Agree! I used EQ to tune to the Harmon curve and it makes quite a bit of differences. However, I also use REW to make sure that I don't overdo the amplification on a room's nulls and add too much distortions into the output. Sometimes it is just not possible to EQ out the nulls IMO. That's when the room treatments come in.
Anyone understanding the Fletcher Munson equal loudness issue with human hearing should also understand why we enjoy music more when we EQ it for lower sound levels. Music mastered for concert level listening just sound better with EQ when listening at more family friendly levels.
@@ThinkingBetter Well Mastered Tracks only need Treb, Mid and Bass, Full Stop, unless, as I mentioned before, you wish it to sound different from the recording.
Kevin, first, I love this channel and have been plowing through your videos since subscribing a month ago. The EQ is for someone with a good ear and an understanding of what they are listening to. For me, they are beyond my understanding and ability to set for whatever I am listening to, nor do I want to jerk around with it. They, IMHO, were a pretentious gadget for 99% of the people who had them... something that said, "Look Buffy, I can afford this thing that supposedly makes my stereo sound good." So, yeah, to a degree, EQs are for idiots. My dumb ears can get the sound I want with a bass and treble know. Thanks for the great content!
Oh my ! you touched a nerve with this subject. I had so many arguments about the usage of EQ, in my personal opinion I think that using an equalizer is the easiest solution to finetune a room to your taste. By the way another reason why I like vintage equipment is the usage of tone controls and loudness something that vanished in new equipment's. As usual great info Kevin !
I'm in my 70's, and when I ran 2 channel stereo, I always used an eq to get the sound to my liking. I never cared for what "audiophiles" said, and say about anything in regards to home stereo/home theater. I don't care for those types of arrogant snotbags who are convinced they are the alpha and beta of home sound systems. To each their own, and their budgets, so rock on with whatever you care to listen too.
Straight up- I'm almost 70 now and was a BIG audio freak from 1969 to today! EQ's are INDISPENSABLE!! YOU alone can shape your speaker, receiver, tape and records to sound PRECISELY as you wish them to sound, with a 16 band EQ with multiple turnover frequencies on each band!
50 years into this journey I am an audiophile by the true definition of the word. I am also a musician, a percussionist to be exact. With that said, I probably tend to focus on more of the "higher" sounds when listening to music than others do. Things like cymbals, triangles, rhythm shakers etc.. I want to have as much clarity to my music without it being too "bright" at the same time. That's where an EQ(Kenwood GE-1100) allows me to hear those sounds without messing up the rest of the beautiful sounds resonating from my setup. I enjoy the ability to "fine tune" the music to my ears preferences. To EQ or not to EQ. In other words...to each their own!
As long as you use oxygen free copper cables placed on mahogany blocks, and re-cap the Kenwood GE-1100 (which I want badly) with gold foil and reptilian oil filled capacitors, then you may be forgiven by your audiophile brethren 😉👍
As a drummer/Percussionist, you would truly understand why Mic'ing Is everything to capture that. I use my best mics as overheads, then I use the highest end Dynamics on top and bottom of the snare, as well as the high hat, cuz I want to hear that hi hat when it opens very slightly,. Then, aside from getting mics on the toms and other percussion, I put out 2 room mics, one at 7-10 ft and the other at 15-20, depending on the live room. Doing all of that without Phasing issues is an Art unto itself. I say do as you wish, but the studio Neve or other top shelf EQ, and Pre's is how you lose the sibilance that makes drums sound too bright and washy. I also don't gate the shit out of the performance ,either. I use compression as minimally as possible.
I use and EQ to limit listening fatigue. My hearing is sensitive around 2K. Amazing how minor adjustments can change your listening experience. Product matching and/or blending is not as easy as some make it sound. Easily and affordably solved with an EQ. Great video. Happy listening.
Yes, listening fatigue. I have homemade khorns. I have a homemade tractrix horn mated to an Audax 6.5 midrange. Very sensitive to the 1-2k. Use the built in Yamaha Ypao eq to set it up. Makes a dramatic difference and tames the 125hz bump too. Uses phase as well as para eq to do it's thing. Klipsch did the same thing with crossover tricks.
I do have an EQ I have for one of my systems, I have asked friends “Blindly” what sounds better A or B (A being no EQ and B being with EQ applied to the music) all of them go for B. Because it helps, some songs can be quite fatiguing (vocal heavy) w/o the EQ.
I’ve been a film re-recording mixer for 30 years and every room I’ve been in has been professionally acoustically treated. We also always have a graphic eq in the monitor chain for fine tuning. No room is perfect.
When I first started to get into high fidelity I wanted to keep the bass and treble on flat and one of my preamps actually took these controls "out" of the circuit when centered.. This was fine but it required you you listen at rather high volume levels to experience good sound. When I moved to an apartment and later a duplex, I had to consider my neighbors, so lower levels absolutely requires tone controls and a loudness control to make the music listenable. I later got a ten band equalizer to help my system with the room effects. I would not have a system that is missing these controls.
Great video 100 % agree. I just bought a Technics EQ for $25 at a Goodwill store and it made my stereo sound so much better. Thanks for the advice. There are a lot of good use EQ from the late 80’ that really work.
For me, "Hi-Fi" means: 1) Most importantly, NO "muddiness" or grating distortion (especially, TIMD). 2) No obnoxious bass resonances. That's where an EQ really shines. 3) Music that sounds the way I'd expect it to sound, if it were a live performance. I really like folk music, which is primarily vocal. Therefore, I prefer speakers that are what "Stereophile" magazine used to call "front row." I think REAL "golden ears" are ears that can detect the slightest hint of distortion. At 70 years of age, I still retain at least some of that ability. Smooth, scintillating highs, deep, tight, and not overpowering bass, and a crystal clear, natural mid-range, constitute the "Holy Grail" of audio, and any way of getting it is OK.
@@kilgoretrout3966what is bad. Take a Philosophy class. It’s not a thing. It’s not religion. If you disagree then ok teach me; what is a track that is bad you could cite ?
I'm talking about the BAAAAAD distortion, that raspy, "gravelly" sound, like pebbles rattling around in a coffee can. It's mainly due, I think, to over-driving the amps, especially on vocals. I like recordings where, if I close my eyes, I could think that the band was right there, in front of me.
I put an EQ in my old 1966 F100 in the early eighties. Got at the J C Penny's auto center. I loved it. It helped get better sound out of the cheap stereo. I do not need one today in the car or home. One of the reasons do not in the home. My stereos have treble, mid range, and bass controls. It satisfies me.
At end of the day, most of us listen to a music reproduction system simply simply for enjoyment. 15 Band and up EQs can substantially help sweeten the experience for most systems. The lower the number of bands the less selective your tuning but even a 10 band is worth trying.
First I am an electric and upright bass player and musician for about 45 years now and always use an EQ in my bass rig. I have played blues, rock, rockabilly, wedding to 40s swing music, so I have stood next to most all of the instruments you will hear out of your stereo. Getting what's coming out of my speakers to sound like the real thing is my goal. I use a dbx model 1215 pro live audio and studio eq two channels 15 EQ sliders per side. Works fantastic in my home audio setup and it is dead quiet adds nothing to the signal. I use it for those ever so small tweaks that get the sound just where I want it. I love EQ's.
I ordered the Art 355 EQ weeks ago i have had my eye on it for a long time happy I got it now. Its like the final add on to make my Home Theatre / stereo system complete .
I learned an amazing amount of information about sound by simply playing with an eq. What instruments were concentrated at what frequencies, what shapes made the music sound the best (to me), etc. I think a lot of the appeal was the ability to make a lower quality system sound really good, especially when most of my listening experience at the time was on transistor radios and crappy car speakers.
It really depends. unless you have the stems, or individual tracks, what you do to an instrument to augment it, will still impact what happens with the other instruments. Part of production, if done well, is to Mic, EQ and slight compression to avoid what you speak of, and my big point. Avoiding intrusion between Instruments and Vox is the point, not grouping sounds in a near same frequency. There will always be some bleed through, but great Engineering and Production minimizes that. One of the biggest tricks is to divide the midrange on many singers vocals and the guitar, much less so on piano.The issue with Vox vs Guitar varies, with the Timbre and pitch of the singer, and where the guitar sits. That should be handled at the board, and by the Mixer. If it's too grouped, that is a failing of Production. Aside from that, have fun and play with it.
