Traps vs Equalizer

Because some folks feel you can hear the distortions that an additional electronic devise and extra cabling will introduce to your system, where as traps and other acoustic room treatments are passive and only change the sound level of certain frequencies. Whether you can actually hear these distortions depends on the acuteness of your hearing, you dedication to listening for these distortions and the ability of your speakers and associated equipment to produce or reveal these distortions. Except for really difficult large (severe)mid/low bass nodes caused by room dimensions a quality narrow band parametric equalizer is much more effective.

Personally, for fine tuning I just try to ID the source of the problem and make small changes in speaker/listening position configuration or adding or subtracting furnishings and or acoustic treatments to reduce the problem to absolute minimum. If you keep the room treatment materials domestic, the room might even have a slight bit of WAF when you are through.

Marco, You can make the painting analogy work with a bit of effort. The only thing you have to do is substitute the effect of light on a painting for the choice of playback equipment. First determine if the painting was made in a studio under natural light, incandescent light, flood ligh, spot light, flourscent light, flash light, candlelight, and the intensity of any of these, or if the painting was made outdoors in direct sunlight, partial shade, cloudy skys, flat light, and any other form of light you can think of. The painting is going to look different under each of these lighting conditions. All are color distortions - you must know what the artist used, or what light he expected you to use to view the painting to really get the picture. Absolutely critical to know these things! Thats why I hate going to museums, they never give you this information.

I wonder if our hairshirt audio friend is as dogmatic about his art appreciation as he is audio. :-)

Personally, I hang my hair shirt up when I got to bed. Its just too dammed itchy.

Marco, I was trying to be cute. I should know better.

Lest my point was lost - I was trying to make a point by being absured, albeit the absurdity had some basis in fact, that is the importance of the color of light in painting (and photography) as well as the blending of colors. But one need not idealize every thing in art, photography, or audio, to have a personal appreciation of it. You set your own parameters for enjoyment. I just don't know the sign for 'tongue in cheek'.