Are tone controls worth a second look ?

I use the digital tone controls on my Meridian processor with good results. But I have heard digital tone controls that sound terrible. I guess, like so many things in audio, it's largely a matter of the quality of the implementation.

Yes, worth having.
The older Quad preamps include very flexible tone and downward shelving control over the treble to tame the record or CD that sounds too bright.
Many imperfect recordings are transformed to become satisfying or at least listenable with the use of such an inexpensive reliable preamp. It is not state of the art on the majority of recordings which do not require any tone control, but fine for a secondary system.

Certainly properly designed and implemented tonal controls, filters, even a loudness button and phase inversion are highly desirable. However a compromised implementation is just as undesirable. The upscale equipment presents these as enhancements, while the downscale models are probably better off without.

The knowledgable designer that catagorically denies these features in a quality product is probably only trying to target a specific design cost in order to meet a competetive selling price.

Those who call selective tuning of sonic signature via cabling changes comparable to "tone controls" are somewhat uninformed; it is not the same by any means of course, although t.c. may be a part of that it is only a part and is hardly that simplistic.

Despite thinking we are purists in this sense, I've yet to find an audiophile who isn't using tone controls.

Today's tone controls are vacuum tubes, tube buffers, cabling, isolation devices, equipment stands, cryogenic treatment, plugs/receptacles, and room treatment. You could even argue the very components folks use - cartridges, turntables, CD players, preamplifiers, amplifiers, and loudspeakers are tone controls as well, which is but one part of the equation of why so many people flip gear at the rate they do.

It's pretty ridiculous when you think about the things we try, but heaven forbid a set of tone controls show up on the preamp or integrated - that's sheer high-end audio blasphemy!

Trelja is correct. Its far more fun to complain about the room, buy bs tweeks, roll tubes, and blame the recordings.