The smiley face eq as well as the loudness button do have much in common. At lower volumes, the human ear is less sensitive to very high and even more, low frequencies. However, when music attains a certain volume level, this phenomenon goes away. So the loudness button was "invented" to counteract this problem. Using a special "nearly center" tapped volume control, a unique eq system was attached to it that would boost the high frequencies and low frequencies by a certain amount. As one increased the volume, the effect would slowly decrease. Usually when one turns up the volume to the 10 O' Clock position, the circuit is practically bypassed and the audio would play as if the circuit wasn't even turned on. It was at this point that most would think the volume is high enough to no longer need the compensation. Most of us humans can pick up on the lack of bass and highs when listening at lower levels. I am sure many of us had noticed that when you play the music at lower volumes, the mids sound fine, but where did the highs and lows go? Turn up the volume and the highs and lows come back. Enter the equalizer, which was used to predominately restore those lows and highs at the low volumes of which we mostly play music at, unless we are alone and want to turn it up, or we have a party, where the music is always loud. Now leaving the EQ in smiley face mode at high volumes will generally result in too sibilant highs and VERY boomy lows. Simply hitting bypass on the EQ restores the sound at high volume. Thereby, in this situation, the EQ is mimicking the loudness button, but since it is not tied to the volume control, changes in sound at higher volume has to be done manually. I am in the same boat with Kevin in that I do like an EQ, but I don't necessarily have to have one. I would say that if you have a very peaky room, meaning lots of standing waves (as Kevin explained), then yeah, you probably need one. Granted, having more bands gives you more control, but I had found that parametric equalizers are FAR more useful than graphic ones. Per cut and boost slider, they allow you to change the frequency of that boost / cut and some allow you to adjust the shape or Q of the adjacent frequencies. In this case, a four band parametric eq is far more useful than a huge 30 band one. However, this comes at a warning. Most parametric EQ's are found in the pro or commercial sound universe and they can get very expensive.
Exactly, I use a 10 band Parametric EQ to flatten the response of my speakers in my living room, and then a graphic mildly to taste. It sounds fantastic.
By the title of the video, I almost didn't watch because I was thinking audiophile snobbery, but I'm glad I did. A Pioneer sg-9500 came my way and I didn't hook it up for about 5 years... now I use it daily but rarely change the settings. Keep up the great content Kevin!!
I bought a vintage Onkyo receiver from Kevin a few weeks ago, and just added an Optimus EQ I picked up on eBay this past week. The Onkyo sounds amazing, and the EQ really makes it shine!
Cassettes, speakers and vinyl usually had a non-linear frequency response. EQ helped offset that. Most users didn’t know how to adjust them to fix the issues, yet it was fun. Digital is a predictable tonal outcome, so they are not as necessary now. Fixing room modes and taming reflections is better with room treatments. EQ has benefits if applied appropriately.
Equalisers are a blessing for a stereo system to tone down shrill frequencies or to make the punch sound more roomy. Have been using equaliser for the past 30 years and me or it, are still tireless.
My first experience with graphic EQ's was at a friends home in late 1977. She had a Pioneer SG-9500 and RG-1 expander. Both had a dramatic effect on the sound. I purchased the ADC Sound Shaper Two (with the VU meters) in 1978. I liked the twelve bands controlling frequencies between 30 to 16kHz. By 1982 I owned two cassette decks and an open reel machine. I upgraded to the SS2 IC version which had bidirectional dubbing for two tape decks on the EQ. Another swell feature was the subsonic filter (15Hz @ 18dB/oct) very useful for LP's. I've never had to boost/cut more than 2 or 3dB's and use it as an elaborate tone control. It's still in my hifi system and very much in use. I got a Pioneer RG-2 expander in 1981 and find it handy for listening to FM and tape, either cassette or open reel. I've seen dual channel 1/3 octave EQ's and man-o-Manischewitz are they boss with 30+ sliders per channel. A lucid discussion on EQ's, thanks.
I picked up a 10 band Optimus 31-2030 EQ a few months ago at the local thrift store. Best 12 bucks I've spent in a long time. As you said, it's a lot fun to play with and tailor my sound. Certainly helps liven up my 50 year old Sansui AS-200's and my 62 year old ears. The fluoroscan spectrum analyzer is worth the price of admission alone.
I love EQs, it's call managing your sound to fit what you like. I have a vintage JVC JR -S300 Mrk2 plus a added JVC EQ to tune my CDs which are re mastered. Awesome system. ❤❤it
I have spent days ringing out a stereo 31 band EQ. The sound is amazing and generates emotional reactions from people. Some frequencies need cut and some need boosted depending on the room. There is nothing like it when you’re listening to a flat set up. It takes time, patience and silence. 🎉
I have a 1979 Sansui SE-7 graphic EQ. It absolutely helps me get the most out of my system. I have to adjust less with "better" speakers, but it's a nice tool to have to get it sounding just right in my room. And the Sansui SE-7 looks cool too!
I have a 10 band Numark EQ that I got in the early 80’s. It still works flawlessly and gives me exactly the sound I want from my Onkio receiver and Boston Acoustic speakers.
Thanks Kevin for this chat on EQ's. I've got an ADC 10 band per channel EQ that I've always used primarily for room compensation. There's always that one speaker that is closer to a wall and that speaker needed the adjustment to balance the sound. Another use I used it for was cassette music that is starting to wear out. I can adjust the sound to make a new recording of the tape. But I'm only using this for my vintage gear. I'm into digital sound as well now a days and a lot of software has built in EQ's which I use.
I spent years, decades without an EQ. I bought one a few months ago and now I wondered myself how did I manage to live without an EQ all of these years.
I use EQs in a few of my systems - I like treble (high) frequencies more and the EQs help accentuate them. I don't care what audiophiles think - they would not debase themselves enough to deign to listen to my cobbled-together, thrift store-sourced rigs. Since they were likely NOT part of the recording process (as in, they WEREN'T THERE) - how the hell would they know what it's "supposed" to sound like? I'll get off my soap box now.
Great video on EQ's! 👍I've been an owner of many over my life and my favorite that I highly recommend is the 7 band Technics SH-8058 spectrum analyzer eq. It was made between 1988-1990 and came in two colors silver or black, both with blue graphic level indicators. I have it hooked to my Pioneer SX-980 through the pre amp and power amp connections and it's beautiful visually as well as sonically. In appreciation of your content you've got a new sub. Thank's for supporting the EQ lovers community! ✌
Great video. I'd say 99% of us can't afford to have a proper listening room so find the gear that sounds fun and enjoy. Building a stereo system is a journey and I find there are times when a piece of gear is needed and then I grow out of it or add another unit to my system that corrects the original problem, etc, etc. I look forward to many years of swapping things in and out to hear how they sound (good or bad)!
I had a pioneer sg 9500, and loved it. Its said that the loudness is just the manufacturers choice, and design of what they perceived to be the ideal mini EQ. Also, the loudness will kick out at high volumes, so feel free to run it always... some manufactures say. With Vintage Yamaha receivers , they state to turn the loudness knob up to full, and adjust the volume accordingly. I use the loudness on both my Sansui's, 9090, and 661 whenever the recording, and my ears dictate. It's always subjective! Have fun. :) Side note: Like Andrew Robinson says at the end of each of his stereo review videos, " And remember, the only one that has to like the sound of your system, is you". Perfect!
I believe one thing that helped drive EQ popularity in the late seventies was the cassette tape. I recorded a lot of my albums for playing in our vehicles and usually the sound quality was a bit diminished from the original LP. With an EQ you could play your recorded tapes in the home and tune the sound to closer match the original album. Of course as time went by you would experiment with different tape brands and quality of tape in pursuit of the best performance on your deck.
BASF Chrome cassette tape was my fave. Ran a walkman into my parents cassette deck to make better sounding copies for the car stereo player. Those were the days!
