I like my system flat, no tone controls, no eq..........what is your preference, and why.


A poster on another thread here has encouraged me to post this. Been an audio professional and a hobbyist for 50 tears. I had my time with eq, tone controls ( even reverb and time delay units ). I am currently at the point where I need nothing to alter the recordings I listen to, nor to compensate for room aberrations. I have spent lots of money on equipment , had equipment on loan, of all types ( pretty much a bit of everything, for the most part ) and I have tweaked, and tweaked, and tweaked. I have recently tooled down to a much simpler and less expensive system, and I find I am the happiest I have ever been. Might be my amp, my passive unit, my speakers...…….yes, all of that. Yes, all of that is important, but it is the system synergy that has made me realize that changing anything with an eq or tone controls took me further from that synergy, that balance. I accept, and enjoy my recordings for what they are. Some better than others ( sq ). But, I am enjoying the brilliance of all the studio work put into them,  exactly as they were intended to be listened to. This is me. I do not believe in right or wrong, better or worse, newer vs older, yada yada yada. I have believed, and have stated, particularly in this hobby, to each his own. I hear fuse differences, power cable differences, etc. Some believe I was born a bat. I am happy of my gift, not just hearing well, but through the years, teaching myself " what it is I like ", which is the key for most of us. I am not sure where this thread will go, but I put it out there, and hope folks will drop in, even though much of it might have been stated before in other threads. Thank you A'gon family, be well, and Enjoy ! MrD.
mrdecibel
Have a top o the line Onkyo eq 540
not hooked up in years,
 no tone controls on my preamps used. 
B&K pro 10 mc
onkyo p308-never used, always at zero
sanders sound preamp- no tone controls 

sounds better Ted when I can hear the sound straight from the amp/preamp speakers.  Seems more matural

mYbe somed I’ll hook up the EQ. TIL THEN it’s straight wire only. 
Back in the day I couldn’t wait to bypass the tone controls on my Dynaco Pas 3x. All the cool people did it (yes, it did sound better on most records).

I use equalization extensively with my pro audio gear (API 5500 for analog, but there are excellent digital solutions too; the DBX DriveRack units are ubiquitous. The EQ in my Bose ToneMatch engine that I use for small gigs is excellent). You have to adapt to a room quickly. Graphic EQs for quick adjustments, and parametric for dealing with comb filtering and feedback.

I guess the assumption is the EQ is set while recording and during mastering. The results are ostensibly as good as possible, but they are always a compromise. The record companies have to master their records so they sound good on a car stereo, earbuds, or a bluetooth speaker. Some companies will master for us HiFi nuts, but you have to seek them out (I could go on about MQA - makes me wonder if the motivation is to appeal to the 1% audio enthusiasts or to sell new product, but I digress...).

I think I’m going to try the Schiit Loki. Might be fun!
When I dine out, I do not expect to have to add salt or seasoning. My amps have volume pots only.
^ but when the chef doesn't do their job you are often left underwhelmed and so you won't return. some of my recordings can be anemic, leaves me underwhelmed, but too good not to return, thus i spice it up to my liking. my decware zrock2 shines, it has earned its place in my system!
You need a perfect sound room and speakers for flat...I could not live without control, bass and treble.