2. amps-preamps
  3. 175792-134479

I miss my Loudness Button and Tone Controls....

So I recently upgraded my system to a Rogue Audio Sphinx integrated amplifier, V2.

Prior to this purchase I was using a NAD C162 preamp, and an Emotive UA-200 amplifier.

After a month of listening, I have to say, I miss the tone controls and the loudness feature on the old NAD pre-amp, especially when listening at lower volumes. The Rogue amp sounds great when played at a minimum of 50% of its output, but at lower volumes, it just seems flat. I do use a sub (SVS SB-2000 pro, and I'm using a very efficient speaker (Zu Audio DW's).

I've toyed with the idea of buying an EQ of some sort that has a bypass so that I can boost some of the frequencies when listening at lower volumes, and then bypass when I listening at higher volumes.

Any thoughts on this? Anyone experience anything similar? I'm about to pack and sell the Rogue amp, as the cons outweigh the pros for me.

 

 

barkeyzee1
celtic66
1,616 posts
 

To my knowledge, Fletcher and Munson engaged in the research that lead to discovery of human hearing discrepancies at different frequencies.

Hence, the Loudness button.  Personally, I would defer from an equalizer as your listening to the new system will eventually normalize and probably cease to be an issue.  Best of luck.

pesky_wabbit's avatar
pesky_wabbit
1,183 posts
 

if you like them get them

russ69's avatar
russ69
3,360 posts
 

I’m using a very efficient speaker (Zu Audio DW’s).

This is your issue, I’m sorry to tell you. The Sphinx plays fabulously at very low volumes with my Triangle Antals. No need for any tone controls or a loudness button.

stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,280 posts
 

All McIntosh integrated amps come with tone controls.

mahgister's avatar
mahgister
12,961 posts
 

I own a Sansui AU 7700 a vintage marvel with sound controls sophisticated in design ( my knowledgeable repairman said so repairing all amplifiers for all his life) an a three tone control and other features like a separated filtering system with three other buttons to filter at different Hertz scale...

Before Acoustic treatment and control of my room i used the tone controls with success... Not now after acoustic done right i dont use them at all... Only some filtering......

At any sound level all acoustic cues are optimal for me now in my room ...

Look for some low cost acoustic improvement...Not to a new costly amplifier....

Electronical equalization is most of the times a worse way acoustic solution instead of room acoustic done right...Especially when someone EQ each of his album... 😁😊 it is a symptom of acoustic defect of his room....Then he EQ each album because EQ is a plaster on a wound not a therapeutic...And most EQ choices apply to a restricted set of albums to compensate  for the speakers/room bad acoustical synergy... 

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