2. misc-audio
  3. 1137452459

EQ's... why doesnt everybody have one?

Just browsing around the systems on this site, i knoticed that very few have equalizers. I realize some claim they introduce unacceptable noise but i would hardly call my Furman Q-2312, at %>.01 20Hz-40kHz, unacceptable. This $200 piece of equiptment ($100 on sale at musiciansfriend.com) replaces several thousand dollars in assembling a perfectly linear system in perfectly linear room, and in my opinion, accomplishes the task better than any room design could no matter how well engineered. It brought my system (onkyo reciever, NHT SB-3 speakers and Sony CD changer) to a level i could not have dreamed. It extends the SB-3's frequency response by at least 10 Hz to a satisfying 30 Hz without any rolloff or sacrifice in clarity, but the greatest improvement was definately in the Mid-range, around the SB-3s crossover frequency of 2.6kHz. The clarity of vocals, strings, guitars, brass... anything in this range rivals that of uneq'd systems costing well into the thousands of dollars... my total cost; $800. One of the more supprising differences is a marked improvement in immaging, it think this might have to do with eliminating several resonances in the right channel caused by my back wall (the left back wall has a curtain over it). The second my dad heard the difference he got on my computer to buy one for himself, he couldnt even wait to get back to his own, he then kicked me outa the listening chair and wouldnt get up for the better part of an hour.
-Dan-
dk89

Showing 5 responses by autoll

autoll
16 posts
 
DK- I think you will find as you progress to a more revealing system, you will hear a veiling from the Beringer. Your point about the tone controls is well taken though. I can't listen to 70% of my cd's on my new highly "resolving system". I'm actually thinking about going "backwards" to a tone control preamp. A totally transparent EQ/room correction device would be a godsent, but I don't believe that animal exists yet. I'm currently using a PARC that does it's attenuation very transparently and am now setting up a Tact unit just for comparision. So far I lean towards the parc because it doesn't change the overall sound of the other components I've chosen.
autoll
16 posts
 
Jafox-"the line stage and its cable to the amps...Any direct experiences or insights here to this specific concern of sonic degradation?"

I'm using the parc with balanced wireworld eclipse 5 inters between a macC200 and classe cam-350's mono's. Speakers paradigm s8's. I am listening closely for negative effects on the ambience or air and aftertones/decay on close miked recordings and conclude so far anyway the same as Kal(if memory serves) did in his review that the parc is transparent in the midrange and treble. It is doing just what I tell it to do(three cuts of 3-8 db)and rta graphs confirm. So far I'm only cutting about 70% of the peaks that would take me flat. I've only been running for a couple of weeks, but so far I'm very happy. I'm hesitant to say "totally transparent" because there should be a degradation I assume, but I'm not hearing it(whew!). FYIW, my takeway so far is if you only have LF modes issues as I did, go the parc. I haven't tried the Beringer in my system, so I may have mis-spoken on it. I'm going to play with the Tact mosly to just use it to refine passive treatments and further my acoustics IQ as many of you have used the Beringer for. I don't think I'm going to want to use the tact as my preamp which is how it's meant to be used. Hope this helps
autoll
16 posts
 
"The new TacT gear"... Tact, like Meridian is tuning their equipment for digital amplification. While I haven't been able to hear any of these myself, when reviewers say things like " at first it lacked air, but then I started to consider air to be an artifact", thats cause for pause about going all digital. What we need is a device that is designed to do only the correction in between the transport and analog preamp that is made from the highest quality and THEN we could see if digital processing is ready for prime time. The meridian 861 might be there, but the lack of owner devotees is scary for the price. And their source cost is insane.
autoll
16 posts
 
Kal said:"There are many devoted owners of this marvelous device but they don't hang out here. Cost insane?" Please excuse the insane reference, I should have said "out of my range". May I divert this thread a bit toward the M861 since you may have personal listening experience? Assuming their room correction card is excellent as I imagine it is, what about the 2 channel performance? Without writing a review for us, if you had a great sounding analog system with redbook source and say a ML32 as a somewhat well known reference and swapped in the 861, what would we think? I know this is highly subjective, but opinions on Meridian gear solo are hard to come by. I'm sure you know the common rap from store owners/salesman of "it only sounds good with the I-link", and then it's still not better than much cheaper equipment. Since I've not been impressed at shows, I have to assume these very experienced folks(albiet sellers of other products generally)are probably right. Wrong? I/we do appreciate your input. Thanks!
autoll
16 posts
 
Kal said: "I have reviewed the Meridian 861 twice" I believe I have read every test done on this unit and only recall one inferrence to using it with a non-meridian source and that was not positive. And meridian tests never compare it directly with other 2 channel pre-amps. While i'm sure profesionals such as yourself strive for fair articles, we readers find that as the price and prestige of components rises, negatives seem be overlooked, so thats why we value thoughts in these forums so highly. I do enjoy your articles immensely. The speaker comment is very enlightening, that never occurred to me. Thanks, and will reread those articles.
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