Does anyone have a recommendation of a USB headphone DAC that has left/right balance control?
It can either be a physical knob on the DAC or a control within the Windows OS.
The hearing in my left ear has reached a point where I absolutely need to balance the left and right with some additional amplification to be able to play games where positional audio is important.
TIA.
It is more feasable and also free to do this in software. What OS are you using?
I swear theres a plain ābalanceā slider in Win already embedded deep in the audio controls -like 3 clicks/menus deep.
Not every driver exposes a balance control. Unfortunately.
Even Windows hides the balance control for BT and forces you to find it and re-enable it in the registry.
Take for instant, my Steelseries Arctis 7 wireless headset. No balance control within the Arctis software or the Windows sound control panel. Not that it would help for that headset as the amplification in them is lacking now (especially on the left side) hence the search for an external DAC or a reliable add-on to the Windows sound architecture that allows for balance mixing.
If itās a stereo audio out: Sounds ā Playbck ā {device} ā Device Properties ā Levels ā Balance. At least in 10, havenāt checked 11.
Audio being audio, probably thereās other stereo outs besides Bluetooth which donāt have the option because they donāt implement it for some reason.
Looks like you can access this from the LEVELS tab under the Control Panel for the sound/audio device.
However, I just checked this for my Logitech Headset, it doesnāt have any BALANCE button.
My 5.1 Speakers however DO have a BALANCE button to click on.
Equalizer APO is viable. This doesnāt rely on the driver but rather the windows audio stack.
Peace is a good frontend for it.
I found that Bluetooth does have balance, but its disabled by default on Windows and can only be re-enabled by editing the registry.
This is the exact problem and why I asked if someone knew of a DAC that either has a balance control on the DAC or knew whether the driver exposes the control. Windows leaves it up to the make of the device to implement balance. If the device mfg doesnāt expose that capability, that button on the levels tab will not be there.
See, this is what I was hoping for. Why something like a universal plug-in from the OS doesnāt already exist is maddening.
I will definitely give this a look.
On Linux, at least for pulse which I am familiar with, you can change the levels for all channels at each step in the source ā sink pipeline if need be. The controls may not be exposed but the values can be added/altered in the pulse config file.
@draeh aha, good to know 
Maybe use the above apps that were posted and see if this will fit your needs ?
I think you need to see a physician for that and not aggravate the damage by making your hearing go bad faster with loud sounds? I know healthcare is an issue but please seek help with hearing?
Equalizer APO is the windows equivalent of easyeffects/pulseeffects.
Been there, done that. This is something that was diagnosed in 2008 and has been in steady decline since. Specifically, my left ear is afflicted with Meniereās diseases. The nerve has become increasingly damaged over the years. The ear and its structure are perfectly normal (according to an updated MRI done this year) while the nerve continues to degrade. Along with hearing loss, it comes with tinnitus that used to be intermittent and became permanent in May 2011. Yes, that is correct, Iāve been listening to rining in my left ear for 13 years. It varies in loudness to some degree but is ever present.
Is there intentional irony to your username then?
If the irony exists, its is indeed unintentional.
I started using this username back in 2006 because it was available on most sites. It happens to be my last name spelled backwards.
Nolyc?
I like the built in autoeq function in peace. Makes my HD600ās sing!
Just wanted to come back and thank you for this. Works like a charm.
Turns out I only needed to reduce the right by 2db to achieve reasonable balance. Also, being able to apply a different EQ to the left and right channels has allowed me to reduce some of the higher frequencies that tend to make my tinnitus ring louder. For me, this is a game changer.
Iām using ADI-2 DAC fs from RME. Itās not cheap, but it serves my needs for many years already and Iām more than happy. Itās a great sounding and versatile DAC. I have pretty the same āimbalanceā issue with my ears but I can adjust the balance with a physical knob on the DAC or via āADI-2 Remoteā app. Plus current āESSā version of the DAC has a bit sophisticated physical remote control with dedicated ābalanceā button (not present on my āAKMā version).