@@Silverfaces. correct ,the brands i use ,but when in 85 BASF starts to release good tapes but badly assembled cassettes i had to turn and also use Sony cassettes in the 90´s the only brands who kept some quality were TDK and SONY , maxell when releasing those light grey casings become deck destroyers as BASF did in the mid 80´s till the end ,i remenber buying a pack of two basf cassettes from time to time and in 6 i bought maybe one was ok others were also deck destroyers, the main reason the nakamich deck DRAGON would start to fail at the end of 3 years of heavy use were badly built cassettes ,i had two Dragons with more than 10 years apart both become garbage while a deck from AKAI or Pioneer would last with average care 20 to 30 years, but i had to buy a cheapest deck wich was the Dragon, the good deck from 1982 wasn´t the dragon but the BX-2 ,at least bought it at the same time and the bx-2 bought in 1982 still works perfect with regular maintenance, the other i bought had an atractive name wasn´t that expensive but 3 years at the most working ok, when i say ok is perfection not just to play cassettes like a 20€ cassette player or one wouldn´t pay around 800 dollars for the same type of sound
Those TDK, Maxell and Memorex audio cassette tapes were the best especially the premium ones with high fidelity sound. Those ones were a little more expensive.
Friend gave me a Pioneer SG 9500 last yr. Hooked it into tape loop so it can be bypassed at will if I want. Also love bass mid treble knobs & loudness button. So nice to have options !! Use what sounds best to you is great advice. Thanks for a great channel !
I love my silver face, 10-band EQ from the late '70s. I picked it up for $75. I am not an "audiophile". I consider myself an audio enthusiast. I use it for vinyl and when I'm streaming, not so much for CD's. Realistic made some nice ones back in the day as did TEAC and of course the Pioneer line . . . SG9800.
EQ's are a must have in my opinion. Been using them since i was a kid. Back in the 90's I upgraded my 10 band realistic eq to an alesis m-eq 230 which I am still currently using. In fact, this video was watched using my alesis!
I have had an EQ since the late 70s and would not be without one. The one I have now has an auto equalizer-built in. it measures the deficiencies of the speakers and the room and corrects for them
EQs teach a lot about frequencies in general. I'm amazed by the number of people that just have no clue that "warm" is a combination of frequencies or a lack thereof. I'm convinced that they shorten an owner's life because they will likely be endlessly adjusting it. I had to lock mine up.
I always use tone controls or EQs because they help me to enjoy music that I otherwise wouldn't. If a song is mixed or played to appeal to a certain taste, you might not quite be in that demographic. But if you do a little of your own tone adjustment, it can allow you to become a fan of that piece, or artist. Also, as we age, we don't hear treble so well. Boosting it can allow us to continue to enjoy our music for our entire life.
I have 2 EQs "on the shelf" and have not used them in quite a few years. The issue I had was I found myself constantly changing/adjusting the settings. I think I did that more based on the recording ( quality) as opposed to my room acoustics.
Imagine all of the time being spent readjusting and saving settings on newer subwoofers that have an ap for calibrating the EQ from your phone. More convenient to do, but very album can have it's own file.
@@alm5693 That’s assuming you’re willing to accept the app’s compensation. Just because it targets a specific response doesn’t mean that will be the one preferred. Will your app compensate to anyone’s ears or personal sonic preference for any musical genre? I doubt it. And if it did, it would be equally inconvenient as manual EQ imho.
I like EQ's so much that I have a nice collection of them. I have 3 different vintage systems and I have an EQ in all 3. I'd be unhappy without one in my setups.
I received my new tube amp and was very disappointed there were no tone controls on it. The sound was very flat so much it was not listenable. I remembered I had an EQ stashed away from the 70s, hooked it up, and voila! This amp, speakers and turntable is now my favorite for listening to my albums. Love it.
A couple of years ago I added an EQ to the shelf. It's only used for the particular job I bought it for - knocking the upper end down a bit on a particular amp. They have their uses.
I bought my first Audiosource EQ ONE ,yes it's the Ferris Bueller model, in the early nineties, and since then I've owned 4 of the EQ One models. Even if you don't use them to shape the sound, they look so freaking cool with the dancing LED lights. Especially at night. I'll never sell mine. I use an EQ in all four of my current systems. Some are active, but some are passive just for the pretty lights. Thanks for the video.
I used to have a Fisher - Studio dual 10- band hooked up thru my surround sound. Holy crap did it bring things to life !!!!! Of course that was 20 - 25 yrs ago. Not even sure could patch one thru like that now - I get tired of ALL the factory settings. I like my music & movies how I want to hear them. Not the way some techy thinks it should be.
Great video. In my younger years, I allowed the idea of an audiophile infiltrate and smear my view of EQ's. As an experienced listener and also being one less concerned about audiophile opinions, I own several EQ's. What swayed me in the beginning was this saying that if you needed one, it's because your system is lacking aka buy better components and speakers. It's a great marketing tool because I spent tons of money when a little EQ could have been what I needed. I own the Schiit Loki Max and it's used in my main rig and I love it.
I don't like the word audiophile. To me an audiophile believes his system is exactly as the artist intended. Pink Floyd made The dark side of the moon especially for his system. His Amp, his turntable, his phono cartridge, speakers, listening room, or whatever he may have. His system is the only one that plays it back the way the artist, producers, and sound engineers intended. Every audiophile can have a different system, yet they all sound like the artist intended. This isn't even possible.
Here's the thing. EQs can be a tuning tool. It can compensate for a system's shortcomings. Cheap EQs can be noisy. Audiophiles like to think they need things perfectly flat. Flat sounds lifeless. Besides, you need an eq to achieve that. In sound reinforcement, you would "flatten" to compensate room anomalies, an EQ is employed. Many streaming services that utilize an app, like WIIM. Have a built-in EQ. If you like what you hear, then use it.
Totally agree. My sound system is more for pleasure than "perfection". I'm very happy with my Sansui SE-3000 10-band and Realistic APM-500 power meters. Yes, I am guilty of having fun of watching all the pretty lights dance to the beat of my Talking Heads album. LOL
I have to agree with you about the usefulness of an EQ for home stereo. In a live audio sound reinforcement setup a high quality dual channel 15 band is an essential tool. You also have to consider that unless you know what your doing an EQ can degrade your overall listening experience, quite a few people I have met over the years use an EQ to boost certain frequencies, which is the worst thing you can do. If certain frequencies are not loud enough that means some other frequencies are overly loud, so you gradually turn those down until you have a balanced sound. Thanks for this video :_)
Glad creators are making videos like this. The loudness button is an elegant solution to low volume listening. And EQs are really fun to play around with...especially on certain recordings. I refuse to buy a receiver or amp that lacks tone controls and a loudness button. Very few provide those features anymore...only certain Japanese brands it seems.
I use an EQ to balance out my system since the right channel cable riser is 14mm taller than the one on the left. I also have to compensate for the reflections off my friends forehead when he comes over.
Kevin: you make me smile with the consistent pragmatic approach to all audio. The EQ topic is easily stretched to include the topology and construction of a hidden component in nearly every system,... that is the speaker crossover network. These networks are EQ(s). The intent is to match SPL between the drivers. They are "mostly" fixed although I seem to remember a few speakers, JBL?, that had knobs on the back which would modify the response. An uncommon, but IMHO, a neat way to use an EQ is to Bi-amp or Tri-amp directly to the speaker drivers while removing the crossover networks. This is great if you like lots of fussing around, a zillion cables, etc. It is a perfect topic for "mine is better than yours" conversations. Humor aside I believe multi-amping direct to drivers with EQ application to each driver is best for many technical reasons. AND It increases sales,.... LOL I would like to hear your thoughts on this topic. d
I want one in my system because, " I Like Them " if I want to Change the sound at different Listening Levels than So Be It!! I knew the Title was only to draw Attention!! But No one Absolutely needs an EQ, I think there are some Cool Factors too, Such as Level Meters, They are CERTAINLY making a Come Back!
I have three eq's and have used them since the first one I bought from Radio Shack back in the 80's. Being a bass player,it's a god send for practicing.
I think you are right. So many people stop enjoying what they have and why they bought it in the first place by listening to "so-called" experts. No one can compete with million dollar systems, and everyone wants to be the cool kid. Enjoy your rig for the original reason, FOR THE MUSIC.
I love my Sound craftsman amp/equalizer. I ran it for a month then took it off line. What a difference! I immediately hooked it back up. My basement is finished but it's not a sound room. So it allows me to adjust the sound that is very pleasant to my ears.
