Question Graphic Equalisers

Cdm2020

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Having just posted a reply to post about Hifi snobbery I wonder what the reactions are to installing a Graphic Equaliser into a system?

I find although having amps with direct source no tonal controls was for Hifi purists given our home rooms are not perfect acoustics environments you need to tweak trebles and bass especially for certain music genres ?
 
Hmm, it’s not something I would consider adding into my system personally. I do have bass and treble controls on my Amplifier, although I have never use them.

Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve even seen a GE in any hifi shop i’ve been to in over 30 years, but, maybe I just wasn’t looking.

Perhaps an amp with tone controls would be a better option for you.
 
Looking at the instructions last night,it will only pass SACD through HDMI or analogue,so was going to try feeding Coax or Optical,into DAC then,the DAC by analogue into my receiver,PCM,i think somewhere i might be able to switch of the Oppo internal DAC ?
Will have a mess around over the next couple of days.

:)
I have the Neo 1's still... lovely sounding speakers and nice easy load on the amp. the 3's are just as nice
I’ll try the clay bar as AG Tar Remover wasn’t great
I'm not sure if anyone else has pointed this out to you yet, and you may well notice next time you go to drive the car,

but You appear to have installed the steering wheel onto the wrong side.
How does this one compare to yours please?
Mega bargain 11 night Mexico holiday from £579pp - 3* hotel with rooftop pool & flights
Mega bargain 11 night Mexico holiday from £579pp - 3* hotel with rooftop pool & flights
you don’t know anyone who does it do you? Herts / Bucks area
I think they still are :D
Hmm, it’s not something I would consider adding into my system personally. I do have bass and treble controls on my Amplifier, although I have never use them.

Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve even seen a GE in any hifi shop i’ve been to in over 30 years, but, maybe I just wasn’t looking.

Perhaps an amp with tone controls would be a better option for you.
I have tone controls and bass eq etc on my nad pre amp but I was wondering adding GE gives you more control of frequencies ?
I don’t intend to do tape recording which is where GE do come into their own but also just from aesthetics the spectrum display does look nice ?
 
No probs. I’ve got VU meters on my amp, they don’t really do anything in reality, but, I often sit mesmerised by them! 😂

There will plenty on here that will have a nervous breakdown at the very thought of the idea, but, it’s your system, and if the displays are your thing, and you want to tinker with the sound, go for it.
 
I think most buffs will say ... don't .. they are not required. (not sure why you quoted my message on the Neo 1's though) ..

You should ideally just go source -> stereo amp -> speakers via 2.5 - 5mm speaker cable and something half decent interconnect wise.. (those things that come in the box.. yeah they work.. but worth binning and spending i dunno.. a tenner per pair of interconnects.. should be fine)

You can shape your sound better with mix and match on your amp/source/speaker combinations than adding an artificial means.
 
I have exactly as you describe and soon be replacing my old Gale speakers with some MA Bronze bx5 so hopefully a big improvement but I still wonder given my room & different musical tastes that I will need to adjust the tonal frequencies?
 
To what you had.. those bronze bx5's will totally change the sound for sure in a very dramatic way.

if you absolutely must use a graphic however... always remember... never ADD into the positive with a graphic.. always go into the NEGATIVE on what is too strong.. graphic eq's can add serious and damaging problems to an amp especially at volume.. remember +3 dB gain doubles the power of the signal, while 10x the power is achieved with a +10 dB gain, and 100x the power with a +20 dB gain
 
To what you had.. those bronze bx5's will totally change the sound for sure in a very dramatic way.

if you absolutely must use a graphic however... always remember... never ADD into the positive with a graphic.. always go into the NEGATIVE on what is too strong.. graphic eq's can add serious and damaging problems to an amp especially at volume.. remember +3 dB gain doubles the power of the signal, while 10x the power is achieved with a +10 dB gain, and 100x the power with a +20 dB gain
I must say I am little concerned about linking a GE and if it does destroy the sound quality however I only paid £40 for the unit so if it’s not to my liking I can keep it or pass it on ? But thanks for the sound advice
 
No worries. I used to have a graphic once upon a time.. started with a 7 band.. and ended up with 2 x 31 .. got bored and then learnt how different brands can go together to give you the same effect hehe.

not played with room correction amps yet though like lyndorff which have software built in.. bit too tech for me them :D
 
Analogue - and many digital graphic equalisers introduce distortion and massive amounts of phase shift every time you increase or decrease a particular band.

