Equalization for vinyl nirvana

Good idea to check the loading/setup of the phonostage for your cart.

What TT, cart, and phonostage are you using?

Records don't sound as bad as you're describing.
Before you start spending money on bandaids, use a test record to check the sound of your system. 
Google Sheffield, Analogue Productions, or Chesky.

It would be nice to know the equipment that you have in your set up. We would like to know what kind of turntable you have, arm for your turntable and your cartridge. It might be something as simple as setting up your cartridge better. Perhaps just raising or lowering your turntable arm will solve the problem. Best of luck and let us know if you solve your problem.

I would do a lot more listening using a much wider variety of musical genres and the highest quality recordings in my collection, before I would think of adding an equalizer.  And if there are consistent deficiencies in tonal balance, a told to me by my ears and brain, I would first wonder about the room EQ, then tonearm and cartridge, again before thinking about an equalizer.  Of the two devices you reference in your OP, one (Sun Valley) seems to be a way to make slight alterations in the RIAA equalization curve, and the other (Decware) seems mainly to be a way to enhance bass response from vinyl.  All the LPs we own that were recorded after the mid- to late 1050s were made with the RIAA curve in mind.  Yet not all of us sense the same problems that you sense, so it is unlikely that the RIAA filter per se is a problem. Those two devices are both interesting toys, and who is to say that you would not like either of them?  Not me.  But first I would look elsewhere for a cure to your malady, as I noted above.  I admit, that approach can end up being more expensive than just buying an equalizer.  By the way, conventional "graphic equalizers" that offer a series of narrow band filters in the audible frequency range, are a definite no-no, in my own experience of them.

Hi all,

I left out a description of my system because I'm more interested in hearing from folks about their experiences adding EQ, and whether it might be a more direct/sure-fire/affordable way to address sound deficiencies in recordings and playback. 

But, since some responders to this posting have asked, here is my system (what I would describe as a modest system):

• Tekton Electron SEs
• Willsenton R8 with EL34s and other nicer-than-stock tubes
• Sutherland KC Vibe Mk2 phono preamp
• Marantz TT15 turntable with Clearaudio Virtuoso cart
• Wires are mostly modest Audio Quest; QED speaker cable (probably a weak link); and a Decware power cable for the amplifier
• Digital, I use a Bluesound Node into a Denafrips Ares II DAC

All of the above, with the exception of the speaker cable, is generally well reviewed. With some recordings, digital or vinyl, this system can sound really good in my opinion. But, with many many recordings, I find myself wanting more. Especially a bit more bass and warmer midrange. 

Josh

I have a question for the Audiogon and vinyl community: do you think equalization is helpful for getting good results with vinyl playback? 

Um, no it is essential. RIAA equalization is required. Anything beyond that- look let's cut to the heart of the matter, okay? 

Either you got some crap gear, or you got some crap ears and want everything to sound the way you want it to sound instead of the way it is. Or maybe you drank the Cool-Aid and think digital is the reference and are trying to make your records sound like that. Or another possibility I guess, troll. But even trolls we take seriously, at least the one time.

I am just trying to cover all the bases here because anyone like me who knows vinyl knows it is perfectly capable of bass and midrange all the other formats but open reel can only dream of. So the last thing you need is EQ. Now if you want to talk about what else might be a good way to go, we can have that discussion. But the very fact you got one of the most clueless of all saying it is "absolutely vital" and pushing you to EQ that fact alone ought to be enough to make you step back and reconsider.