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older LPs - different EQ?

After seeing 35,000+ LPs in one place on Sunday, including a wide variety of selections from the early years of recorded music, I suddenly remembered a foggy thing that I read a while back, and I want to confirm.

My impression is that pre-1958 or so (1955?) the record companies used a different equalization curve than the now-ubiquitous RIAA equalization. Is this true? If so, what sort of phono stages do equalization for these properly? Anything else to be aware of in this space?
blw
squidboyw
35 posts
 
The Krell KPA phono pre-amp also offered on-the-fly RIAA curve adjustment.

Greg D
psychicanimal
1,738 posts
 
KAB electroacoustics makes an audiophile grade remastering phono preamp. It covers every equalization curve ever used:

http://www.kabusa.com/index_pp.htm

I am getting into older LPs, especially Argentinian music!
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
The first separate preamp that I had was a Heathkit, and it had several different equalizations. To tell the truth, the different curves were not all that much different, and judicious use of tone controls or better still, an equalizer, will solve your problem.
Post removed 
blw OP
147 posts
 
Hmm... where would one find out which labels require which curves? I did play one of those old LPs and it did sound weird, but the equipment was laughably unrealistic, badly configured (bass, treble whacked max, loudness turned on, big boomy Kmart speakers). I wasn't 100% sure that I was hearing a weird EQ curve or just bad reproduction. (The equipment was quite good enough, though to figure out if the LPs were in good shape, which is what I think is its intent.)
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