I suffer from channel imbalance at low listening volume its bloody annoying. Using the balance on the Atom doesnt work well as it makes it too loud the other direction and also alters the sound in a way I dont like. Reading up it seems this is quite common on Naim gear, why?
That doesn’t sound right on an Atom - it doesn’t use the ALPS pot. Worth speaking to your dealer about it, I reckon.
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This is very interesting. Last night I thought my left channel seemed louder than the right. I have two year old Atom. I will play with the slider on the Naim App today and on various tracks.
I will investigate further!
What’s „low listening volume“? I mean, volume level (and which max volume do you have configured)?
Just in case, I want to run a comparison on mine.
I was listening at level 15-20.
18-20 for me volume level is 100%
My volume level always 85, Naim App default.
Just tried your settings on my Atom and didn’t notice any channel imbalance. But my Neat speakers are a lot less sensitive than your Tannoys so this may not be as evident. As Richard said, the Naim low-level imbalance is associated with the Alps pot and I don’t think the Atom’s LM1972 vol IC suffers from that problem. But perhaps time to get your Atom looked at?
Roger
Maybe, but it may well be the room at play as the quieter side has a sofa down the long wall, the other side is harder surfaces so likely absorbing less. I have tried all positioning I can and it doesnt change imbalance wildly and I cant move the furniture as no where else for it to go. I only started to notice it more recently when I stopped using room correction in Roon and more so since getting new cables . So likely DSP was helping restoring the balance. Going to experiment and move speakers around to rule out if it’s one of them and swap around the cables and out right to left to see if it stays the same. If so then it has to be the room.
Cant replicate imbalance today. I have recently bought an English Electric 8 switch. I have noticed more spatial “awareness” in my tracks. Panning of instruments. Hopefully this is what I’m noticing. Or I’m going deaf in my right ear 
With the amp on but no music playing, you should get a slight hiss from the speakers. Put your ear next to the tweeter; listen to the hiss; then put you other ear next to the tweeter on the same speaker.
Is it much different in volume or pitch in one ear than the other? It sounds silly but you’d be surprised how often uneven hearing comes into play without being noticed.
Well it’s definitely the room at play here for me. Changed over speakers, cables and it remains. What made it click more was the door which is on the long wall which has the lower volume was left open and it balanced it out, close the door unbalanced.
I have decided thought that I need to look at different speakers and likely standmounts to reduce the resonance I get. This may help the balance as well.
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