Current equipment similar to ancient DBX 14/10 and/or 20/20 computerized equalizers?

Should have known a mic and a laptop could replace the old EQ setup. That's perfect. Thanks, pragmas.

Actually, what I want is to use sound spectrum analysis and an equalizer as a tool to determine a room's characteristics such that I can adjust positions of speakers, furniture, and whatever else might be needed to tame the room's acoustics and obviate (or mostly) the need for the equalizer, removing it from the system completely.

I'm going to investigate the miniDSP UMIK-1 microphone and Room EQ Wizard software for starters. I'll make a decision for hardware solutions only if necessary.

I've investigated Room EQ Wizard on youtube and elsewhere. Seems like my laptop can do everything I want with the addition of a relatively inexpensive calibrated mic like the miniDSP UMIK-1. It's ordered.

Sadly, it's all a bit premature: I don't have speakers or a second power amp yet -- nor a place to put any of the equipment I'm accumulating alarmingly rapidly other than my bedroom. I wonder if I put a pair of M/L monoliths (when I find them) top to top flat on the floor if they'll make a comfortable cradle for a sleeping bag and pillow? Obviously, the bed will have to go.

Rodman99999,

Maybe I'm being too quick to dismiss the Behringer DEQ2496. It appears to be the DBX units on steroids. The question is: how easy is it to use in conjunction with a home audio system -- especially a vintage one. It appears designed for professional use and has all the corresponding balanced I/O connections. I may be forced, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century.

rodman99999: Thanks for the suggestion, but I don’t think the Behringer is quite what I’m looking for. It appears to more than do the job; but I can’t see that it works the way the old DBX units did. I want something I can use to "not use" -- see below.

And the listing on reverb.com was a duplicate of one on eBay. I contacted the seller. It still had its memories an the pink noise generator worked, but its computer no longer "automated." Plus, he didn’t have the calibrated microphone.

Mijostyn: I’ll check out the preamps, but, again, that’s probably not what I’m looking for.

Let me explain....

The beauty of the DBX 14/10 and 20/20 family of equalizers was their integrated automation. Each could generate pink noise through your system, pick it up using a calibrated microphone, analyze the result, generate an equalization curve for that microphone location, and store it -- times ten. Then it could integrate the ten samples into one composite equalization curve optimized for the room in general (based on your choices of mic locations) which you could also store. This could all be done in a matter of minutes -- as fast as you could push the buttons and it could work its way through its scans.

Then, you could move speakers, furniture, sound absorbing/reflecting materials and baffles -- whatever -- and run the equalization simulations again -- the point being that you could use the "auto-equalizer" as a tool to adjust your room such that you could minimize the amount of equalization needed -- then cut the equalizer out of your system entirely.

If there is a similar product on the market at less than astronomical prices, I’ll investigate it (and I'll look more closely at Behringer's offerings). If I can find a fully functional 20/20 or 14/10 (improved operation but different frequency bandwidth pattern), complete with its microphone, then I’m seriously interested.

Mike_in_nc, I'm also in NC (I'm assuming your NC is North Carolina - or it could be New Caledonia).

I'm putting together something that may be serious stupidity on my part, but I'm doing it anyway. I'm recreating the past. I have had little more than a table radio alarm clock since the mid-'80's when my -- at that time -- very high-end audio system was stolen with no insurance to cover the loss. Retired and bored with being to some degree shut in because of the pandemic, I've begun to recreate in spirit what was lost.

I'm pretty sure that many of the audiophiles who frequent these fora will think me somewhat out of my mind. And I'm sure that there are better choices among today's equipment for some of the components I've chosen. That doesn't really matter to me. The items I've already purchased and those I'm still hunting were easily among the top 1% in their day, and I suspect that they are still within a few percent of the best that is current.

I've over-paid on a couple of items because of my nostalgia (I've created a virtual system under that name), however, in other cases, I've gotten significant bargains. I'm going to have to spend some money refurbishing some of the equipment -- some of which I will do myself (having built Knight, Heath, Dynaco & Hafler kits aplenty back in the '60's & '70's) and some I will farm out to the experts. In the end, I'm having fun and that's what it's all about.