You almost have to lament the end of pre-out and main-in loops on integrated amps and receivers when you're lamenting how everyone hates outboard equalizers. The last receiver I had with the loop was a Harman Kardon 930. One of my current IAs has pre-amp outputs, but that still leaves you having to choose which source you want to connect the EQ to rather than using it for all of your sources. I've got a little Bellari EQS70 that I bought to experiment, but it would be more fun to connect it via a pre-out/main-in loop.
An EQ is also great tool for finding weaknesses in your room. Additionally, by just playing around with it, you can correlate musical sounds to certain frequencies which can inform your research and buying decisions.
I’m a 60 yr old audiophile. I don’t think most people care what audiophiles think. Using analog tone controls just makes the sound slightly less open, less 3D. That’s what you’re paying for when you buy high end gear. If you’ve got a big rack between your speakers pushed up against the wall you won’t know the difference. I used to like using my brother’s Pioneer graphic eq for making cassettes for the car but those days are long gone. Even using the subsonic filter on a ifi zen phono preamp degrades the sound. I tried using slight adjustments on a Denon PMA a100 int amp more recently to no avail. Even turning off the display on a Denon DCD a100 cd player improves the sound slightly, why I can’t say. Really what it comes down to is like music, to each his own and just enjoy it. My vintage piece is a Marantz 2230 with the wood cabinet, just because I always liked the gyro tuner and symmetrical design with blue incandescent lights. I’d liked to get a Sansui AU 9500 one day as well. You’re doing a nice job with these well crafted beautiful vintage pieces, very cool.
Thanks Kevin for another awesome video. As you mentioned about audiophiles and their opinions, I agree, at the end of the day it;s your ears that you have to satisfy and if an equalizer helps you do that .... go for it. I've had a ADC Sound Shaper 2 (12 bands per channel) since the 70;s and I love it. The main use I use it for is room shaping, but another feature I used was for cassette recordings. Tapes are a magnetic recording on an medium that will fade over time. I'll use the equalizer to make another tape boosting the areas that need it. All in all, if you can use one to satisfy a need you have ... do it, you'll love.
I always had an eq, first a pioneer sg-9500 and now a soundcraftsmen. Early days I had the smiley face too, but now Just a few frequencies are altered for room. I love the goat in your video, I call them sheep....lol.
Home theater killed just about everything in mid-fi. In that segment most people stop buying separates or even integrated amps with tuners I think, so an equalizer be the last thing on my mind I still own an ADC sound shaper three 12 band paragraphic equalizer but it seems like a lot of wire for the sound to go through. Plus I’m kind of happy with a couple pieces of highend stuff that sounds pretty good without it. It still looks really cool my rack though :)
Loved this video and appreciate it. I used various EQs since 1980 until just a year or so ago when I started really buying some better components and speakers…2270!!! And then had a guy at my house from the fancy hi fi shop helping me set up my new Rega and he dogged me when he saw my EQ….said “those silly dancing lights”….so I felt like a fool and unhooked it. Now I think I’ll hook it back up because I’ve always liked the flexibility….same guy was one of those bass and treble have to be flat people…
I love my eq. Always have, always will. I have a Yamaha TSR700 and the equalizer is literally built in. You have to search for it but it's about 7 bands. The loudness button is also electronic now. I love it. It sounds absolutely fantastic. What's more, the living room WILL meet the SAF from my wife so I can compensate for room reflection.
I have a kenwood eq. Use it mainly for vinyl. Depends on the pressing. Some need help and EQ settings does that. CDs I dont need a eq for that. With pure direct and direct works great.
I believe the emergance of multi-channel home theater audio contributed to the exit of EQs for the masses. Mainstream manufacturers turned their attention to Dolby Pro-logic and later generations Dolby theater sound were immediately popular. Attention to the center and surround channels left little interest in EQs. Today's internet connected audio devices typically don't provide external processing loops for an EQ. As you noted, the audiophiles never liked them from the start and still don't. I worked in a hi-fi shop during the EQ era. We sold Sound Craftsman (70's) and AudioSource (80's) as standalone EQ options. I personally found the simplicity of the Yamaha variable loudness control combined with tone controls to be an especially useful to tweak the listening experience for the average person.
I agree entirely. I use my EQ to adjust to my oddly shaped listening room. Also... it's just fun to play with the sound, isolate individual instruments or voices, etc. Of course... you can always bypass it if you want.
Aside from an actual Equalizer(full scale) the only "eq" I use is the Loudness switch on my Technics receiver, just to boost the lower end when vol is at lower levels. Otherwise, a real EQ is great for flattening rooms that have bad acoustics. My opinion only. Your mileage may vary!
I have an EQ I luv it . Not only for sound but I luv the interaction with the music. You can call me an idiot ... But I definitely don't feel like one 😂😂😂😂
EQs got reduced to presets, my parents 80´s hifi had a built in G-Eq, my first 90´s stereo had 5 presets named after genres. This translated into the digital streaming age, the loudness button just got renamed Bass Boost :)
I totally agree with your opinion about Eqs. The reason we don't see them much anymore is that since the late 90s and early 2000s, when multi channel digital came about, they eliminated tape monitors on receivers and amps. You really need a tape monitor loop to hook up an equalizer properly. It can be done haphazardly but not the right way. There is only one modern receiver that I know of that will support an EQ or tape deck. It is called an Outlaw. The reason you don't see loudness buttons is similar. Most home theater systems have Subwoofer outputs which we can use to make the bass as loud as we want. A loudness button is now considered unnecessary. There are some stereo only amps and receivers that do have a loudness button along with a sub output. That is why I use vintage receivers. It seems that home theater receivers are only interested in movie soundtracks at the expense of quality 2 channel audio. You can still find pro logic receivers from the mid 1990s with tape monitors and loudness buttons. But since 5.1 surround became the norm, no equalizers or loudness buttons. It's a real shame. Also as a side note, most young people are listening to music by streaming or through their pc and they allow for EQ apps. A real shame they can't make a few amps similar to those in the past decades.
Having worked around sound engineers while interning in college, various engineers hearing varied. So their mixes varied in the final cuts and prints. And when puriting the finished products, you can hear the differences of each album. Some albums were bright, others were dull. very few were spot on. Those of us who use EQs are also known as 'Tweakers'...Always tweaking the audio. An EQs for me evens out everybodies mixes, so they sound nice together. The tonal differences are not so un-nerving🐻
You can achieve a literal night and day difference with an EQ. Period.
Exactly
Agree! I used EQ to tune to the Harmon curve and it makes quite a bit of differences. However, I also use REW to make sure that I don't overdo the amplification on a room's nulls and add too much distortions into the output. Sometimes it is just not possible to EQ out the nulls IMO. That's when the room treatments come in.
Without EQ. My music sounds flat. Just tinny vocals. No bass, no good mids, no high pitch for the tweeters.
In the 80's for some music I wanted big bass and high highs. EQ gave me that.
There’s a reason people love the “disco smile,” and it ain’t just the way it looks. It’s also easy on the ears!
The club curve
Anyone understanding the Fletcher Munson equal loudness issue with human hearing should also understand why we enjoy music more when we EQ it for lower sound levels. Music mastered for concert level listening just sound better with EQ when listening at more family friendly levels.
Scooping the mids out isn't a great practice, unless you like hearing things as they weren't recorded.
@@ThinkingBetter Well Mastered Tracks only need Treb, Mid and Bass, Full Stop, unless, as I mentioned before, you wish it to sound different from the recording.
Kevin, first, I love this channel and have been plowing through your videos since subscribing a month ago. The EQ is for someone with a good ear and an understanding of what they are listening to. For me, they are beyond my understanding and ability to set for whatever I am listening to, nor do I want to jerk around with it. They, IMHO, were a pretentious gadget for 99% of the people who had them... something that said, "Look Buffy, I can afford this thing that supposedly makes my stereo sound good." So, yeah, to a degree, EQs are for idiots. My dumb ears can get the sound I want with a bass and treble know. Thanks for the great content!
Equalizers are a must for most. Few people have the perfect listening room or even the perfect set of speakers.
Or perfect source material.
Or perfect ears
I'm using Tone Controls since 1976 ......enjoy your music the way you want.
