# Does broken stereo music drive you nuts? **URL:** \ **Category:** All Things Music\ **Created:** [March 9, 2021, 3:52pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249 "2021-03-09T15:52:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dynamic](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/dynamic/32/22504_2.png) [@Dynamic](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Dynamic)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 3:52pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/1 "2021-03-09T15:52:10Z")
Things like the beatles and lots of old music is mixed such that instruments/tracks/voices come out of one channel or the other. With IEMs/headphones this makes me bat crap crazy. I just skip these songs. Right now I am forcing myself to listen to lucy in the sky with diamonds, and it’s making me irrationally angry. By contrast, Jim Hendrix Red House didn’t bother me. And I can’t figure out why. But the guitar is in my right ear and the voice in my left. And normally this is a deal breaker. Why is that? How do you guys feel about this topic? ---
**Author:** ![mgosdin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/mgosdin/32/47331_2.png) [@mgosdin](https://forum.headphones.com/u/mgosdin)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 4:31pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/2 "2021-03-09T16:31:08Z")
This is why many of the old classic stereo receivers in the 60’s & 70’s had Mono buttons, at least the Mono capabilities were used to fix this early stereo weirdness. Mark Gosdin ---
**Author:** ![Dynamic](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/dynamic/32/22504_2.png) [@Dynamic](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Dynamic)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 4:34pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/3 "2021-03-09T16:34:34Z")
This is 2021. Where’s my mono button? ---
**Author:** ![mgosdin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/mgosdin/32/47331_2.png) [@mgosdin](https://forum.headphones.com/u/mgosdin)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 4:41pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/4 "2021-03-09T16:41:18Z")
Good question. Mark Gosdin ---
**Author:** ![generic](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/generic/32/61169_2.png) [@generic](https://forum.headphones.com/u/generic)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 4:46pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/5 "2021-03-09T16:46:07Z")
Some have used separate left and right channel programs to double the capacity of media. It made sense in the pre-digital era and when production costs were higher. Your mono buttons in 2021 are the red and white RCA connectors. Pull one or the other out…or route the halves into a switch… ---
**Author:** ![Dynamic](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/dynamic/32/22504_2.png) [@Dynamic](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Dynamic)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 5:00pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/6 "2021-03-09T17:00:42Z")
Putting in an adapter for some music seems a bit insane. I don’t suppose there is an adapter that can come between headphone and source? With a switch. And merging of channels? ---
**Author:** ![generic](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/generic/32/61169_2.png) [@generic](https://forum.headphones.com/u/generic)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 5:03pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/7 "2021-03-09T17:03:46Z")
This type of thing may work: > **[C2G 03177 6" Value Series One RCA Mono Male to Two RCA Stereo Female Y-Cable](https://southernele.com/c2g-03177-6-value-series-one-rca-mono-male-to-two-rca-stereo-female-y-cable/)** > > Southern Electronics provides cost-effective prices, service and solutions for our industrial, commercial and residential customers in the areas of CCTV, Automation, Audio & Video and many more. ---
**Author:** ![Dynamic](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/dynamic/32/22504_2.png) [@Dynamic](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Dynamic)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 5:47pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/8 "2021-03-09T17:47:31Z")
This would then need conversion to/from headphone jacks on each side. And I would have to remove it when the song doesn’t need it? ---
**Author:** ![Jsim](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/jsim/32/26784_2.png) [@Jsim](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Jsim)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 5:52pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/9 "2021-03-09T17:52:11Z")
The most straight forward solution to this is adding in crossfeed via DSP ---
**Author:** ![SenyorC](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/senyorc/32/13567_2.png) [@SenyorC](https://forum.headphones.com/u/SenyorC)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 6:02pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/10 "2021-03-09T18:02:48Z")
I have various mono buttons in my set up, in fact, I have a single JBL 305 on my desk for bass practice. ---
**Author:** ![Dynamic](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/dynamic/32/22504_2.png) [@Dynamic](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Dynamic)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 7:33pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/11 "2021-03-09T19:33:56Z")
I have read about various amps having crossfeed built in to simulate sound stage of speakers or some such. In theory I like it, but I don’t know that there is an easy mobile solution. I am IEM only. ---
