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

I rarely listen at volumes low enough to want/need ’loudness’, but when I do, properly implemented eq keeps the music INVOLVING, without it, just low background sounds.

It seems to me that so many of you do not listen at low volume and have no idea of the need for and benefit of properly engaged fletcher-munson adjustments,

which are TRULY advantageous, in ANY SYSTEM. ANY SPEAKERS, ANY SPACE.

I subscribe to the old "if it sounds good it is good" approach. Otherwise, what's the point of pursuing this often wild and crazy hobby?  :)

Oh, one other suggestion, although it's more costly than the Loki, is the DSPeaker Anti-Mode 2.0. Dual Core, with a host of features, including room correction.

Hi barkeyzee1

Another vote for the Schiit Audio Loki Mini+ here.  Seasoned music lover with a serious/fun dedicated studio.  My post history has the details.

What I love about the Mini+ is its simplicity, yet effectiveness of choices.  Any disturbance to any "musical-purity loss" is negligible and wonderfully outdone by benefits.  Well-built purposeful tool for $125.00.  A gift to audio, really.                 More Peace, Pin

I use the Helmholtz tuning method also. Tune the room, the electrical grid and then minor adjustment if at all with tone control. It is usually because of a source issue.

Minor tweaks between sources is not uncommon. I use Streaming, CDs, SACD, TT and Reel to Reel. 

You can fool yourself into thinking you don't need tone control, until you do. A good friend of mine made it pretty clear to me. A flip of a switch or a remote sure takes the leg work of old, out of the picture. I can set and adjust via a laptop or select a set preset functions already saved.

The bass was set up by SB (Seekers/Sound Boys). OHM's business. It's all digital, the Main speakers are all analog with passive crossovers. 

I have one friend that insist if it need tone contour it must be bad. I insist that recording studios make mistakes. Some of the media I use is 80+ years old.

HiFi is the dog hearing his masters voice on the old Edison and recognizing his masters voice.. That is HiFi..

C'est la vie

Anybody, all dogs included, can recognized a trumpet and a piano even in the worst room and with the worst recording...Especially for a dog his master voice...

My point about the RCA dog listening the GEAR not the room even if it is a marketing genius idea for sure and a FACT, does not hinder or replace the other fact that save for headphones and gramophone pavilion at few inches of our ear we listen to a speakers/room sound not to the gear alone....Then for decades people were conditioned by electronic market method of selling the gear FORGETTING to study and improve room acoustic... 😁😊 The creation of headphones did not help room acoustic understanding for the consumers crowd of audio... 😁😊 Then they throw money for so called upgrades sometimes without end....

HiFi is the dog hearing his masters voice on the old Edison and recognizing his masters voice.. That is HiFi..

C’est la vie

And using tone control with my amplifier is no more necessary, save the loudness button at very low sound volume...

Why?

Because i can control all the acoustic factors in my the room at will with a GRID of Helmholtz adjustable resonators YES but also a grid of Helmholtz SPECIALIZED diffusers...It is NOT the same devices even if all resonators absorb some frequencies and also diffuse some....And  these Helmholtz specialized  diffusers are  open tubes with one of their  mouths filtered with some fabric cloth with variable thickness and the other stay open...And Helmholtz resonators is a volume bottle or tube CLOSED at one end with a neck of variable adjustable perimeter and length at the other end not a large open or filtering mouth like a diffuser...

Then owning a few Helmholtz resonators is not the same that owning these 2 grids...

At least thanks to you to recognize the powerful impact of the Helmholtz devices IGNORED most of the times in small room acoustic method... Panels ARE NOT ENOUGH in a dedicated room...They dont adress the pressure zones distribution...

The mere fact that we MAY feel in the obligation to modify the sound balance from a recording to an another recording or from a music genre to another music style is a SURE SIGN of an acoustic room problem or of a gear synergy problem or the two at the same time...

There is only one exception for using tone control in a well controlled dedicated acoustic room : bass head who listen only bass.... There is never enough bass in their case... They dont mind about any other acoustic factors save bass... Then they will do anything to put the emphasis on bass for sure... Here my post is for jazz listener and classical listener , not metal music or cinema listener waiting for explosions...

Sound is not music, even if music is always also sound for sure... 😁😊

My deepest respect to you...

I use the Helmholtz tuning method also. Tune the room, the electrical grid and then minor adjustment if at all with tone control. It is usually because of a source issue.