Usage of Equalizers

Hi venkat, thanks for the info. My comment on eq for home use only.....
@ my office i work on protools & adobe audition for audio editing work & use eq (30 bands 1\3 octave) for voice overs & background music. I was using Technics eq with Onkyo prologic amp for 8 years, sound was artificial, i did not like it. For this reason i bought vintage Pioneer & Yamaha 2 channel amps, sounds classic & sweet without eq. If you audition my Pioneer & Yamahas you will start hating graphic equalizers.

Anil

Re Equalisers for home Playback systems.
While I generally agree with the tenor of the posts, viz, that its best to have a flat output, sometimes an equaliser can be pretty useful.
E.g, I am very fond of Hindustani classical music & have several tapes/CDs where the output with flat settings is unlistenable.
In such cases, by tweaking the equaliser in my Pre Amp, I am able to get a much better sound & am able to enjoy a Masters' performance.
Given a choice, I much prefer this approach over denying myself the pleasure of such performances.
So, if you are in a similar situation, an Equaliser can come in handy

Hi Kamal,

Thank you very much for the information.

Regards,
Muthusami. S

Kamal and Anil, I agree with both you. A PC based equalizer is very essential for mixing and other work that is done professionally.

Similarly, at times, I feel that Latha's voice, for example, is very shrill in some songs. In such situations, a filter to tone down the high frequency will be a great boon.

But today, more and more music is being delivered on an 'as is' basis, and we expect the audio equipment to bring out a 'warm' sound from the music.

I have heard a number of cars driven by college boys that seem to have an unnaturally high base that drowns out all other sound. So much so that the glasses rattle. Similar situation is in discos where the low frequencies are boosted, and the whole music is at a volume loud enough to make you go deaf. But I suppose the environment demands that.

Some time ago I attended a live performance of Jethro Tull in an open ground in Bangalore. They had set up barricades in a way that the audience was a minimum 12 feet away. The sound system was so good that you could clearly hear when Tull was playing at low volumes and, and at the same time enjoy his whole orchestra blasting away.

Last week I attended a live music by a local group called Friends Orchestra. This was done in a good auditorium that had just spent nearly a crore doing up the acoustics with consulting from Bose.. The orchestra, instead of using the auditorium's sound system, used their own mixers and speakers. I could not sit through the concert after the third song.

My worry is, in an attempt to have short term enjoyment or impress somebody else, are we losing our capabilities to really enjoy music? That is the reason I prefer to see movies at home. In cinema halls the ambient noise is so much that the volume has to be kept high. In spite of that you cannot hear dialogues properly, and the high volume sound starts hurting your ears.

Venkat, I hear where you're coming from.
Believe me, I use the equaliser only when I have no other option,i.e when the recording/mastering has not been done properly so you're faced with boominess or muffled highs or where the mids are overshadowed by lower freqs.
I too have a feeling of concern when youngsters blast their eardrums in the close confines of a car etc & cinema halls, esp multiplexes blast your ears with loud volumes.
The best you can do is to act sensibly yourself & thus set a good example.

Kamal,
you are just reflecting my views..We definetly need Graphic equalizer to hear/record poorly recorded masters.I have around 250 original and recorded cassetes at my Home.Almost all of the recordings were done through Graphic equalizers.

Lot of 80 and 90's Tamil recordings were poor in quality eventhough songs were very nice.In this case G-equalizer is helping lot to enhance the frequencies..I used to sit and timepass in One of my friends Musicals (recording center) at my native,That guy used to say LP records are very good compared with tape and for recording Master cassatte to cassate we should need G-equalizer.Some of the IlayaRaja's recording were very good in recording quality eg. Mella Thiranthau Kadhavu,Ninaivellam Nidya and Alaigal Ooivathillai.My friend used to adjust down his equalizer settings for these songs..

I still remember, The same poorly recorded song which I didn't like to listen were sounded in different and awesome tone through G-Equalizer.So,again it is listener's interest.My opinion is we can have Graphic equalizer to hear poor recordings.

I will definetly buy one for my HiFi..

Cheers,
Pandiyan

Hi. You guys are talking about good quality equipment that reproduce the original recording faithfully. I have a pretty decent amplifier and graphic equaliser, but my speakers are sadly inadequate.

The low frequencies have little definition, but are too loud nonetheless. So, I am forced to use my graphic equalisers pretty drastically to subdue this anomaly.

Prabu wrote-
"The low frequencies have little definition, but are too loud nonetheless. So, I am forced to use my graphic equalisers pretty drastically to subdue this anomaly"
Prabu, in case you are forced to do this even with well recorded CDs,then you need to upgrade your speakers,else you will keep denying yourself the pleasure of enjoying the beauty of a superb recording of a great Master.

I couldn't agree with you more, Kamal. I seriously need to upgrade my speakers. Actually, even the amp.

You know how I found this forum? My amp was misbehaving after years of service, and I tried finding someone to repair it. No progress. So, I tried searching the net. Google would throw up the name of Hifivision every time. That got me curious, and I kept browsing here.

I suppose I shall start a separate thread regarding my amp. What I have is an Akai AM 27 amp and an Akai EA 27 10+10 equaliser. Both are beginning to fail now. The speakers are Philips, which I have never liked. How I bought the speakers, is a long story and a waste of time. Its just the amp and the equaliser that made the speakers tolerable. Visitors often compliment me on the nice sound, but all I can do is smile sadly. (At least for now)

Dear Muthusami

I was using Eq during my college days as well , there was lot of Cassettes and some LPs in which the recording is not quite good., i ws using the Eq in a V shape and later found it incorrect , i was using Altec Lancing , Technics eqs for a long time ( only for bad recordings ) . But now a days i not using the Eqs and infact sold the Technics for Rs.500/- ( i was even ready to give it free )

A good recorded LPs or casettes or Cds dont need any eqs . IMO

regards

David.