Infinity RSIIa Equalizer

I have taken my IRS IIas out of their hibernation with the intention of setting them up in my basement. (long story) I have them temporarily running until their new power mate shows up. When I first got them started again, I noticed the controls of the 'equalizer' that they come are very noisy when turned. I will open it up and clean it as much as I can but it got me thinking about whether I really needed it or not.

Is it possible to run these vintage speakers solely on a new more modern 'room control' system such as the McIntosh MEN220?