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I would never buy a preamp with balance control.

I've always wondered what's a good use for this always existant control

Good music, good system, I don't miss 'em. But, I would rather listen to a boombox while working in the garage than have nothing at all; some systems require a bit of firm correction. I really liked the uptilt/downtilt style controls found on some Quad and Luxman products (the Lux Lab Reference Series of the late 1970's, for example) and find that generally that's all the correction needed to compensate for bad program material. *uptilt/downtilt shifts the spectrum up or down by at most 2dB, selectable and typically hinged at about 1K (so a 1dB downtilt results in: -1dB at 20Hz and +1dB at 20K, for example). In other words, I don't need 'em with properly selected gear but I'm not afraid of being caught with lesser gear or bad software.

at the beginning I used to use it when seated very of-centre, but now I don't, I prefer it as it is,even of centre.Note, though, than my speakers (mission's fs-2 nxt flat panels) have exceptional dispersion.

Honestly, I've never really understood why manufacturers include this option in the first place. Does anybody really uses the balance control?...Spooky! Roger Rahal.

I Dont see any need for a balance control since, when listening to music i can sit in the perfect position between both speakers on a comfy ;-) chair. And also on my Musical Fidelity equipment there is not balance and EQ (no need for it also)

Volume from the speakers was acurately set on installation. No need to adjust the balance control

MY Audible Illusions Modulus 3 has twin volume controls. When I change volume levels I always adjust things for perfect center balance.

My preamp doesn't have a balance control - just source and volume.

I wish more preamps didn't have that "feature." They could spend more money on the volume potentiometer instead.

I would rather position my speakers for correct balance,imaging etc. I find using a balance control effects the stereo sound field, and lessens the musical experience.

Why spend big money on a stereo if you can't be bothered to sit on-center?

Yes, I use it quite a bit. I mostly listen to LPs, and find that not all recordings have the balance correct. Even the same recording on different labels can be shifted on one recording and okay on the other. I would not buy a preamp without one.

I wonder if the control works. Never tried it.

It really would bug me to use the balance control unless i just HAD to because of no other option. I just dont feel right about it, so i try my best to balance the speakers and room by careful placement. I have a small room 11'x11' and square to boot, but i achieve a fair amount of uniformity with my Martin Logan Aerius' by keeping everything as symetrical as possible and measuring carefully. I also try and avoid the balance control since it might add non-uniformities in the signal.. but if you HAVE to, you HAVE to, i guess.

It's just other black knob in the middle of the preamp.

Sometimes material, especially on old mass produced vinyl can sound a little one sided because of the way they were mixed.

Other than to perform a balance check, I have never touched the balance control on any of my preamps / integrated amps.

I adjust speaker placement when stting up a system so that balance adjustment is not needed. I realize this might not always be practical.

I use it infrequently to check channel functionality.

Easily the most worthless control on any preamp. I mean, really. Who hasn't set up their system so that the "sweet spot" is balanced? Who cares about other listening positions? Yet, what happened to any sort of mode control? At least being able to switch into mono has uses at times, especially for system diagonostics.

I must admit that I hate it when I am forced to touch the balance control, but when that central image seems, well, not centered, even after taking great pains to capture first reflections and other acoustic treatment, I will tweak it a bit. Not sure if it's my room or my ears! In any case, I hate having to touch it!

My Chord preamp does have balance control. I find it frustrating, because it

You need a "Don't have one on my preamp" button. My Audio Research LS2 doesn't have one.

I have what must be the weirdest room configuration ever for trying to listen to music. I rent a tiny little shack-type home (mmm, maybe 550 square feet—it's veerry cheap)and the living room is neither square, rectangular, or any other normal layout you could think of. It is more like a figure 8—in other words two tiny little not square or rectangular areas which are pinched in the middle. (I think it must have been designed to be a separate living room and dining room adjacent to one another—for extremely tiny people). I gave up trying to use the balance function when one day it made it sound like the left channel was coming from a bedroom on the other side of a wall. I am not kidding. Where's MY computer program to optimize this unholy sonic dilemma? (Strangely enough, my friends all love to listen at my home, as there seem to be about 100 sweet spots. It even sounds ok when you are in the loo!

What's the point of adjusting the balance control, if your amp/preamp works fine? The artists record songs just as they intend us to hear the music—without the added distortion from equalizers, tone control, or balance control. Drop the needle and let it play! For those poor souls limited to mere CD players, there's no need to ajust the balance. You don't have to buy a Michel Gyrodec to appreciate vinyl, a Rega Planar 3 will suffice.

I find many LPs need a balance adjustment to center the soundstage.

I cheked: Not at all. Although, some recordings require some balance adjustment, but I try not to do it.

I occasionally use it to check the symmetry of the stereo image or check for problems, but never while listening for enjoyment.

I've never felt a need to tamper with it. In fact my preamp should have excluded it all together.