2. amps-preamps
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Tone controls- to use or not?

Thanks to years of playing in bands, and more recently working in a noisy environment, I've come to the sad realisation that my 40-year old ears no longer have their original upper frequency response. Adding a bit of "treble" on my amp's tone controls helps, but I'm normally loathe to use these controls.

Should I be looking at changing my setup to incorporate "brighter" sounding components, or is adding a little treble with the tone controls legitimate?

My system is a Cambridge 640C player, NAD c720 stereo receiver (based on c320 amp) and B&W DM602 speakers, Monster cable IC's and heavy guage "Kordz" (Australian) copper speaker wires.
carl109
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
As Reubent said..."Use the tone control. That's what it is there for".

You might find an equalizer to be more effective because you wouldn't be stuck with the "hinge" frequency that the preamp designer chose. For example, if your hearing rolls off at 14KHz a tone control which cuts in at 3KHz is not ideal.

If you visit an audioligist (person who prescribes hearing aids) you can get a precise plot of your hearing frequency response, and then you could put the appropriate correction into the equalizer.

A good inexpensive equalizer is the Behringer DEQ2496.
nosnhoj
12 posts
 
I have slipped a variation of this question into several discussions. With regard to digital equalization, is there a program or software plug-in available (for Windows Media Player or Foobar, for example) that is considered high quality? The Behringer route seems like a good idea, but for computer or server-based playback, I wonder if the digital signal could be processed (EQed) with software before it is sent from the computer. Clearly, audio recording software (for home studios) offers this feature, but it is a cumbersome way to listen to 2-channel audio.
Regards,
Nosnhoj
carl109 OP
134 posts
 
Thanks for the replies. I guess as we age we have to make the best of what hearing we have left!
For me the tone controls are a double-egded sword. If I add a little treble, the top-end opens up nicely, but when I use the tone bypass switch, the overall sound is better in terms of clarity and soundstage.

Would the component to change be the amp? I'm led to believe NAD amps are generally warmer sounding, and perhaps I should audition a Cambridge or Marantz?
vett93
205 posts
 
Have you tried power cords, interconnects, or speaker cables with some silver content?
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
i have a different experience wit respect to aging. i am more sensitive to treble frequencies than i was 30 years ago. i find very often that i want to attenuate frequencies in the range 1000 to 3000 hz.

i believe, as vett93 has stated, cable, a passive compoent is a better approach than active equilization. in some cases equalizing brings with it phase shifts.
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