To EQ or not to EQ
Webb_03
Posts: 42
You can all see my set up, my new Marantz doesn't have a very good musical EQ built in. Should i buy a new EQ? Are there any new fangledy EQ's out there?
B&W CM10 Mains, Monitor 40 Surrounds, B&W Cm Centre, PSW 125 sub/ CV 10" sub, Marantz 7701 Processor, Carver M4.0T, Carver 705x 5 channel, 60'' Sharp LED, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Sonos, and of course my trusty laptop for hi res ( for now)
Comments
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we don't need no stinkin EQ...might just be the speakers you're using. I do not know that series very well, but I have sat and listened to other upper B&W's and they have all been very sterile to my ears. That being said the last time I sat and listened to some B&W's I had the wife and she is no audiophile yet commented on the very thing I dislike about them.
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Most don't use equalizers anymore....mainly because of the noise introduced into the signal. You can find many equalizers on your local craigslist or goodwill store for 10 bucks though....if that's your poison.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
^^^ what he said. I bought a couple different ones for diff reasons and eventually
sold them off. $10.00-$30.00 for the experiment.
The tweeters on those mains remind me of my RS super tweeters.
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lmao, im sure its my inferior Bowers and Wilkins mains....That costed 4000 dollars. Thanks for your useless and offensive input. I usually get very constructive comments from this site.B&W CM10 Mains, Monitor 40 Surrounds, B&W Cm Centre, PSW 125 sub/ CV 10" sub, Marantz 7701 Processor, Carver M4.0T, Carver 705x 5 channel, 60'' Sharp LED, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Sonos, and of course my trusty laptop for hi res ( for now)
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Cost has nothing to do with it.
I have to agree with the stated sound signature of B&W speakers. Some like it, some don't. That you feel the need for EQ indicates there are aspects of that sound signature that you don't like.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
It is called synergy and it does take quite a bit to find it in the sweet spot. IF you equate dollars with high quality you could be very disappointed in the long run as I have sat and tried to like many upper dollar items. I came away less than impressed more times than not. I wasn't slamming your "Bowers and Wilkins" and I was giving constructive input. Have you tried other speakers with you set up? If yes do you get the same? My honest opinion is that adding an EQ will do more harm than good. Try different cables, speaker wires or heck even a new pre. Although that pre tends to be on the warm side. So what is it you mean when you say "musical" I know what I mean but your meaning might be way different.
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But Jesse...he paid $4000!!!!
Not to be "useless and offensive" Webb, but the price of a speaker is probably the worst indicator of their sound quality. As Jesse stated, clearly something is wrong with their sound signature if you are wanting to change the sound you are getting. EQs built into anything these days are a compromise product at best and just flat out bad at worst.
Adding an offboard EQ into the mix is just going to add more circuits to the signal path which almost always leads to more noise in that signal path.
"Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
lmao, im sure its my inferior Bowers and Wilkins mains....That costed 4000 dollars. Thanks for your useless and offensive input. I usually get very constructive comments from this site.
So...just because they are B&W's costing 4g's....that's a guarantee of good sound ? Wow...
Anyway, speakers are just part of the equation, it's the whole systems synergy that's required to come together. Most would agree anyway, the B&W sound is all sizzle and thump...can't say that truthfully to all their speakers but a lot of them anyway. Putting an equalizer though on 4g speakers....nobody does that anymore. Something else is lacking in your system or cables that has you thinking about equalizers.
If an equalizer is what makes you happy though, many can be found cheap pretty much anywhere.....and know why they are so cheap ? Because nobody uses them anymore.lol
HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Adding an offboard EQ into the mix is just going to add more circuits to the signal path which always leads to more noise in that signal path.
Fixed it for ya, Webb you can basically ask the same question in as many threads as you want but don't expect a different answer.
forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/165025/marantz-7701-need-help
I think you already know the answer and you my not like it, The Marantz it was the last thing you changed. It may just not play nice with what gear you've got.“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” ~ Mark Twain -
Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
LOL, I missed that, kids now days. We are so screwed!