Old schoolers rule!
Oh my ! you touched a nerve with this subject. I had so many arguments about the usage of EQ, in my personal opinion I think that using an equalizer is the easiest solution to finetune a room to your taste. By the way another reason why I like vintage equipment is the usage of tone controls and loudness something that vanished in new equipment's. As usual great info Kevin !
I'm in my 70's, and when I ran 2 channel stereo, I always used an eq to get the sound to my liking. I never cared for what "audiophiles" said, and say about anything in regards to home stereo/home theater. I don't care for those types of arrogant snotbags who are convinced they are the alpha and beta of home sound systems. To each their own, and their budgets, so rock on with whatever you care to listen too.
Agreed. I have a buddy who calls them "audio fools" 😅 he knows his stuff & is versed in gear& likes a good clean sounding sound system, too
Alpha and Omega
I love EQs and have many.
Straight up- I'm almost 70 now and was a BIG audio freak from 1969 to today! EQ's are INDISPENSABLE!! YOU alone can shape your speaker, receiver, tape and records to sound PRECISELY as you wish them to sound, with a 16 band EQ with multiple turnover frequencies on each band!
50 years into this journey I am an audiophile by the true definition of the word. I am also a musician, a percussionist to be exact. With that said, I probably tend to focus on more of the "higher" sounds when listening to music than others do. Things like cymbals, triangles, rhythm shakers etc.. I want to have as much clarity to my music without it being too "bright" at the same time. That's where an EQ(Kenwood GE-1100) allows me to hear those sounds without messing up the rest of the beautiful sounds resonating from my setup. I enjoy the ability to "fine tune" the music to my ears preferences. To EQ or not to EQ. In other words...to each their own!
Bless you.
As long as you use oxygen free copper cables placed on mahogany blocks, and re-cap the Kenwood GE-1100 (which I want badly) with gold foil and reptilian oil filled capacitors, then you may be forgiven by your audiophile brethren 😉👍
As a drummer/Percussionist, you would truly understand why Mic'ing Is everything to capture that. I use my best mics as overheads, then I use the highest end Dynamics on top and bottom of the snare, as well as the high hat, cuz I want to hear that hi hat when it opens very slightly,.
Then, aside from getting mics on the toms and other percussion, I put out 2 room mics, one at 7-10 ft and the other at 15-20, depending on the live room. Doing all of that without Phasing issues is an Art unto itself.
I say do as you wish, but the studio Neve or other top shelf EQ, and Pre's is how you lose the sibilance that makes drums sound too bright and washy. I also don't gate the shit out of the performance ,either. I use compression as minimally as possible.
I have a BSR EQ-3000 that I mail ordered from DAK back maybe about 1990. I still use it regularly.
I’ve been using an EQ for about 40 years and I’ll never stop using it😂😂😂
I use and EQ to limit listening fatigue. My hearing is sensitive around 2K.
Amazing how minor adjustments can change your listening experience.
Product matching and/or blending is not as easy as some make it sound. Easily and affordably solved with an EQ.
Great video. Happy listening.
Also good for us older listeners who through the years have lost an amount of hearing especially in certain frequency ranges.
Yes, listening fatigue. I have homemade khorns. I have a homemade tractrix horn mated to an Audax 6.5 midrange. Very sensitive to the 1-2k. Use the built in Yamaha Ypao eq to set it up. Makes a dramatic difference and tames the 125hz bump too. Uses phase as well as para eq to do it's thing. Klipsch did the same thing with crossover tricks.
Love using My EQ my brother!!!! Customize your system and adjust to your taste. Plus you can adjust your system to different speakers!
I do have an EQ I have for one of my systems, I have asked friends “Blindly” what sounds better A or B (A being no EQ and B being with EQ applied to the music) all of them go for B. Because it helps, some songs can be quite fatiguing (vocal heavy) w/o the EQ.
I’ve been a film re-recording mixer for 30 years and every room I’ve been in has been professionally acoustically treated. We also always have a graphic eq in the monitor chain for fine tuning. No room is perfect.
I have few and I have them bypassed but I love the spectrum analyzer display that gives a sharp look to every system
When I first started to get into high fidelity I wanted to keep the bass and treble on flat and one of my preamps actually took these controls "out" of the circuit when centered.. This was fine but it required you you listen at rather high volume levels to experience good sound. When I moved to an apartment and later a duplex, I had to consider my neighbors, so lower levels absolutely requires tone controls and a loudness control to make the music listenable. I later got a ten band equalizer to help my system with the room effects. I would not have a system that is missing these controls.
That's correct, Agree , and I turn off the eqaliser too if I crank up the volume , at that stage it's counter productive to leave the eqaliser on.
have had a early `80's Realistic seven band EQ an hook it up to everything since then. still enjoy using it.
Great video 100 % agree. I just bought a Technics EQ for $25 at a Goodwill store and it made my stereo sound so much better. Thanks for the advice. There are a lot of good use EQ from the late 80’ that really work.
For me, "Hi-Fi" means: 1) Most importantly, NO "muddiness" or grating distortion (especially, TIMD). 2) No obnoxious bass resonances. That's where an EQ really shines. 3) Music that sounds the way I'd expect it to sound, if it were a live performance. I really like folk music, which is primarily vocal. Therefore, I prefer speakers that are what "Stereophile" magazine used to call "front row." I think REAL "golden ears" are ears that can detect the slightest hint of distortion. At 70 years of age, I still retain at least some of that ability. Smooth, scintillating highs, deep, tight, and not overpowering bass, and a crystal clear, natural mid-range, constitute the "Holy Grail" of audio, and any way of getting it is OK.
That all is due to poor recording
…. But nicely said! Anyway you can it.
Maybe. I mean some distortion is pretty great if not digital so who cares. 5% distortion. Ohh fuk! It’s not that bad try it.
@@kilgoretrout3966what is bad. Take a Philosophy class. It’s not a thing. It’s not religion. If you disagree then ok teach me; what is a track that is bad you could cite ?
I'm talking about the BAAAAAD distortion, that raspy, "gravelly" sound, like pebbles rattling around in a coffee can. It's mainly due, I think, to over-driving the amps, especially on vocals. I like recordings where, if I close my eyes, I could think that the band was right there, in front of me.
I put an EQ in my old 1966 F100 in the early eighties. Got at the J C Penny's auto center. I loved it. It helped get better sound out of the cheap stereo. I do not need one today in the car or home. One of the reasons do not in the home. My stereos have treble, mid range, and bass controls. It satisfies me.
At end of the day, most of us listen to a music reproduction system simply simply for enjoyment. 15 Band and up EQs can substantially help sweeten the experience for most systems. The lower the number of bands the less selective your tuning but even a 10 band is worth trying.
First I am an electric and upright bass player and musician for about 45 years now and always use an EQ in my bass rig. I have played blues, rock, rockabilly, wedding to 40s swing music, so I have stood next to most all of the instruments you will hear out of your stereo. Getting what's coming out of my speakers to sound like the real thing is my goal.
I use a dbx model 1215 pro live audio and studio eq two channels 15 EQ sliders per side. Works fantastic in my home audio setup and it is dead quiet adds nothing to the signal. I use it for those ever so small tweaks that get the sound just where I want it. I love EQ's.
I ordered the Art 355 EQ weeks ago i have had my eye on it for a long time happy I got it now.
Its like the final add on to make my Home Theatre / stereo system complete .
I learned an amazing amount of information about sound by simply playing with an eq. What instruments were concentrated at what frequencies, what shapes made the music sound the best (to me), etc. I think a lot of the appeal was the ability to make a lower quality system sound really good, especially when most of my listening experience at the time was on transistor radios and crappy car speakers.
Yup, me too
It really depends. unless you have the stems, or individual tracks, what you do to an instrument to augment it, will still impact what happens with the other instruments. Part of production, if done well, is to Mic, EQ and slight compression to avoid what you speak of, and my big point.
Avoiding intrusion between Instruments and Vox is the point, not grouping sounds in a near same frequency. There will always be some bleed through, but great Engineering and Production minimizes that.
One of the biggest tricks is to divide the midrange on many singers vocals and the guitar, much less so on piano.The issue with Vox vs Guitar varies, with the Timbre and pitch of the singer, and where the guitar sits. That should be handled at the board, and by the Mixer. If it's too grouped, that is a failing of Production.
