To Equalize or Not to Equalize

@rbrannen "Can’t stand the piety of Audiophile not willing to admit you need EQ for all high end audio equipment." 

+1

This is one of the irrationalisms of audiophilia. Drs. Toole and Olive provided a science-backed guide as to what our brains prefer, regardless if the source is high end, low end, or somewhere in between.

And when it comes to discussing tools for the job, just as with any other audio component be it analog or digital, they are (unfortunately) not all created equal. 

Man, I’m 70, have tinnitus in my left ear and upper frequency loss in both. For me to worry about hifi purity is like pissing into the wind. EQ gets me the sound I like, THD and N are imperceptible. More important,  I got no room for subs, so what about those times I’m listening to Chemical Brothers or Shpongle and want to crank up the bass and feel it in my chest? Crank up the EQ, (or lower the rest if you prefer).

A Technics SH-8020 since 1980  at 71 my hearing is not what it used to be

To out speakers slightly. You'd be amazed at how slight angle changes affect treble. 

mikhllark, you make good points and have contributed to the discussion some good thoughts for consideration. I presumed the desire for EQ in the original post was not in an attempt to fix room response issues or hearing deficiencies. I presumed it was to contour the frequency spectrum to taste. 

brianmid, good points! I can understand that perspective and respect your needs for contouring the frequency spectrum easily.