Blasphemy! I want an 1/3 octave EQ


Here’s why... first my gear:  Goldenear refs, Klipsch 15 sub, M&K 12”V125, Roon Nucleus.  Oppo 103, Thorens TD165, Schiit Yggdrasil, Carver 275 amp, Prima Luna EVO preamp.  

I want to accomplish to primary objectives.  I want be able to tweak the speakers for my ears, not my wife or friends or employer, yep just for me...The acoustics in my room are pretty spot on, acousti mats in the right places and first reflections tamed.  All in all I think it’s a killer system.  So here’s the problem (notice here’s).  I’m 67 and was in sound reinforcement business in my youth.  Part owner of BP sound.    We were part of Kiss’s first tour.  We did stage and arena sound.   Tour with several bands for approx 5 years.  So I do have some hearing loss primary higher frequencies.  I want to eq the higher frequencies but I also want a balance control.  Neither amp or pre allow that.  So plz don’t try to talk me out of this, but please help with product selection.  I plan to place the EQ between amp and preamp...Thanks in advance for helping!!   And of course I don’t want to introduce noise or distortion, so Lpad solutions are out...
128x128fastninja12
Yep...Schitt Yggdrasil....a superlative  A/D.   And i choose to disagree about best methods for room correction.   IMO it is alway better to have a room that requires no  DSP for room correction.  But certainly deal with the physical domain first, the digital domain secondarily.  I suggest you read more and react less....


I suggest you think more, react less, and lose the attitude because from where I am sitting you are looking pretty silly right now.

1) The Schitt Yggdrasil is a DAC, not an A/D.

2) Acousti-Mat is an acoustical isolation product, mainly to keep sound out of in. It will prevent things from vibrating, but it is not going to control room nodes.   Again, all you have talked about is something that is an acoustic product, but does not treat the fundamental acoustics of the room, other than saying "first reflections are controlled".  What about bass-traps, front wall diffusers, back wall reflections, etc.  Based on what you have written so far, I have little confidence your acoustics are "spot-on".

3) Did you not start a thread looking for a 1/3rd octave EQ?   No analog circuit can do an eq like what can be done in the digital domain. That has nothing to do with room correction which you seem fixated on for some reason. DSP can also do balance super-fine, and can do all of it with no sonic signature if starting with a digital signal, even maintaining phase exactly as it started. Try that with an analog EQ.

p.s. when it does come to actual room correction, no room is perfect, and when you get into details, no room/speaker combination is perfect. Yes acoustics always comes first, hence why I stated right away that your acoustic were likely not spot on, and right now I am much more sure of that.  Given they aren't and your speakers in combination definitely are not, some final room correction could give a flat baseline from what to adjust the highs, which without taking measurements, may already be reduced for acoustic/speaker reasons.
Uncle, I give up!  Final thoughts.  I disagree with the premise that a poorly designed room with DSP will out perform a room that is intended and designed for reproduction of music.  No DSP has the power to make a silk purse out of a pigs ear.  Start with the silk purse when possible.  And the initial request was for EQ for the deficiencies in my 67 year old abused ears.
Well considering that no one ever stated that a poorly designed room with DSP was a good thing, you seem to be arguing with yourself. None of that changes that DSP makes for a better equalizer than analog for those 67 year old abused ears.
Thanks for your thoughtful guidance on DSP.  I am definitely old school audio.  I did consider DSP until I finished the acoustic treatment.  It was a dramatic change.  The subs now sound like instruments and vocals have lost the grainy edge.  My hope for an EQ is not room compensation, but ears compensation.  Since I have no tone controls nor a balance control, an equalizer was my choice for tweaking for my ears and tweaking for sweet spot.  I could have done a better job at stating my desires.. I thought I was specific in my requests and I am still interested in hearing others personal experiences with 1/3 octave graphic eq’s.
Fuzz tone & Articdeth...thanks for the links...will check out those products and vendors...