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Propeller Head Plaza Technical and scientific discussion of amps, cables and other topics. |
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Propeller Head Plaza Technical and scientific discussion of amps, cables and other topics. |
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Just finished a couple of weeks of experimenting with a one-third octave digital equalizer in my system (Alesis DEQ230D). After a lot of tinkering with white noise, sine-wave sweeps, adjustments and listening trials, the EQ is out of the system and headed back to the store.The net result was that any improvements were spotty and inconsistent depending on the material played. I think part of the problem is that room furnishings are not symmetical and that ended up calling for a slight difference in the left channel's EQ settings compared to the right's. Using average correction settings for the two channels wasn't much better (just a little "different") than individual settings. Even tried "more subtle" by using only half the correction called for, thinking that might be a good balance between the full and no-EQ settings.
After all was said and done, I was as likely to get the better sound on any given recording without the EQ as I was with it in place. Given that I am very happy with the sound of my un-EQ'd system, it made no sense to have the extra equipment in the loop. My basic audio philosophy is to keep things simple unless more complex yields a substantial and consistent improvement.
For those interested, the system is a pair of Spendor S5e's in an 13' by 15' by 10' high room. Electronics are a NAD C542 player with a Conrad Johnson PV10AL tube preamp and MV60 tube amp (EL34 version). The room has plaster walls, hardwood floor with area rug on 80% of the surface, 2 small couches (rear and right) and a tall hardwood TV cabinet at the left. The audio analyzer was the "Baudline" software run on a Linux based laptop, with a sound level mike set to "C" weighting and slow response. The white noise and sine sweeps were from CD's created using Adobe Audition software.
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Topic - Digital equalizer experiment over - mls-stl 09:54:59 07/02/06 (24)
- Practical limitations of EQ - tomservo 08:24:55 07/05/06 (3)
- Crossover networks are equalizers too and by comparison they are awful - Soundmind 06:24:48 07/07/06 (2)
- 'Awful' passive crossovers - thoriated 10:38:48 07/07/06 (1)
- Re: 'Awful' passive crossovers - Soundmind 11:05:28 07/07/06 (0)
- Why White Noise??? - Robert Hamel 20:30:21 07/04/06 (0)
- I once had the Cello Pallette analog equalizer and have had several digital. None satisfied me. - Norm 07:39:53 07/04/06 (2)
- Equalization Solves One Problem, But Creates Another.... - Todd Krieger 10:43:01 07/04/06 (1)
- My experience as well. Feh! nt - clarkjohnsen 08:25:53 07/05/06 (0)
- I never got satisfactory results using a spectrum analyzer and calibrated mike with white noise - Soundmind 05:20:56 07/04/06 (11)
- Re: where to compromise? Your choice - mls-stl 06:32:03 07/04/06 (10)
- Priorities - Soundmind 06:52:34 07/04/06 (9)
- Re: Priorities differ for individuals - mls-stl 09:30:36 07/04/06 (8)
- Re: Priorities differ for individuals - Tom Dawson 20:49:42 07/04/06 (0)
- Indeed - E-Stat 17:38:40 07/04/06 (0)
- Your priority is mine, but I cannot stand equalizers, or at least any that I have heard. - Norm 12:06:04 07/04/06 (5)
- It's not the equalizer that's flawed, it's the person using it. nt - Soundmind 04:44:26 07/05/06 (4)
- I guess you are right. Equalizers only adjust the frequency response within their limits. - Norm 06:27:54 07/05/06 (3)
- As difficult as properly adjusting an equalizer is Norm, relatively speaking that's the easy part - Soundmind 09:59:17 07/06/06 (2)
- More nonsense. If you don't believe as SM does you are unscientific or gullible. nt - Norm 07:51:04 07/07/06 (1)
- You claim to be involved in the "ethics of science", so where's your evidence? - real_jj 10:47:02 07/13/06 (0)
- I had poor results when I started out with the Behringer - andy_c 15:20:34 07/02/06 (3)
- Re: I had poor results when I started out with the Behringer - mls-stl 17:58:24 07/02/06 (2)
- Just curious... using analog input? - andy_c 19:01:29 07/02/06 (1)
- Re: Nope, digital input - mls-stl 20:04:06 07/02/06 (0)
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