Wide, Ambiance, Mix, spatial switches?

[eli]

I ran a search on Tech (and on the net in general) for any information describing what exactly, the Wide, Ambiance, Mix or Spatial types of switches (channels?) actually do on a boombox---but without results--- so I have to ask---on some varieties of my boxes these switches radically alter the sound---for better or worse varies with the individual brand and model of box--but these switches, when activated, sometimes have a positive effect on a box that sounds as if the left channel is weaker (and for unknown reasons it always seems as if one of my boxes does have a weaker channel it's always the left ???) --if the box has one of these switches when activated it can appear to on occasion, dependent on the box, to level the output? Making the weak channel stronger?

Are these types of effects a different channel or does it alter the speaker output--or just a placebo without meaning?

 

[Superduper]

Generally speaking, it is a process whereby the outputs are mixed back into the inputs of the opposite channel with a delay. The purpose is to give the sound a spatial effect. Some manufacturers did it well (panasonic, sanyo), some did not do it so well (JVC and gave up?).

 

[eli]

So it sort of re-combines and cross spreads the channels--?

 

[Reli]

The funny thing is that the Wide mode on a JVC 3090 is excellent. So I'm not sure why they didn't put it on the M70 and M90.