Aside from that, have fun and play with it.
all music is mixed differently... an eq allows you to compensate!
The smiley face eq as well as the loudness button do have much in common. At lower volumes, the human ear is less sensitive to very high and even more, low frequencies. However, when music attains a certain volume level, this phenomenon goes away. So the loudness button was "invented" to counteract this problem. Using a special "nearly center" tapped volume control, a unique eq system was attached to it that would boost the high frequencies and low frequencies by a certain amount. As one increased the volume, the effect would slowly decrease. Usually when one turns up the volume to the 10 O' Clock position, the circuit is practically bypassed and the audio would play as if the circuit wasn't even turned on. It was at this point that most would think the volume is high enough to no longer need the compensation. Most of us humans can pick up on the lack of bass and highs when listening at lower levels. I am sure many of us had noticed that when you play the music at lower volumes, the mids sound fine, but where did the highs and lows go? Turn up the volume and the highs and lows come back. Enter the equalizer, which was used to predominately restore those lows and highs at the low volumes of which we mostly play music at, unless we are alone and want to turn it up, or we have a party, where the music is always loud. Now leaving the EQ in smiley face mode at high volumes will generally result in too sibilant highs and VERY boomy lows. Simply hitting bypass on the EQ restores the sound at high volume. Thereby, in this situation, the EQ is mimicking the loudness button, but since it is not tied to the volume control, changes in sound at higher volume has to be done manually. I am in the same boat with Kevin in that I do like an EQ, but I don't necessarily have to have one. I would say that if you have a very peaky room, meaning lots of standing waves (as Kevin explained), then yeah, you probably need one. Granted, having more bands gives you more control, but I had found that parametric equalizers are FAR more useful than graphic ones. Per cut and boost slider, they allow you to change the frequency of that boost / cut and some allow you to adjust the shape or Q of the adjacent frequencies. In this case, a four band parametric eq is far more useful than a huge 30 band one. However, this comes at a warning. Most parametric EQ's are found in the pro or commercial sound universe and they can get very expensive.
Exactly, I use a 10 band Parametric EQ to flatten the response of my speakers in my living room, and then a graphic mildly to taste. It sounds fantastic.
By the title of the video, I almost didn't watch because I was thinking audiophile snobbery, but I'm glad I did. A Pioneer sg-9500 came my way and I didn't hook it up for about 5 years... now I use it daily but rarely change the settings. Keep up the great content Kevin!!
Thank you, glad the title didn't fool you :)
I bought a vintage Onkyo receiver from Kevin a few weeks ago, and just added an Optimus EQ I picked up on eBay this past week. The Onkyo sounds amazing, and the EQ really makes it shine!
Thanks for the purchase!
Cassettes, speakers and vinyl usually had a non-linear frequency response. EQ helped offset that. Most users didn’t know how to adjust them to fix the issues, yet it was fun. Digital is a predictable tonal outcome, so they are not as necessary now. Fixing room modes and taming reflections is better with room treatments. EQ has benefits if applied appropriately.
Equalisers are a blessing for a stereo system to tone down shrill frequencies or to make the punch sound more roomy. Have been using equaliser for the past 30 years and me or it, are still tireless.
I would not own this vintage gear without some sort of EQ in the chain. It simply takes the music to another level, at least to my ears.
EQs make the output louder and treble and bass better tuned to my liking. I will always use one.
My first experience with graphic EQ's was at a friends home in late 1977. She had a Pioneer SG-9500 and RG-1 expander. Both had a dramatic effect on the sound. I purchased the ADC Sound Shaper Two (with the VU meters) in 1978. I liked the twelve bands controlling frequencies between 30 to 16kHz. By 1982 I owned two cassette decks and an open reel machine. I upgraded to the SS2 IC version which had bidirectional dubbing for two tape decks on the EQ. Another swell feature was the subsonic filter (15Hz @ 18dB/oct) very useful for LP's. I've never had to boost/cut more than 2 or 3dB's and use it as an elaborate tone control. It's still in my hifi system and very much in use. I got a Pioneer RG-2 expander in 1981 and find it handy for listening to FM and tape, either cassette or open reel. I've seen dual channel 1/3 octave EQ's and man-o-Manischewitz are they boss with 30+ sliders per channel. A lucid discussion on EQ's, thanks.
I picked up a 10 band Optimus 31-2030 EQ a few months ago at the local thrift store. Best 12 bucks I've spent in a long time.
As you said, it's a lot fun to play with and tailor my sound. Certainly helps liven up my 50 year old Sansui AS-200's and my 62 year old ears. The fluoroscan spectrum analyzer is worth the price of admission alone.
I love EQs, it's call managing your sound to fit what you like. I have a vintage JVC JR -S300 Mrk2 plus a added JVC EQ to tune my CDs which are re mastered. Awesome system. ❤❤it
I have spent days ringing out a stereo 31 band EQ. The sound is amazing and generates emotional reactions from people. Some frequencies need cut and some need boosted depending on the room. There is nothing like it when you’re listening to a flat set up. It takes time, patience and silence. 🎉
I have a 1979 Sansui SE-7 graphic EQ. It absolutely helps me get the most out of my system. I have to adjust less with "better" speakers, but it's a nice tool to have to get it sounding just right in my room. And the Sansui SE-7 looks cool too!
I have a 10 band Numark EQ that I got in the early 80’s. It still works flawlessly and gives me exactly the sound I want from my Onkio receiver and Boston Acoustic speakers.
Thanks Kevin for this chat on EQ's. I've got an ADC 10 band per channel EQ that I've always used primarily for room compensation. There's always that one speaker that is closer to a wall and that speaker needed the adjustment to balance the sound. Another use I used it for was cassette music that is starting to wear out. I can adjust the sound to make a new recording of the tape. But I'm only using this for my vintage gear. I'm into digital sound as well now a days and a lot of software has built in EQ's which I use.
Preach brother! Love your attitude. It's your music! Listen to it how you want to.
I spent years, decades without an EQ. I bought one a few months ago and now I wondered myself how did I manage to live without an EQ all of these years.
I use EQs in a few of my systems - I like treble (high) frequencies more and the EQs help accentuate them.
I don't care what audiophiles think - they would not debase themselves enough to deign to listen to my cobbled-together, thrift store-sourced rigs.
Since they were likely NOT part of the recording process (as in, they WEREN'T THERE) - how the hell would they know what it's "supposed" to sound like?
I'll get off my soap box now.
Great video on EQ's! 👍I've been an owner of many over my life and my favorite that I highly recommend is the 7 band Technics SH-8058 spectrum analyzer eq. It was made between 1988-1990 and came in two colors silver or black, both with blue graphic level indicators. I have it hooked to my Pioneer SX-980 through the pre amp and power amp connections and it's beautiful visually as well as sonically. In appreciation of your content you've got a new sub. Thank's for supporting the EQ lovers community! ✌
Great video. I'd say 99% of us can't afford to have a proper listening room so find the gear that sounds fun and enjoy. Building a stereo system is a journey and I find there are times when a piece of gear is needed and then I grow out of it or add another unit to my system that corrects the original problem, etc, etc. I look forward to many years of swapping things in and out to hear how they sound (good or bad)!
I had a pioneer sg 9500, and loved it.
Its said that the loudness is just the manufacturers choice, and design of what they perceived to be the ideal mini EQ. Also, the loudness will kick out at high volumes, so feel free to run it always... some manufactures say.
With Vintage Yamaha receivers , they state to turn the loudness knob up to full, and adjust the volume accordingly.
I use the loudness on both my Sansui's, 9090, and 661 whenever the recording, and my ears dictate.
It's always subjective! Have fun. :)
Side note: Like Andrew Robinson says at the end of each of his stereo review videos, " And remember, the only one that has to like the sound of your system, is you". Perfect!
I believe one thing that helped drive EQ popularity in the late seventies was the cassette tape. I recorded a lot of my albums for playing in our vehicles and usually the sound quality was a bit diminished from the original LP. With an EQ you could play your recorded tapes in the home and tune the sound to closer match the original album.
Of course as time went by you would experiment with different tape brands and quality of tape in pursuit of the best performance on your deck.
