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
All my preamps have zero (no) tone controls except one. 
 And the one that has them, are all in the straight up position, (neutral)
 if in the extremely rare scenario I use them, I tweak only slightly.
i still have my Onkyo EQ-540 top of the line integra one, but it’s been in my closet for 20 + years. I like the natural sound of my amps and speakers playing through my speakers. 
  
I think the ultimate "serious cred" system would have no volume pot either. You just move closer to it for louder, further away for softer. 
I participated in the Mapleshade Gallo system at CES which included Ron Bowman’s (Mapleshade) special amplifier that had no volume pot. Those were the good old days when loudness level of CDs was consistent, I.e., prior to loudness wars. When you could have an amp with no volume pot. No now.

I listen to old school FM radio, to CD's, and phonograph.   From mono recordings pressed in the 50's to compressed over bassed CD's from today.    I would not be able to listen to all of that on one system without eliminating some recordings if I did not have tone controls.   Sitting thru some of the modern CD's without being able to turn down the bass a smidge to alot, or increasing bass on some really thinly recorded albums would not be enjoyable.   I'd rather turn a knob 10 degrees and enjoy it than listen to it as recorded or pitch it in the trash is my take on this subject.


Most recordings require nothing, and usually those are the best overall to listen to.


I think there were some fine artists making fine music that did not receive the proper service from the folks who handled their music once they placed it in the air.