Adding Tone Controls?

Bama214,

I can confirm what Al said. You can run the DSPeaker Dual Core through your tape loop, if you want to have the option of running analog with the signal not touching the Dual Core at all.

AND, it also has the capability of storing four different EQ & DSP profiles, in addition to a Bypass button on the remote that removes an of the DSPeaker settings (leaving you with just the DAC or A/D/A conversion of an analog signal).

So it is possible to have separate settings for low quality recordings that can tone down the aspects that you are not enjoying (and for treble there is a specific "Tilt" setting that begins at the frequency of your choosing), and settings that best suit certain genres of music, volume levels, etc.

If you can't find these locally to audition, a number of online dealers have audition or return possibilities. Tweek Geek was who I used, with both Audition and 30 day return options.

Bama, I could relate to your issue well.

*I'd like to add..
The need for one (tone controls)--I suppose also largely depending on the extent of genres and diversity of ones' music collection. Besides jazz--classical, r&b, pops, disco, reggae, traditional, techno, lounge, (you name it, I love them all!). I'm also heavily into popular music of the '60-'80s (again, various genres). Audiophile stuffs, probably only 20% of whole.

Say, about 20-30% of my collection probably don't really need correction. Around 50% of them definitely could be improved upon (if I'm in the mood to tinker. If not, still pretty much enjoyable). Now, that remaining 20% of the worst ones, actually do NEED adjustments to get an even remotely balanced enough/satisfying sound coming through.

Hence, with such diverse materials at hands, for me, my linearizer a necessity. Although quite a hefty investment upfront, it actually saves me lots of time, and bottom line--money, down the road. Halting the endless churning of cables/equipments as it once was in the past. The few alternatives suggested above are good, and cost wise seems very reasonable. Or if you want to pursue further, as mentioned in post number one a suggestion by GregM could be your ticket.

However, could also envision as some others here, if my library were to consist of mostly only good to great recordings, say 70-80% of total, I would probably not even bother having one too. Agreeing with those stating that a carefully thought out well-balanced system will suffice doing the job just fine--for most of the time at least.

*imho, the higher the fidelity, the higher the resolution ones' system evolves to/gets, the more likely you may need/want one.. That is, if your love for music has no barrier and is unrestricted by the quality of recordings, how ever they are presented in.

Overall, I'm in line with your thinking that one should always design a system around best of recordings. And once you are there, not to have them later compromised by tweaking to accommodate those less than stellar ones--because then, we will be like chasing the dog's tail.

I feel that you are on the right track, as well your thinking of the best solution into addressing the problem (wherein it lies within the source). Just use a 'corrective device' that's able to jump in and do the job well when needed, and totally OUT of it (signal path) otherwise. Good luck!

Bama,

This is what happens when you place music before equipment. Shame on you!

BTW, I can deeply relate. I rank Todd Rundgren as my favorite songwriter of the r'n'r era and his records are usually borderline unlistenable. I'd agree that digital EQ is the best solution for your problem, particularly because it appears that you use all digital sources. Design choices of ARC, CJ, etc. nothwithstanding, the impact of an additional device in the digital signal path is not IME likely to create any meaningful problem. OTOH, digital EQ can go a long way toward making bad sound acceptable.

Or you could use my own solution: listen to Todd in the car. Or on Sonos. Just not (often) on the good system.

Marty

"This is what happens when you place music before equipment."

No music without equipment unfortunately.

You might still need digital processing to get what you want out of certain recordings, but best to have the right foundation first. That can go a long way towards enabling more musical enjoyment more easily over the long term, as opposed to spending time tweaking for every less than optimal recording encountered.

Digital equalization might help if treble level is the issue, but it is not clear to me from what has been stated so far that is the issue. Certainly, if the treble is irritating, making for less of it can only probably help, but there could be other reasons why treble is not good. Distortion would be the most likely. BEst to address that if the case. Almarg presented one scenario that might lead to distortion in the treble. Another might be the pairing of the tube pre-amp with the Pass amp. I am not sure the Pass amp is necessarily designed to work best with a tube preamp with <30K input impedance? That could be creating distortion as well that might be reduced with a better pre/amp impedance match perhaps. Nothing against the CJ or Pass gear certainly, just not sure that the pairing is optimal from a distortion perspective. Maybe others can chirp in on that. If both pre-amp/amp impedance matching and Almargs issue identified with the amp/wire/speaker combo were both in play, that could be a double whammy that accounts for what you are hearing.

I have heard similar MLs run off a SS Krell integrated (amp/preamp impedance matching should not be an issue with an integrated amp) and Krell digital source. There was no irritating treble! Quite the opposite! So I am confident that what you are hearing need not be the case with teh right foundation of equipment in place. If it were me I would want to hear your gear with either a better match between tube pre-amp and amp, or with good all SS amplification in place. Then see what recordings sound good or bad and go from there.

Bama, also I am curious how old you are? Younger people in their teens and 20's tend to hear higher frequencies better and are more affected by "bad treble" than their elders, so it is a useful thing to know.