Although heavily used in pro-audio in the past, you are less likely to find them now, as digital parametric and phase corrected digital graphic equalisers are now the standard.

If you want to tweak bass and treble a multi-band parametric equaliser might be a better bet. You can adjust the frequency, cut or boost and the Q (quality) or bandwidth of the filter. This is much more subtle than a graphic and does much less damage to the signal.
 
Graphic equalizers were always considered evil, the only question being if the room was even more evil that the final result was an improvement, Nobody with any self respect would have ever admitted to having such as lousy room that he couldn't fix.

This all changed with parametric equalization, which is why it's become almost ubiquitous, whilst graphical equalizers have disappeared.
 
I can recommend one of these.
 
The issue with GEs is that they are a very coarse way of adjusting for room issues. Add to that most are installed and used without any knowledge of what the room is doing to the sound using proper measuring techniques to understand what needs adjusting to improve the sound. If you don't do that that then they are more of a hindrance than a help to better sound.
 
not played with room correction amps yet though like lyndorff which have software built in.. bit too tech for me them :D
Nothing to technical about setting up Lyngdorf's RoomPerfect as it is automatic and most people can follow the on screen simple instructions and move a mike around when prompted. Takes around 15-20 mins to achieve, in my case, stunning improvements in clarity.
 
Lots of helpful and well considered replies here, weighing up all the alternatives.

I’m going to go the other way....

Don’t get one. They’re utter sh*te. ;)
 
Yes they're rubbish, but they are also very cool, particularly if you're into retro eighties gear. Something about dozens of bands all lined up just and begging to be equalized speaks to the kid inside me who's fantasy hifi was over a meter high and had at least 36 equalisation bands per channel, preferably with a full colour spectrum analyser.
 
Yes they're rubbish, but they are also very cool, particularly if you're into retro eighties gear. Something about dozens of bands all lined up just and begging to be equalized speaks to the kid inside me who's fantasy hifi was over a meter high and had at least 36 equalisation bands per channel, preferably with a full colour spectrum analyser.
Ok many valid opinion and view I just opened Up my 80’s Kenwood equaliser and it’s slots neatly into a space in my equipment table
So I will give it try and when mood takes me will let the spectrum display dance to music other times just take it out of equation for more direct simplistic experience
 
Right !
maybe the folk who commented that EQ ‘s are worthless could be right ?
hooked up the EQ and now find the tape monitor button on Nad pre amp controls almost what’s coming out ? Also when I play my tape deck the output is very low when compared to streamer or other sources ?

any ideas I followed the instructions from Kenwood in German but looked at diagram !
 
I find some kind of EQ essential (not just Bass and Treble) I used to use a full rack one and by-passing it never gave me the sound I like. These days I have found a compromise with the Marantz Pearl Lite (now the PM8006) which has a bass, mid and treble function.
 
Never wanted any form of EQ before, but since getting an AVR featuring Dirac Live I'm hearing a significant improvement in the clarity and 'focus' with movies and also classical music. Not yet tried other genres. It seems to have tamed the worst excesses of my (non-treated) room, including tidying up some mid-bass lumpiness and boom and fixing an audible peak in the centre channel output due to the speaker sitting in a rack.
 
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There's a massive difference between the operation of an analogue graphic equaliser and a digital parametric based room connection tool. Dirac provides phase and time corrected room equalisation and does not introduce significant amounts of distortion.

It's something I will be looking for on my next AVR.
 
Once upon a time it was considered WRONG to buy an amplifier with tone controls. However I always have. I think they are needed now more than ever before. Most recently produced CD's seem to be mixed for downloading and tinnies in the ears. Full of bass and less treble. They sound awful on my Hi-Fi (compared to CD's mixed a few years ago). Why is this relevant? Because maybe Graphic Equalisers are the way to go to 're-mix' in the home for Hi-Fi? I too have VU meters (must be a Yamaha thing). IK
 
Apart from the fact that you are sending the signal through another box of electronics, you will also have two more sets of interconnects in the signal-path too. That is also an argument against having a pre/power amp combination rather than an integrated. In the analogue domain doubling up on interconnects can soften the sound and reduce high frequency information (slightly).
 

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