[Mr.X Ran]

Recently I found out almost all my expensive IEMs ( Jomo Trinity, RHA CL2, weststone W80) have volume imbalance between left and right channels. Then I also found out my left ear canal might turn smaller than my right ear cannal in that the tip fit more closely in my Left ear while there are some tiny unfitted room in my right ear. I always sleep with the right side of my ear and face down, so I don’t know it the pressure has enlarged my right ear cannal? I was wondering if that is the reason that I always feel left side is louder than my right side? After I got replaced new pair of CL2, I still sense the sound imbalance, so I don’t know if that is my issue rather than the issue of the IEM?

Any thought, Input or similar experience?

My gratitude!

 

[Mr.X Ran]

I actually sold my Jomo Trinity partly due to my perceived volumn imbalance but both the first owner and the buyer who bought my trinity don’t feel the issue of volumn imbalance. Damn hifi is really a mysterious science influenced by so many potential factors...

 

[baskingshark]

Well I can emphatize with you as my ears are of different anatomy, sometimes i get a poorer seal on my right ear compared to left (using same tips). I occasionally have to resort to using different tips on each ear.

Another option is to go for custom IEMs/custom ear tips, pricey options, but they will ensure a better fit/seal for the ears.

But if you want something objective to tell channel imbalance, maybe u can get some measuring gear to measure both sides?

 

[Mr.X Ran]

Good point. The engineer of Jomo audio kindly tell me if that is the issue of size, the imbalance should only be bass. If the imbalance is the whole spectrum, so it will be the issue of my hearing. His input made me nervous, in that I found the imbalanced volume is for the whole spectrum.

I recall the doctor told me that the two half of my skull is not symmetrical due to the way I sleep lol, so I naturally assume the way I sleep could change my ear cannal since it could change the shape of my skull, lol.

I was wondering if you experienced the same issue? Specifically, Did you find the imbalance of the whole spectrum or just the bass section?

Thank you again for your response!

My gratitude!

 

[baskingshark]

Good point. The engineer of Jomo audio kindly tell me if that is the issue of size, the imbalance should only be bass. If the imbalance is the whole spectrum, so it will be the issue of my hearing. His input made me nervous, in that I found the imbalanced volume is for the whole spectrum.

I recall the doctor told me that the two half of my skull is not symmetrical due to the way I sleep lol, so I naturally assume the way I sleep could change my ear cannal since it could change the shape of my skull, lol.

I was wondering if you experienced the same issue? Specifically, Did you find the imbalance of the whole spectrum or just the bass section?

Thank you again for your response!

My gratitude!

I found mostly imbalance in the bass for my right ear, so I think it is a eartip sizing problem. I think that's true as bass is usually the first to be lost in a poor seal/fit in general, rather than the whole frequency spectrum.

Well if you are worried, there's audiometry tests u can do at the doctor (5 - 10 min procedure) or even some online tests (not sure how validated these are though) to test your hearing.
I actually did an audiometry test as I played in a band for 20 years, half of those without proper hearing protection, and not suprisingly, there was some mild irreversible higher frequency hearing loss on the test. After that I decided to take hearing protection more seriously and wear IEMs/closed back headphones during band practices.

 

[thomaslmusic55]

Good point. The engineer of Jomo audio kindly tell me if that is the issue of size, the imbalance should only be bass. If the imbalance is the whole spectrum, so it will be the issue of my hearing. His input made me nervous, in that I found the imbalanced volume is for the whole spectrum.

I recall the doctor told me that the two half of my skull is not symmetrical due to the way I sleep lol, so I naturally assume the way I sleep could change my ear cannal since it could change the shape of my skull, lol.

I was wondering if you experienced the same issue? Specifically, Did you find the imbalance of the whole spectrum or just the bass section?

Thank you again for your response!

My gratitude!

Hi,

Have you tried a pair of on-ear or over-ear headphones and experienced the same issue? The easiest test to do is to put on a pair of over ear headphones. If you experience the problem then swap the channels. i.e. put them on backwards. If the problem migrates to the other side then the source of the problem lies with the headpones or the playing device. If it doesn't then the problem more than likely lies with your head/ears.

If you are concerned about your hearing then there are on-line tests/tone generators that can assist you in determining what the problem may be. To do these though, you'll need a pair of headphones that are known to be consistent in each channel and ones that you can get a good fit on or over your ears. This site is one that I have used before since it allows one to turn either the L/R off when playing the tone. As always be careful not to play them too loudly. I'd personally play them at a threshold just above where you can hear them. i.e. if you can hear just them in your left ear but not your right then it points to an imbalance.

https://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/

Good luck.

 

[Mr.X Ran]

I dont notice same issue with my Stax and Sony DMR Z1r. But sometimes I could sense the imbalanced volumn on my Susvara! I know there are rumors about the the volumn issue on Susvara. I wish I could find a machine to test the volumn of two channels of all my headphones and IEMs

 

[Mr.X Ran]

My issues mostly occurred with IEMs

 

[castleofargh]

The difficulty here is that there can be many causes of imbalance. Have you experimented with various sources to check if maybe a small imbalance in the amp is adding up to your existing problem?
Headphones like IEMs will have their own channel imbalance, some bigger than others, and it could be a boost on one side or on the other, at a specific frequency or over a pretty wide range. Usually people don't notice that and hopefully it remains small on most gears, but it's going to be there. If your issue is consistently on the same side and the same type of perceived imbalance, then driver imbalance is less likely to be a factor.
If headphones are fine and IEMs aren't, then we can pursue 2 hypotheses:
1. Maybe you have some early bend in one ear and the way you insert the IEMs leads to most of them having the nozzle press on that bent, obstructing the sound. This can easily be tested with narrow insertion.

2. Your ears are naturally different and you're hearing differently from them, but because you live that way, your brain calibrated on that so real life sounds and headphones get altered the way you're mostly used to hear. So that feels balanced. Then you insert IEMs and bypass the head and outer ear and the imbalance they always cause, so now you're objectively hearing a more balanced stereo but because your brain is not calibrated for that, you end up perceiving imbalance in the other direction.


If you're looking for a fix, you should try to find a DAP or an app that gives you control over left and right gain. Maybe you'd need a more specific per channel EQ instead of global gain? There is also something to try, changing the delay between both channels. Usually people have frequency response issues but we've had at least one person getting a perceived imbalance due to inter channel delay, or lack of(can't find the thread, I'll add a link if I stumble upon it). It's not very likely and if headphones are fine for you, that would make it even less likely IMO, but we never know for sure until we've tried and properly ruled out something.
It might be worth noting that depending on the type of EQ, if you apply some only on one channel you'll create a phase shift and so, a time delay. So getting results with EQ does not necessarily rule out delay.

I'd suggest to try and fool around with all you can on a computer, while playing music in mono if tones drive you mad real fast. That way it will be very clear when you get off center subjective position, suggesting imbalance.