Equalization

venomclan

Hi Guys,
How many of you use Equalizers in their 2 channel system. I have heard that they were very popular in the 70's and 80's for stereo and have been discontinued because they are not needed with theater playback. Are they still effective for optimizing stereo sound? Are they recommended? Thanks
Jeremy

Frank Z

I used to have an ADC 20 band EQ with a built in pink noise generator and an external mic. It was great for flatening out the frequency responscurve in my room. Keep in mind that this was before the WWW came along and I found out that most if not all purists believed that they where an abomination and should never be used.;) I say, whatever makes your lobes tingle is the right thing to use.

Tour2ma

I have a couple dbx EQ's...

Paired with one of dbx's dynamic range expanders, I can eek out very passible sound from the many 30+ year-old, C-90 cassettes (at least those that will still turn) recorded in my college days. A number of these tapes are either irreplacable, e.g., off-air recordings, or replaceable only at significant cost.

The combo also works well for current FM broadcasts.

The expander alone is great for vinyl, especially classical, where some compression was applied due to limitations of the medium. Sometimes the EQ is also useful, if the master tape was on the "hissy" side.

And even the occassional old, redbook CD benefits from the application of one or both, if the master used was flawed.

amulford

I use one on a pair of 2b's that I have rigged up for 2 ch. Nothing scientific, but I had problems with bass response. I don't think it was the speakers, room response probably. It has helped out considerably for me.

TAB

The purists will choke, but I like EQ'd music, especially in my car. It really brightens the sound as well as seemingly increasing the volume. I personally like boosting the bass and upper treble frequencies while flattening the mid frequencies..........which is pretty standard, I believe. I recently purchased a Sony STRDA90ESG receiver on Ebay. I was greatly disappointed when it arrived and I found no "tape monitor" button on it. My previous Sony receiver, an STRGX900ES had a "tape monitor" button, so I fully expected the new one to have one, too. After its arrival, I was told by a local stereo expert that most of the newer receivers (at least the home theater versions) had gone away from "tape monitor" buttons due to the ability of the receivers to "mold" the sound through different internal settings......sound modes. I still hooked my trusty Technics EQ up to the STRDA90ESG and ran my CD player and tape deck through the EQ. I can't EQ the FM side of things, but the internal EQ on the receiver isn't too bad. So even with the "new stuff", I'll keep my EQ. After all, it's what MY ear likes!