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” ~ Mark Twain -
I personally love the sound of bowers speakers, i listened to a LOT of speakers before landing on these. Sorry to hurt all you audio snobs' feelings. Ill try a different forum. Thank you to the people that offered helpful information.B&W CM10 Mains, Monitor 40 Surrounds, B&W Cm Centre, PSW 125 sub/ CV 10" sub, Marantz 7701 Processor, Carver M4.0T, Carver 705x 5 channel, 60'' Sharp LED, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Sonos, and of course my trusty laptop for hi res ( for now)
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The Marantz it was the last thing you changed. It may just not play nice with what gear you've got.
A very valid point. What's interesting there is the Marantz house sound is indeed very musical.
Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
So then whats the bottom line here then ? You bought a pre/pro you thought you'd like...never heard before...and when you hooked it up you found it's sound not to your liking.
Yeah...so, not like any of us has never bought a piece we didn't like. So whats the big beef then ? We already asked you questions to help you but you haven't answered. I'll bet you probably didn't even read the manual to the Marantz...see which settings you can adjust to tailor the sound. What other help are you seeking ? List your other gear and cables and maybe we can help you match stuff up better to your speakers. Other than that, not much else we can do for you.
HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
You can lead a horse to water, but.......Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
You can lead a horse to water, but.......
lmao.....your affliction for old sayings rival my own. Love it....
HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
You can lead a horse to water, but.......
Then you sneak up behind them and **** the **** . Wait, what??
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I have a couple of EQs in the fold; an old Sansui and a Pioneer (both from the vintage age and both "free", given to me-"here take this too!"). I use the Sansui to get a little more BASS out of the B.A. A200s rather than use a SUB. A200s need some breathing room and I just don't have that space in the room they're in, so EQs can work. Sure the bass will not be what I would get in the RIGHT room with no EQ but since I'm not EQing upper frequencies the extra noise is not really that noticeable. Plus you can TURN OFF the EQ and use a pass through when you want.
Eventually, I'll move and find the right space and dispense with the EQ, but for now?
B&Ws? Who knows? I suppose toning down those HIGHS would NOT be a bad thing. I really dislike those! YMMV
cnhCurrently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!
Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
[sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash] -
Audio Snobs??? Gotta love that one!!!
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I snoot in your general direction.
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Cnh, thanks for ur input. I was kinda planning on being able to cut the eq out for movies and such. It's what I'm leaning towards. The rest of you can go back under the bridge from wence you came.B&W CM10 Mains, Monitor 40 Surrounds, B&W Cm Centre, PSW 125 sub/ CV 10" sub, Marantz 7701 Processor, Carver M4.0T, Carver 705x 5 channel, 60'' Sharp LED, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Sonos, and of course my trusty laptop for hi res ( for now)
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So young...so angry...damn that Marantz music."Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
Come to think of it....I have caught some mighty big fish under bridges....
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That wence must not have costed much since it's missing something.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
I find his wence sounding thin and sterile on the h.
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That's it. You guys just need to stop giving solid audio advice. It offends the folks that don't want to hear it.
...."costed"..... Too much. *chuckles quietly*
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
I think that the problem may be with the use of monitor40's as surrounds. I haven't heard the B&W's but I would assume the sound signature is quite different. The auto eq will try to eq all of the speakers to a predetermined curve, but I have also read that adjustments are also made to create a seamless sound stage. Therefore the overall effect is limited to the capabilities of the least capable speaker, in this case in one of a different series. I would rerun audysssey with the surrounds unhooked to see if it makes a difference, if it does than you may consider upgrading them. Also I wouldn't be mixing a Polk psw125 with a Cerwin Vega 10"sub, that can't sound good. I wouldn't use the CV altogether.Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant
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Stop being an audio snob Jeremy!"Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
Ha ha, my apologies. I don't give a damn for the op one way or the other. I figured I would offer some advice for the next guy that doesn't like the sound of his speakers that costed $4,000. Don't pair them with surrounds that costed $100 and a Cerwin Vega sub.Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant
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EQ can help, but it really doesn't fix problems.
I use Fubar as my music software with the advanced EQ plugin.
Much better than any hard EQ option. Still, EQ only can tweek
the sound a little. If you don't like the way the speakers play with
the amp, time for a change. I've had any number of people tell me
that you can make any headphone sound the same with EQ.
They are dead wrong. If there's a problem with the sound of a headphone,
you can reduce the issue, but the sound signature stays the same.
Speakers are even tougher. Audio snobs? Yup. Doesn't mean that we are wrong, though. You can continue hoping someone can suggest a magic cure.
Or listen and learn. Been there, done that."The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson
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