BASF Chrome cassette tape was my fave. Ran a walkman into my parents cassette deck to make better sounding copies for the car stereo player. Those were the days!
You are right BASF and TDK were my go to brands. I liked the Maxell “blown away” ad, their tape, not as much..
@@Silverfaces. correct ,the brands i use ,but when in 85 BASF starts to release good tapes but badly assembled cassettes i had to turn and also use Sony cassettes in the 90´s the only brands who kept some quality were TDK and SONY , maxell when releasing those light grey casings become deck destroyers as BASF did in the mid 80´s till the end ,i remenber buying a pack of two basf cassettes from time to time and in 6 i bought maybe one was ok others were also deck destroyers, the main reason the nakamich deck DRAGON would start to fail at the end of 3 years of heavy use were badly built cassettes ,i had two Dragons with more than 10 years apart both become garbage while a deck from AKAI or Pioneer would last with average care 20 to 30 years, but i had to buy a cheapest deck wich was the Dragon, the good deck from 1982 wasn´t the dragon but the BX-2 ,at least bought it at the same time and the bx-2 bought in 1982 still works perfect with regular maintenance, the other i bought had an atractive name wasn´t that expensive but 3 years at the most working ok, when i say ok is perfection not just to play cassettes like a 20€ cassette player or one wouldn´t pay around 800 dollars for the same type of sound
same thing i did.
Those TDK, Maxell and Memorex audio cassette tapes were the best especially the premium ones with high fidelity sound. Those ones were a little more expensive.
Friend gave me a Pioneer SG 9500 last yr. Hooked it into tape loop so it can be bypassed at will if I want. Also love bass mid treble knobs & loudness button. So nice to have options !! Use what sounds best to you is great advice. Thanks for a great channel !
I love my silver face, 10-band EQ from the late '70s. I picked it up for $75. I am not an "audiophile". I consider myself an audio enthusiast. I use it for vinyl and when I'm streaming, not so much for CD's. Realistic made some nice ones back in the day as did TEAC and of course the Pioneer line . . . SG9800.
EQ's are a must have in my opinion. Been using them since i was a kid. Back in the 90's I upgraded my 10 band realistic eq to an alesis m-eq 230 which I am still currently using. In fact, this video was watched using my alesis!
I have had an EQ since the late 70s and would not be without one. The one I have now has an auto equalizer-built in. it measures the deficiencies of the speakers and the room and corrects for them
EQs teach a lot about frequencies in general. I'm amazed by the number of people that just have no clue that "warm" is a combination of frequencies or a lack thereof. I'm convinced that they shorten an owner's life because they will likely be endlessly adjusting it. I had to lock mine up.
I always use tone controls or EQs because they help me to enjoy music that I otherwise wouldn't. If a song is mixed or played to appeal to a certain taste, you might not quite be in that demographic. But if you do a little of your own tone adjustment, it can allow you to become a fan of that piece, or artist. Also, as we age, we don't hear treble so well. Boosting it can allow us to continue to enjoy our music for our entire life.
I have 2 EQs "on the shelf" and have not used them in quite a few years. The issue I had was I found myself constantly changing/adjusting the settings. I think I did that more based on the recording ( quality) as opposed to my room acoustics.
Imagine all of the time being spent readjusting and saving settings on newer subwoofers that have an ap for calibrating the EQ from your phone. More convenient to do, but very album can have it's own file.
@@alm5693 That’s assuming you’re willing to accept the app’s compensation. Just because it targets a specific response doesn’t mean that will be the one preferred. Will your app compensate to anyone’s ears or personal sonic preference for any musical genre? I doubt it.
And if it did, it would be equally inconvenient as manual EQ imho.
Or just to your ear’s taste rather
I like EQ's so much that I have a nice collection of them. I have 3 different vintage systems and I have an EQ in all 3. I'd be unhappy without one in my setups.
Absolutely the same way I feel. I probably have six. Every stereo I buy for a member of my family, I make sure there’s an EQ with it.
What eq brand do you prefer?
I remember back in the 80s I bought a equalizer made by audio source, can't remember what model it was but I loved it,
EQUALIZERS ARE AMAZING,
I Love using them to get Amazing crisp clear mids and highs and drop the low end
I received my new tube amp and was very disappointed there were no tone controls on it. The sound was very flat so much it was not listenable. I remembered I had an EQ stashed away from the 70s, hooked it up, and voila! This amp, speakers and turntable is now my favorite for listening to my albums. Love it.
A couple of years ago I added an EQ to the shelf. It's only used for the particular job I bought it for - knocking the upper end down a bit on a particular amp. They have their uses.
The soundshapers were awesome
I bought my first Audiosource EQ ONE ,yes it's the Ferris Bueller model, in the early nineties, and since then I've owned 4 of the EQ One models. Even if you don't use them to shape the sound, they look so freaking cool with the dancing LED lights. Especially at night. I'll never sell mine. I use an EQ in all four of my current systems. Some are active, but some are passive just for the pretty lights. Thanks for the video.
I used to have a Fisher - Studio dual 10- band hooked up thru my surround sound. Holy crap did it bring things to life !!!!!
Of course that was 20 - 25 yrs ago. Not even sure could patch one thru like that now -
I get tired of ALL the factory settings.
I like my music & movies how I want to hear them. Not the way some techy thinks it should be.
Great video! I'd actually go so far as to say that you are cheating yourself if you're not using an EQ.
What are needed breath of fresh air thanks so much for making the EQ okay again
Great video. In my younger years, I allowed the idea of an audiophile infiltrate and smear my view of EQ's. As an experienced listener and also being one less concerned about audiophile opinions, I own several EQ's. What swayed me in the beginning was this saying that if you needed one, it's because your system is lacking aka buy better components and speakers. It's a great marketing tool because I spent tons of money when a little EQ could have been what I needed. I own the Schiit Loki Max and it's used in my main rig and I love it.
I don't like the word audiophile. To me an audiophile believes his system is exactly as the artist intended. Pink Floyd made The dark side of the moon especially for his system. His Amp, his turntable, his phono cartridge, speakers, listening room, or whatever he may have. His system is the only one that plays it back the way the artist, producers, and sound engineers intended. Every audiophile can have a different system, yet they all sound like the artist intended. This isn't even possible.
Here's the thing. EQs can be a tuning tool. It can compensate for a system's shortcomings. Cheap EQs can be noisy. Audiophiles like to think they need things perfectly flat. Flat sounds lifeless. Besides, you need an eq to achieve that. In sound reinforcement, you would "flatten" to compensate room anomalies, an EQ is employed. Many streaming services that utilize an app, like WIIM. Have a built-in EQ. If you like what you hear, then use it.
Totally agree. My sound system is more for pleasure than "perfection".
I'm very happy with my Sansui SE-3000 10-band and Realistic APM-500 power meters.
Yes, I am guilty of having fun of watching all the pretty lights dance to the beat of my Talking Heads album. LOL
I have to agree with you about the usefulness of an EQ for home stereo. In a live audio sound reinforcement setup a high quality dual channel 15 band is an essential tool. You also have to consider that unless you know what your doing an EQ can degrade your overall listening experience, quite a few people I have met over the years use an EQ to boost certain frequencies, which is the worst thing you can do. If certain frequencies are not loud enough that means some other frequencies are overly loud, so you gradually turn those down until you have a balanced sound. Thanks for this video :_)
Glad creators are making videos like this. The loudness button is an elegant solution to low volume listening. And EQs are really fun to play around with...especially on certain recordings.
I refuse to buy a receiver or amp that lacks tone controls and a loudness button. Very few provide those features anymore...only certain Japanese brands it seems.
I use an EQ to balance out my system since the right channel cable riser is 14mm taller than the one on the left. I also have to compensate for the reflections off my friends forehead when he comes over.
Kevin: you make me smile with the consistent pragmatic approach to all audio.
The EQ topic is easily stretched to include the topology and construction of a hidden component in nearly every system,... that is the speaker crossover network. These networks are EQ(s). The intent is to match SPL between the drivers. They are "mostly" fixed although I seem to remember a few speakers, JBL?, that had knobs on the back which would modify the response.
