My sacrilegeous question to audiophiles out there regarding parametric equalizer.

like almost all things, it is a trade-off. The extra bits in the circuit , gain stages, caps, power supply additional input and output cables, possible impedence mismatch and potential to overload preamp AND altering of phase ( above 100-120 HZ the ear is quite sensitive to phase, below not and the wave is big )... all that is traded to shape frequency response....which depending on the recording may need a tweak EVERY song......so yes many any Audiophile has disdain, even for the high end models ( of which there are not many )

I tell people IF you want a nice starter EQ get a McIntosh Labs preamp with that functionality, it is also defeatable and out of circuit in purist mode. You might find a few of the bands effective with a tweak of just 1-3 db

as for the recording chain, not just at live events, very very very few recordings made w zero EQ......even so called audiophile mixing boards have EQ, but it is well executed and phase shift minimized...

have fun

enjoy the music

argue less

listen more

peace

If anyone wants to try simple, limited EQ, try the Schitt Loki. $150. You might even be able to return it if not satisfied. I'm tempted to get one for my FM tuner. Not because it sounds bad, it's just that I have such crappy sounding FM stations in my area.

By nature, definition, and design equalizers introduce distortion and also include distortion artifacts that are not intended but which are inescapable, unavoidable, and inherent in they're function and of course there are some who prefer such distortion in they're components, systems, and installations and for those specific people equalizers are an exceptional value in fact the less expensive they are the more they distort! I personally prefer sound as undistorted and genuine as possible and practical so of course there are none of them in my Music Reproduction System except of course RIAA which is essential to the proper function of vinyl and by nature of its inverse function limits the introduction of otherwise inherent and unwanted artifacts.

My McIntosh preamp has an 8 band equalizer. I use it sparingly for particular recordings when I decide they need subtle adjustment for me to enjoy. I return the settings to neutral when that recording is over. I would be very frustrated if I didn't have this option yet I would not add another device if my preamp did not include this functionality.

Dear @tubelvr1 :  "  enhance the bass and detail.."

tube can't honor MUSIC especially at both frequency extremes. What you need is not a parametric eq. but to avoid/disappear tubes from the cartridge signal and instead of that technology buy SS electronics devices/items.

Esay to achieve what you have on mind because the road you are accustom too is the wrong one, no matters what or whom. Try to stay far far away from that " road " you choosed.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.