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EQ's... why doesnt everybody have one?

Just browsing around the systems on this site, i knoticed that very few have equalizers. I realize some claim they introduce unacceptable noise but i would hardly call my Furman Q-2312, at %>.01 20Hz-40kHz, unacceptable. This $200 piece of equiptment ($100 on sale at musiciansfriend.com) replaces several thousand dollars in assembling a perfectly linear system in perfectly linear room, and in my opinion, accomplishes the task better than any room design could no matter how well engineered. It brought my system (onkyo reciever, NHT SB-3 speakers and Sony CD changer) to a level i could not have dreamed. It extends the SB-3's frequency response by at least 10 Hz to a satisfying 30 Hz without any rolloff or sacrifice in clarity, but the greatest improvement was definately in the Mid-range, around the SB-3s crossover frequency of 2.6kHz. The clarity of vocals, strings, guitars, brass... anything in this range rivals that of uneq'd systems costing well into the thousands of dollars... my total cost; $800. One of the more supprising differences is a marked improvement in immaging, it think this might have to do with eliminating several resonances in the right channel caused by my back wall (the left back wall has a curtain over it). The second my dad heard the difference he got on my computer to buy one for himself, he couldnt even wait to get back to his own, he then kicked me outa the listening chair and wouldnt get up for the better part of an hour.
-Dan-
dk89
autoll
16 posts
 
Kal said:"There are many devoted owners of this marvelous device but they don't hang out here. Cost insane?" Please excuse the insane reference, I should have said "out of my range". May I divert this thread a bit toward the M861 since you may have personal listening experience? Assuming their room correction card is excellent as I imagine it is, what about the 2 channel performance? Without writing a review for us, if you had a great sounding analog system with redbook source and say a ML32 as a somewhat well known reference and swapped in the 861, what would we think? I know this is highly subjective, but opinions on Meridian gear solo are hard to come by. I'm sure you know the common rap from store owners/salesman of "it only sounds good with the I-link", and then it's still not better than much cheaper equipment. Since I've not been impressed at shows, I have to assume these very experienced folks(albiet sellers of other products generally)are probably right. Wrong? I/we do appreciate your input. Thanks!
aball
2,016 posts
 
My EQ is clearly the best room treatment I have ever had!
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,681 posts
 
I have reviewed the Meridian 861 twice and I just had mine updated to the latest version. However, I have not yet had the time to install it and take advantage of the EQ.

One reason that you might not have been impressed with show demos is that you always get a full Meridian system and the character of their speakers is probably what you heard.

Kal
dirtyragamuffin
213 posts
 
I don't have an EQ because I don't need one.

I'm a studio/live sound guy and have come across a number of Behringer products including EQs. Behrigner is the laughing stock of the pro audio world. Deplorable company ethics, crap support, cheap Chinese parts, poor QC, and downright lousy sound in my experience--which is what I have to go with.
cinematic_systems
282 posts
 
Audiophile grade? lets hope not!

Autoll, You don't use 861's in two channel, but Meridian Digital was always better to all my clients ears than the Levinson (same store) infact most clients laughed at the difference, so I'm quite sure the 861 will cruise to a win. If you clip the wings of a perfectly good surround processor and ask it play music crippled? The playing field is a bit more level I would agree.

I just recently DJ'd a group get together in Chicago comparing A TAG AV192 which out distanced the Meitner pre/dac 6 votes to 4 in a two channel head to head battle and then clearly won when TMS was used with room correction 9 to 1. So the 861 is quite capable as are other surround processors at lowly two channel tasks like being a two channel DAC.

I have used EQ's to dramatically improve the sound of a Meitner/Warner/ Kharma midi Exquisite system..... If you buy an EQ that is commiserate with your system performance it will greatly improve the sound of a system especially when the room is not treated well or you have "audiophile grade" speakers that need some help.

So DK89's system should expect a jump up in performance from his eq. His EQ is comisserate with his system, and no one wants to recognize that fine point. He's getting more performance out of his system maximizing his investment which is as "high end" as it gets in my book...but maybe he should have bought a $200 power cord for his Onkyo or $100 speaker cables that would have been more audiophile!

Problems with EQ is it takes discipline, additional tools and real knowledge to understand and implement. It is not as easy as you think (or atleast as I thought when I was trained), If your first instinct is to auto calibrate anything you don't want to go into EQ and Room Correction alone. My experience is that the normal intuition of the amateur/hobbyist end user usually has them doing the opposite adjustment needed to improve the sound. Doesn't mean they don't learn after time but instant success with an EQ should not be expected. Which is why they are panned here.

I think its very telling that the only "EQ" brands that exist in the audiophile consciousness is the ones that are marketed as "audiophile Grade" or are from a discount 5&10 store. There are plenty of EQ's that are "audiophile grade" and many more that would be insulted by the label

Just FYI.
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