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Colorizing The Sound

For last 7 years I've been using "regular" audio system which consisted of CD player, equalizer, SS integrated amplifier and speakers. Every element in this system was purchased as new for the price ranging from 600 dollars for CD player to 1K for amp. Now I replaced everything by Oracle Turntable, DK Design integrated amp and M.Logans speakers. The turntable connected to amp with 700 dollars cable and speakers use 500 dollars version. Everything is above an average...or at least better than I had before. The soudstage now is wider, deeper... The overall sound is - I would say - more intelligent, sophisticated.. Like a good old wine.....Most likely I didn't yet grow to the level of expertise to start to appreciate the real hi-fi quality...but I really do miss those bass and treble knobs I had on my old amplifier. While (according to what I read here) having them on amplifier would ad some unnecessary electric circuity...I really think they play important role in creating richer and more colorful sound.
On top of bass and treble controls of my old Yamaha amplifier I used equalizer which probably tripled colorization of sound. Many of you could say that those equalizers and bass/treble controls just distort the music throwing it away from real, flat sound a good amplifier delivers...away from the sound of real unamplified instrument.
I wonder what you guys use to substitute missing treble/bass controls? Are there any electronic devices(may be equalizers?) which let control (to add or to subtract) tones of music? Please correct me if I am wrong.
sputniks
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,159 posts
 
A parametric equalizer can greatly improve the bass response of any high end, full range system. Lo-pass filters can also help with poor source material.
lousyreeds1's avatar
lousyreeds1
286 posts
 
This is interesting: we don't usually consider the fact that 'hifi' may still means something if we intentionally change the sound that's coming from the source. When you do that, is there any point in having nice equipment at all? I think the answer might actually be yes- just an extreme case of choosing soul over honesty.
jeff_jones
418 posts
 
Sometimes I think 75% of retail sales were created when they took our tone controls away. Now you get the same result (a tone that suits your preferences) the hard way. If you listen to enough components and spend enough time matching things together, you can end up with a high end system proporely 'colorized' to match your preferences.
Other thing, sometimes you can call the folks who made your stuff and they can reccomend a capacitor here or a different resistance value there and help you get what you want on the cheap.
Great Luck!
twl
3,251 posts
 
Speaker positioning, room treatments, cables, and even components, can be used to impart any "desired" colorations to various systems.

While colorations might not be "desireable" by many audiophiles, all systems do have them to some extent.

The thing about most audiophiles not liking the tone controls, is perhaps not so much about the colorations, as it is the loss of signal that is present in the potentiometers used for these puposes. If they didn't cause signal loss, I think more audiophiles would accept some tone controls. Potentiometers are one of the most offensive items for causing signal loss in the circuit. We always try to have as few of them as we can. Thus, we resort to other methods to "color" our systems(if we want them "colored").
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