both inside and outside edges to ensure either that each speaker faces dead on or to verify that any toe in is equal for both speakers. I also check the distance to the side walls as that can lead to imbalances too.
Underestimating the accuracy needed in measuring. +/- half an inch is too crude. An error of less than 5mm will still shift the L/R balance when listening from an average distance away ( say 3m). No I haven’t done the maths but I know from experience.
Not using a mono source to assess if balance is correct. It is only correct when a mono source produces a pin sharp central image with no apparent width.
Of course there may be other factors such as a significant resistance difference between left and right cables somewhere e.g. where one connection has been poorly soldered.
It’s still too hot to switch on my system- around 31 in the room where I listen with nothing switched on and a fan going full blast.
Thanks Pete. Thanks for the tip on the fascia buttons. I hardly ever use them but I was able to balance the L/R channels via them. When it cools down in London, check out the Mosaic Channel Swap. It works from Mosaic and the fascia buttons. I suspect the Vivaldi will be the same.
Thanks for the 4 reasons. The test disc I use has specific left and right channel tests, so we know this isn’t a mono source. I think I’m better now as when I used the fascia buttons I found the balance slightly decreasing the left channel.
I’d like to add another possible reason for L/R volume inconsistencies. I use Maggie 20.7 speakers and as you you know they’re dipole speakers so the output from the rear of the Maggies is similar to the volume level and overall tonality produced from the front. Unfortunately my listening room doubles as our living room and the area behind the left and right Maggies differs in shape and square footage. I suspect this has some influence on the volume levels of the L & R speakers.