Equalizer in a Hi Fi system

Can you change the numbers to replicate distortion? I’m not sure although I do not see why not. A number can not be distorted, it can only be changed.

@mijostyn Your statement above tells me you have no experience in doing digital signal processing. You’ve admitted it! I have literally 100’s of plugins that do all manners of DSP, many of which are distortion. These are mostly used creatively in audio production and mixing.... In final 2-track mastering, you typically want very transparent EQ (but not always!). The problem with much of today’s music is that heavy compression and limiting ARE used on the final 2-bus, or stereo mix. I think it’s heavily overused.

But I’ve spent literally thousands of hours staring at audio waveforms, editing them, and processing them.... so YES, I very much understand DSP, and what a single sample (a number) represents, and what a stream of samples represents. If I change one number in the stream, the number is not distorted, but the waveform IS now distorted (when compared to the original).

@tlcocks So glad you got the Skyline working! YES it is a balanced PRO level device... not level as in quality, but level as in +4dBu rather than consumer -10dBV. Since I use it in my studio, it’s not such an issue, but right now I am using a +4 balanced to -10 unbalanced cable that I made, with 3 resistors to bring it down, and "unbalance" it. I commented to Vintage Audio years ago that they should make a consumer version of the Skyline and market it to vinyl lovers.

Tlcocks...sorry to ruffle your feathers but you're simply wrong. Nuff said.

That’s fine. You’re entitled to your opinion. I’d avoid words like “nonsense “.  There are nicer ways to disagree. We all have extensive listening experience, and some have extensive pro recording experience. Let’s respect each other. @wolf_garcia ive said this before.  Our experiences don’t necessarily diverge. It depends on your use case. If you are cutting at 6khz to avoid sibilant recordings the Schiit products are great. However, if you are using your EQ simply like a tone control bass and or treble boost without cuts, there are many pro hardware solutions that do this better than Schiit. 
I don’t like cuts in the middle of the frequency range. I prefer broad gentle bass shelf increase to fill in the frequencies below the sibilant area. I just think it sounds better. I have NEVER heard a sibilant or shrieky record that was well bassed if you will to the point that you couldn’t add more

@mirolab , can you explain why my custom grounded Cardas XLR to RCA cables work for CO, Millennia, and Avalon (all strictly pro +4dbu balanced) but not with the Skyline?  Is that not bizarre? Jason at Revive Audio said it’s “something about the topology of the circuitry in the Skyline.”  ??

Ok…impressions of Skyline vs Charter Oak in my HP chain, which is X Sabre 3 balanced streamer/ dac > EQ > Headamp GSX Mini > balanced out to Hifiman HE1000SE. 
 

The Skyline sounds great. The mids are resolute and fully saturated and accurate. Well recorded music is an absolute joy with this piece. With well recorded music and gentle EQ you might get a better experience than CO, although I’d be razor thin. Now with loudness wars over compressed rock music I tend to EQ in more bass and treble. In this scenario I would describe the Skyline as quite capable delivering the goods. The SUB and 40HZ dials do their job well. Quality and quantity of bass added is very satisfying without sacrificing the mids. And the attenuation dial on far left and clipping meter leds work great. There is a broad range on that dial that sounds good, so it’s very useful in a master trim situation when boosts have been applied and it’s needed. Kudos. The Atmosphere shelves are wonderful and all sound great with even vigorous boost without adversely affecting the mids. This unit has TONS of headroom for clean boost. Now, in comparing this unit to CO with more aggressive use of bass and treble dials, I find that the CO treble bands are absolutely gorgeous, and to me just sound more textured and shimmery and sweet. But not by a lot. But yes by a lot compared to Loki Max. Schiit users, again, don’t go for any kind of sizable treble boost. And y’all probably don’t. Skyline and CO hands down beat Loki in that limited use case. In comparing bass dials on Skyline to CO, I’d double down on yesterday’s comments. Bass articulate and very good, but not as textured, layered, nuanced as CO and not as much sub bass kick or mid bass slam. The CO does this better.

In conclusion, I like the Skyline very well for very well recorded modern recordings where you wouldn’t need to boost bass or treble much or at all. But as I type and listen to Red book version of Rush album Moving Pictures, through the Skyline it’s excellent sonically but I am left wanting to put the CO back in the chain. It’s not more resolute in the mids, but really no less either, to be honest. but the kick, slam in lower range and shimmer and sheen in the top octave I can get out of the CO leaves me more pleased for your average older rock recording. My original Mike Deming CO remains on top of the hill for me, Skyline is a wonderful piece. It’s beautifully finished and built like a tank too.