My problem is now solved: this Accuphase preamp is just killer! It's so good that the featured tone controls are not even necessary most of the time. But in those cases where I do use them, in addition to bass & treble knobs I now have available buttons for hi & lo cut, hi & lo boost, loudness comp. and a Phase Invert button which is just awesome! I've never had that feature available to me before; the difference (depending upon source material) can be anywhere from negligible, to subtle, to unbelievable.
I can safely say that right now I don't even know the full capabilities of this preamp, but this 45 pound monster is WAY serious!
However I have noticed that even a few budget components (The aforementioned Adcom & NAD for example) still provide some basic Eq. features, so you don't have to necessarily break the bank.
So now I'm an All Solid-State, Tone-Controlled, Happy Camper! Sincerely Yours too, (in further neg. votes)! |
Artemus, I tried the old pre (BTW, a NAD; not Cambridge -- sorry), between the CDP & the main pre. Although it doesn't overload on low volume, the sound is, well... like throwing a blanket over the speakers. Strangely enough, the tone controls' effect increased with volume on the NAD; on the other hand, that's what ended up overloading the main pre --and distorting...
Oh well... |
Bob, I had to take a look at that accuphase. It looks pretty good but out of my $ league.
Greg, When I tried mine it sounded like my speakers were under water. |
I had the same problem with my densen-spica angelus setup (some recordings sound very thin to the point where I avoid listening despite liking the music). I ended up with a Rel strata subwoofer. This has worked really well for me : the good recordings are now amazing, and the bad ones are enjoyable. There are, however, still a few recordings which are not helped by the REL, maybe because it's upper frequency roll off is set at 30Hz, and the source material simply doesn't go down there. There are a very few discs that are not improved and no discs that are worse with the REL. I consider it a great buy.
Also, several years ago I had a friend with a Quad stup. Quad has some wierd tone controls which are supposed to "cause less distortion". I remember playing with them (I think they're called lift and tilt) and I was very impressed ... it seemed like quad had got it just right. It gave a small lift to the bass or treble, but not in the artificial way of a traditional tone control. However I believe that my Densen amp is more detailed than the Quad, for about the same price, so maybe less is more !? If this hobby were easy it wouldn't be so much fun !
So what did you end up doing ? |
Seantaylor99
I replaced the Infinity speakers with Silverline Sonatas. A big improvement, but the biggest improvement in dealing with the bad recordings was to replace the Sherwood cdp with a Theta Miles cdp. Now all cd's are listenable. Obviously some cd's still sound better than others but overall they all sound good now. I haven't thought about tone controls or sub woofers since. Maybe a sub will come into play when I work on the HT end but I am just finishing the 2 channel with the purchase of Homegrown Silver Lace ic's and a dedicated AC line. |
I can't imagine not having the flexibility of tone controls-far move value in having the flexibility vs. any minimal loss, if using a high-end piece.
The Accuphase EQs have silly prices, so here's a little secret from the high-end and separate music production realm-get a high-end studio EQ. The White 4700-2 stereo EQ is $1,800 new, about $100 on Ebay. Shhhhhhh.... |
The Adcom GTP-450 offers the most transparent, relaxed sound I have ever heard from a preamp that has tone controls. I even like the sound produced from the GTP-450 better than the GFA-565, this preamp has soul. This of course is not an audiophile way to go but who cares. You can leave the tone controls in the twelve o clock position and even then it sounded better to my ears than some of the most expesive units, but not all. However I know to most audiophiles who want to do some extreme critical listening they of course will say get the tone controls out of the signal path. I have a GTP-450 & switch to an ARC tube preamp only when I want to do some serious listening on softer music. |
Tone controls got a bad reputation several decades ago. Tone control circuitry of modern equipment does not degrade audio quality, but can correct defects in the way a recording was made, and perhaps compensate for your speaker's weaknesses. |
To correct the model number I referred to above is a GFP-565 preamp. Again my point is this. The GTP-450 sounded much more open and musical than the GFP-565. I always thought the GFP-565 sounded dark. The GTP-450 is a newer model but was the 450 a mistake? I don't know but when connected to a quality power amp, the sound is remarkable & dynamic. Here is a preamp that can do all music very well. Connected to an Adcom power amp the sound quality is mediocre at best. I tried this preamp on a McCormack 0.5 Rev A & the sound produced was stunning & satisfying, still
maintainig the huge soundstage the McCormack was capable of. For the price this is proof that a preamp retailing new for Five hundred dollars in the early nineties can hold its own against the big boys. Most reviews done on this pre have come from newbees that have no idea what good sound quality is. I don't necessarily seek out a preamp with tone controls but the fact that this fine piece for its price sounds good with them could be a plus! |
Because of their bad reputation, and to satisfy purists, tone controls of many preamps can be bypassed. So it is no harm to have them, (and when no one is looking, you might like to use them). |
Aside from tone controls, many high end manufacturers are responding to audiophiles by producing gear that streaches the soundstage even further, extracting ever nuance of detail, pushing the limits of sound quality to the max & along the way something comes up missing. This can be a good thing for some audiophiles who want to marvel at the amount of detail that is being produced. Some of these components, not all, offer a sterile laboratory sound & lose musicality and begs to ask the question "Where did the music go?" When I judge a piece of gear, I of course want detail & transparency but beyond that I want to say that I was emotionally satisfied with what I was hearing, that the gear brouht me closer to the music. Also I want gear that sounds excellent with all types of music, not just jazz & classical, whick I love as well. |