An uncommon, but IMHO, a neat way to use an EQ is to Bi-amp or Tri-amp directly to the speaker drivers while removing the crossover networks. This is great if you like lots of fussing around, a zillion cables, etc. It is a perfect topic for "mine is better than yours" conversations. Humor aside I believe multi-amping direct to drivers with EQ application to each driver is best for many technical reasons. AND
It increases sales,.... LOL
I would like to hear your thoughts on this topic.
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I want one in my system because, " I Like Them " if I want to Change the sound at different Listening Levels than So Be It!!
I knew the Title was only to draw Attention!! But No one Absolutely needs an EQ, I think there are some Cool Factors too, Such as Level Meters, They are CERTAINLY making a Come Back!
I have three eq's and have used them since the first one I bought from Radio Shack back in the 80's. Being a bass player,it's a god send for practicing.
I think you are right. So many people stop enjoying what they have and why they bought it in the first place by listening to "so-called" experts. No one can compete with million dollar systems, and everyone wants to be the cool kid. Enjoy your rig for the original reason, FOR THE MUSIC.
I love my Sound craftsman amp/equalizer. I ran it for a month then took it off line. What a difference! I immediately hooked it back up. My basement is finished but it's not a sound room. So it allows me to adjust the sound that is very pleasant to my ears.
You almost have to lament the end of pre-out and main-in loops on integrated amps and receivers when you're lamenting how everyone hates outboard equalizers. The last receiver I had with the loop was a Harman Kardon 930. One of my current IAs has pre-amp outputs, but that still leaves you having to choose which source you want to connect the EQ to rather than using it for all of your sources. I've got a little Bellari EQS70 that I bought to experiment, but it would be more fun to connect it via a pre-out/main-in loop.
An EQ is also great tool for finding weaknesses in your room. Additionally, by just playing around with it, you can correlate musical sounds to certain frequencies which can inform your research and buying decisions.
I’m a 60 yr old audiophile. I don’t think most people care what audiophiles think. Using analog tone controls just makes the sound slightly less open, less 3D. That’s what you’re paying for when you buy high end gear. If you’ve got a big rack between your speakers pushed up against the wall you won’t know the difference. I used to like using my brother’s Pioneer graphic eq for making cassettes for the car but those days are long gone. Even using the subsonic filter on a ifi zen phono preamp degrades the sound. I tried using slight adjustments on a Denon PMA a100 int amp more recently to no avail. Even turning off the display on a Denon DCD a100 cd player improves the sound slightly, why I can’t say. Really what it comes down to is like music, to each his own and just enjoy it. My vintage piece is a Marantz 2230 with the wood cabinet, just because I always liked the gyro tuner and symmetrical design with blue incandescent lights. I’d liked to get a Sansui AU 9500 one day as well. You’re doing a nice job with these well crafted beautiful vintage pieces, very cool.
Thanks Kevin for another awesome video. As you mentioned about audiophiles and their opinions, I agree, at the end of the day it;s your ears that you have to satisfy and if an equalizer helps you do that .... go for it. I've had a ADC Sound Shaper 2 (12 bands per channel) since the 70;s and I love it. The main use I use it for is room shaping, but another feature I used was for cassette recordings. Tapes are a magnetic recording on an medium that will fade over time. I'll use the equalizer to make another tape boosting the areas that need it. All in all, if you can use one to satisfy a need you have ... do it, you'll love.
I’m an audiophile but, like many of us, I don’t have any issue with EQ. As with any group, there are no monolithic views on anything.
I always had an eq, first a pioneer sg-9500 and now a soundcraftsmen. Early days I had the smiley face too, but now Just a few frequencies are altered for room. I love the goat in your video, I call them sheep....lol.
All my systems have EQs or tone controls, or both.
Home theater killed just about everything in mid-fi. In that segment most people stop buying separates or even integrated amps with tuners I think, so an equalizer be the last thing on my mind
I still own an ADC sound shaper three 12 band paragraphic equalizer but it seems like a lot of wire for the sound to go through. Plus I’m kind of happy with a couple pieces of highend stuff that sounds pretty good without it. It still looks really cool my rack though :)
I love the exceptions, When you hear the lightning in a bottle it is awesome.
Loved this video and appreciate it. I used various EQs since 1980 until just a year or so ago when I started really buying some better components and speakers…2270!!! And then had a guy at my house from the fancy hi fi shop helping me set up my new Rega and he dogged me when he saw my EQ….said “those silly dancing lights”….so I felt like a fool and unhooked it. Now I think I’ll hook it back up because I’ve always liked the flexibility….same guy was one of those bass and treble have to be flat people…
I just got a Technics SH-8066 EQ and a Carver M500T amp, slowly building a vintage set up :)
I love my eq. Always have, always will. I have a Yamaha TSR700 and the equalizer is literally built in. You have to search for it but it's about 7 bands. The loudness button is also electronic now. I love it. It sounds absolutely fantastic. What's more, the living room WILL meet the SAF from my wife so I can compensate for room reflection.
Back in the mid 80s I had an ADC equalizer with spectrum analyzer, was a cool addition.
I have a kenwood eq. Use it mainly for vinyl. Depends on the pressing. Some need help and EQ settings does that. CDs I dont need a eq for that. With pure direct and direct works great.
I had a 12 band EQ for a long time. I really only used it to hunt down scratches on records to make them less noticeable.
I believe the emergance of multi-channel home theater audio contributed to the exit of EQs for the masses. Mainstream manufacturers turned their attention to Dolby Pro-logic and later generations Dolby theater sound were immediately popular. Attention to the center and surround channels left little interest in EQs. Today's internet connected audio devices typically don't provide external processing loops for an EQ. As you noted, the audiophiles never liked them from the start and still don't.
I worked in a hi-fi shop during the EQ era. We sold Sound Craftsman (70's) and AudioSource (80's) as standalone EQ options. I personally found the simplicity of the Yamaha variable loudness control combined with tone controls to be an especially useful to tweak the listening experience for the average person.
I'm not a audio phile and I love equalizer's
I agree entirely. I use my EQ to adjust to my oddly shaped listening room. Also... it's just fun to play with the sound, isolate individual instruments or voices, etc. Of course... you can always bypass it if you want.
Aside from an actual Equalizer(full scale) the only "eq" I use is the Loudness switch on my Technics receiver, just to boost the lower end when vol is at lower levels. Otherwise, a real EQ is great for flattening rooms that have bad acoustics. My opinion only. Your mileage may vary!
I have an EQ I luv it . Not only for sound but I luv the interaction with the music. You can call me an idiot ... But I definitely don't feel like one 😂😂😂😂
EQs got reduced to presets, my parents 80´s hifi had a built in G-Eq, my first 90´s stereo had 5 presets named after genres. This translated into the digital streaming age, the loudness button just got renamed Bass Boost :)
I totally agree with your opinion about Eqs. The reason we don't see them much anymore is that since the late 90s and early 2000s, when multi channel digital came about, they eliminated tape monitors on receivers and amps. You really need a tape monitor loop to hook up an equalizer properly. It can be done haphazardly but not the right way. There is only one modern receiver that I know of that will support an EQ or tape deck. It is called an Outlaw. The reason you don't see loudness buttons is similar. Most home theater systems have Subwoofer outputs which we can use to make the bass as loud as we want. A loudness button is now considered unnecessary. There are some stereo only amps and receivers that do have a loudness button along with a sub output. That is why I use vintage receivers. It seems that home theater receivers are only interested in movie soundtracks at the expense of quality 2 channel audio. You can still find pro logic receivers from the mid 1990s with tape monitors and loudness buttons. But since 5.1 surround became the norm, no equalizers or loudness buttons. It's a real shame. Also as a side note, most young people are listening to music by streaming or through their pc and they allow for EQ apps. A real shame they can't make a few amps similar to those in the past decades.
Quite a shame indeed as the so called smartphones has reduced listening to cool music into a match-box like enclosure.
Having worked around sound engineers while interning in college, various engineers hearing varied. So their mixes varied in the final cuts and prints. And when puriting the finished products, you can hear the differences of each album. Some albums were bright, others were dull. very few were spot on.
Those of us who use EQs are also known as 'Tweakers'...Always tweaking the audio. An EQs for me evens out everybodies mixes, so they sound nice together. The tonal differences are not so un-nerving🐻