Noobie question ...

Zaikesman, Nice post and for the most part I agree. The last pre-amp I had with tone controls was an Apt Holman made in the late 70's - nice pre amp for the times. It had bass, mid-range, and treble controls which were very well implemented. The most important control, in my usage, was the mid-range which effected the frequencies between 1500 and 3000hz which could either restore or reduce the upper-mid range dip or emphasis in a lot of speakers, recordings, and equipment coming to market at that time, which destroys the the potential for natural sound in much recorded music. A little added bass at low volumes didn't hurt anything either. Based on that experience I subsequently bought a outboard 3 band tone control which was not as well implemented, although it was very transparent in actual use I have rarely found a use for it. The mid-range frequency hinge points and the width of the frequencies effected just didn't solve any problems for me. I've since tuned my system differently and have learded to live without. But if you are willing sacrafice a bit of resolution I think it makes a lot of sense to use judiciously applied correction to make the music sound natural and enjoyable. JMHO.

Zaikesman: "Please excuse the essay, but I must beg to differ with the eminent Kal here, and also the extension from his comments that Macrojack suggests."
Dunno if we really differ. I like ketchup but it ain't my favorite condiment.

Yes, you can do a lot damage with a PEQ if you don't know how to use it but the same can be said for traditional bass and treble controls. (Or, in fact, any really useful tool.) I am old enough to remember when people kept them both turned up (along with the 'loudness' control). The only essential tool is a good ear. With that the old B&T controls can offer a modicum of tuning but, as you do, I prefer an adjustable shelving control. For that, I use the Z-Systems RDP-1 which lets me tweak the tonal balance a bit without throwing a blanket (or ice-cubes) on the music.

I find it encouraging that newer AVRs, with their DSP engines, are offering B&T and/or PEQs in the digital domain and no signal corruption. My Meridian 861 (other system from the one with the RDP-1) does this, too.

Kr4...There was a time when you needed to turn the BASS and TREBLE controls all the way up to make lousy speakers sound right. BASS and TREBLE controls were a big improvement over the "TONE" control, which boosted either (but not both) depending on which way you turned the knob. No wonder they got a bad reputation with audiophiles.

I have recently become a big fan of equalizers, but they serve a completely different purpose (room correction) than tone controls. I still use my tone controls to quickly tweek up particular recordings as necessary, and to vary frequency response for low volume listening. Alas, I have no LOUDNESS control.

Chadnliz,
Good one lol!

all this stuff about the musician intented the music to be heard a certian way is a crock,there isnt a studio on the planet that dont tweak & adjust the recording to what sounds good to them,now how does the recording engineers idea of what sounds right match up with what all the different manufacturers & designers idea of sounding best is?

if non tone control preamps are presenting a pure unadultered signal then how come a pass labs pre sounds so much different from a krell or a levinson ?

all amps do not present the music in the same way,preamps all have their own sound,cd players all have their own flavor,tt's & cartridges all have their own sound,speaker systems have the biggest differences in sound of all,how on earth do all the different types of gear with their own sound now present the music to anybody the way an engineer intended it to be heard by not having tone controls.

for anybody to say that by having a non tone control preamp is somehow bringing them closer to pure music(the way the musicians intended it) is silly & self serving.