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I never got satisfactory results using a spectrum analyzer and calibrated mike with white noise

Posted by Soundmind (A) on July 4, 2006 at 05:20:56

In Reply to: Digital equalizer experiment over posted by mls-stl on July 2, 2006 at 09:54:59:

No matter how many times I adjusted it or where I placed the microphone, my sound system always sounded much too bright and didn't have nearly enough bass. I finally concluded that the only way I could ever get it to work for me if I could make it work at all was to tweak it by ear. That probably makes me the ultimate subjectivist. But I didn't undertake it lightly. After years of experimenting, I could never get it to sound quite right. That's when I began experimenting with the solid geometry problem of high frequency propagation. Once I understood it, it was a matter of time and patience. I've had to go back and readjust my equalizer several times, once after replacing a blown up amplifier, once after replacing a blown up equalizer, and once after replacing a blown up cd player. It took me about 2 years each time to get it right. And I only use a 10 band equalizer. I can't imagine how long it would take for a 1/3 octave unit. I can understand the frustration of people who have writtent this functional piece of equipment off. If you want quick results, this isn't going to give it to you, at least not in my experience. However, over time, slowly but surely, much better performance emerges, far more accurate than without it. Oh and by the way, did I mention that you have to have an ear and brain very familiar with the sound of actual unamplified musical instruments...and you have to be prepared to add further equalization to compensate for recordings which deviate significantly in their spectral balance from the average which is what I use for adjustments (DG cds are my standard.) That's why at least two equalizers per system are needed IMO.

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