**Author:** ![Polygonhell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/977dab/32.png) [@Polygonhell](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Polygonhell)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 7:36pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/12 "2021-03-09T19:36:05Z")
FWIW recordings like that are the reason Jim Haggerman originally has a cross feed circuit in the Tuba. It was later removed. If you use Roon, you could try the Crossfeed implementation there. Those sorts of recordings, annoyed me for a while, but you get used to them, I far prefer the ones with Left/Middle/Right Mixes to those with terrible compression, a lack of Bass and boosted treble, I’m looking at you 80’s and early 90’s metal. ---
**Author:** ![Dynamic](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/dynamic/32/22504_2.png) [@Dynamic](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Dynamic)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 7:41pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/13 "2021-03-09T19:41:51Z")
Nearly every time one of those songs comes on I pull out one of the IEMs and try and re-seat it thinking the seal broke. Not sure I will ever get used to it. And they are everywhere. I can’t listen to lots of classic rock because of it. ---
**Author:** ![Jsim](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/jsim/32/26784_2.png) [@Jsim](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Jsim)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 7:49pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/14 "2021-03-09T19:49:19Z")
If you’re an Android user, USB Audio Player PRO has DSP options available including crossfeed. It basically feeds part of each channel to the opposite channel to create a more speaker-like experience, where you hear both channels with both ears. ---
**Author:** ![PaisleyUnderground](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/paisleyunderground/32/15919_2.png) [@PaisleyUnderground](https://forum.headphones.com/u/PaisleyUnderground)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 8:58pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/15 "2021-03-09T20:58:48Z")
I’m with you, that drives me insane. It probably bothers me more than any other recording quirk, even brickwalling. Where there’s a mono equivalent, like with the early Beatles albums, I’ll buy those. If there isn’t a true mono equivalent, I’ll create my own flacs in Audacity. I try to limit the extent of my adjustments, not so much from a purist perspective (I honestly don’t care how the artist envisioned it, I want it to sound the way I like it), but because if the stereo tracks have phase issues, the converted mono will sound weird. So I’ll try the “Narrow Stereo” or “Extra Narrow” options in the Audacity channel mixer first, before I resort to mono. ---
**Author:** ![andris](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/andris/32/41391_2.png) [@andris](https://forum.headphones.com/u/andris)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 9:26pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/16 "2021-03-09T21:26:21Z")
Others have mentioned this as well, but I want to chime in that some DACs and amps have very good built-in crossfeed. Not sure if you consider the Hugo2 to be “mobile”, but it has excellent crossfeed. I would be surprised if some some of the better DAPs don’t have it, if that’s your preferred route. ---
**Author:** ![Dynamic](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/dynamic/32/22504_2.png) [@Dynamic](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Dynamic)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 9:53pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/17 "2021-03-09T21:53:21Z")
Apple guy only for better or worse. ---
**Author:** ![Dynamic](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/dynamic/32/22504_2.png) [@Dynamic](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Dynamic)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 9:54pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/18 "2021-03-09T21:54:03Z")
I am way too lazy to do something like make an effort to fix it! 😉 I do wish there were a button to make it go away. ---
**Author:** ![Dynamic](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/dynamic/32/22504_2.png) [@Dynamic](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Dynamic)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 9:55pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/19 "2021-03-09T21:55:23Z")
Yeah, problem is I am largely super mobile. I don’t _think_ dx300 had it. The other problem is it’s a per-track thing. I am not sure I would want to mess with tracks that don’t cause issues for me. Not sure if someone can fix this in software? (Macs way back in the day used to keep EQ profile _per song_. It was crazy. Not sure that happens anymore) ---
**Author:** ![johnjwall](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/johnjwall/32/306_2.png) [@johnjwall](https://forum.headphones.com/u/johnjwall)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 12:57am UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249/20 "2021-03-10T00:57:08Z")
On iOS it’s Settings-Accessibility-Audio/Visual-Mono Audio. I have an EarStudio ES100 DAC that makes any IEM Bluetooth and it has a 1-10 setting for Crossfade. Remastering your own files would solve it for good and I can’t speak for other packages but in Adobe you could save the routine so it could do batch drag and drop. DM me a file if you want me to transform one. [Next page](https://forum.headphones.com/t/does-broken-stereo-music-drive-you-nuts/11249.md?page=2)