Tone Controls & Balance are a requirement in IA. (Some have the Tone Defeat button which by passes if required) Else just keep the Bass & Treble on 0 helps at times. The content you play also matters. Agree to most of the views shared above by FMs. Have been using IAs, Power Amps etc. since college days before I moved into HT. Due to lack of space, only use AVR now for Music & Movies.
Are tone controls necessary on an integrated amplifier ?
- Thread starter Nitin K
- Start date
Tone Controls & Balance are a requirement in IA. (Some have the Tone Defeat button which by passes if required) Else just keep the Bass & Treble on 0 helps at times. The content you play also matters. Agree to most of the views shared above by FMs. Have been using IAs, Power Amps etc. since college days before I moved into HT. Due to lack of space, only use AVR now for Music & Movies.
balavignesh002
Well-Known Member
McIntosh IA has 8 band tone control on their higher models, 5 band on the middle variant.
I would say it depends on how good the tone controls work. I find them making the sound artificial and then our mind tends to compare the new toned sound to the memory of original song we have heard. Yes we may get used to the new bass/ treble settings.
reubensm
Well-Known Member
one can even go further with the debate based on the effectiveness and accuracy of analog tone controls vs tone management in the digital realm
Its a matter of "chance". I guess the amplifier manufacturers assume certain typical scenarios/room arrangements and tune their gear accordingly. A number of dealers and manufacturers in the US allow you to live with the equipment for 30 days or more to see if it works in your room or not. And not being a stranger to either, i can't argue with the efficacy of preset tone controls while acknowledging that an EQ where you can define the Q curve and peak frequency is always more preferable.
For example, the Ifi Zen DAC has a one click bass boost function which is simply superb and works wonders in my room. There is a massive difference in the bass response with it switched on Vs switched off. And it accomplishes this with minimal to no intrusion on the mids depending on the speaker i.e. you can hear it in some while totally inaudible in others.
The RME ADI-2 DAC has a 7 band PEQ (advertised as 5 band but effectively 7 via the lastest firmware update) through which you can define Q values, frequency, peak etc. To get a similarly gratifying response to the ifi zen DAC's bass boost, i had to perform a number of REW measurements and tweaks on the PEQ to get it right. And i would imagine that this process would be daunting to many as it not only involves a lot of effort but also an understanding of the basics, not to mention a certain level of comfort with computers (for measurements etc).
Compare that to the one touch convenience of the Ifi Zen DAC (or for that matter, the loudness feature on my Marantz PM6006) and suddenly, predefined curves do make sense. I suppose some work better than others and its a matter of finding out if it works in your room, not an easy task in India.
I suppose it depends on the efficacy of the implementation. For example, the tone controls (treble and bass) in my PM6006 have a much more "natural" effect on the music than that of the SR6013 which is in the digital realm. At the same time, I cannot deny the accuracy and effectiveness of the PEQ of the RME ADI-2 DAC which is also in the digital realm.
P.S.:- the Ifi Zen DAC touts that its bass boost feature is in the analog realm.
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Passive_audio_enthusiast
Well-Known Member
the tone controls or eq or DSP is to correct the sound reaching at the listening spot. Most tone controls are set at frequencies that are mostly problematic to most rooms. I would say pure line amps sound only good in an acoustic chamber
Most of the amps/speakers may have been tested in anechoic chambers in the most idealistic conditions which may differ from practical usage in most cases. Maybe what we hear in most of our flawed rooms may not sound like the original recording. Another case as mentioned by others would be a mediocre/bad source like streaming/vinyl/cd mastering or compression which needs some degree of correction.
In another scenario when the synergy between the amp & speakers are not so good , tone controls may help here a bit although it may not be the ideal solution.
At least if we have the choice on the amp to adjust the tone that suits our ears accordingly would be great rather than not having them at all. One can always have a source direct button on the IA to bypass tone controls if one prefers it that way. But the choice should ideally be left to the user imho. I am saying this because there are many amps without tone controls that one may like, but the lack of tone controls holds a person back from going ahead for some.
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reubensm
Well-Known Member
then there is the debate of amplified music vs natural music
guitar players for example use different treble and overall tone settings for different sounds, same with synths, drum machines, etc
not forgetting the debate of using a analog graphic equalizer vs a digital one
its really interesting to hear these various perspectives
guitar players for example use different treble and overall tone settings for different sounds, same with synths, drum machines, etc
not forgetting the debate of using a analog graphic equalizer vs a digital one
its really interesting to hear these various perspectives
A definite YES to the question in the subject line.
Bass knob is especially useful when there is bass boom in the room. It can take the sound from unlistenable in pure direct mode (or whatever is its equivalent) to listenable when the bass and treble knobs are used judiciously.
Bass knob is especially useful when there is bass boom in the room. It can take the sound from unlistenable in pure direct mode (or whatever is its equivalent) to listenable when the bass and treble knobs are used judiciously.
Vivek Batra
Well-Known Member
Hi @Nitin K
I can try to share my experience with controls if that could help you find the answer.
I got tone controls, balance and loudness controls on Luxman. For me loudness control is more important over tone controls. It just kind of gives a "zoom in" for the sound. Reason being I don't play at high volumes so loudness control does the job for me.It just pops up the finer details.
Tone controls and balance are not on the remote, I guess same with other brands too. I have not used them ever, but just for experiment how much difference they make. Couple of reasons for that in my case.
1. Nowadays I am more involved with music than sound. It's not that I have started listening to crappy recordings, but Tidal is satisfying for me and I am happy most of the time. If I have to ever tinker with tones, it's mostly bass, treble is already too much with horns.
2. I am too lazy to adjust tone from the IA.
3. A particular tone setting won't fit in for all the tracks so I don't touch them.
4. Balance, I am quite happy with the separation so again not too important for me.
5. Loudness, I just need it all the time.
Rest it's just me, they are good to have but not must have.
Regards
Vivek
I can try to share my experience with controls if that could help you find the answer.
I got tone controls, balance and loudness controls on Luxman. For me loudness control is more important over tone controls. It just kind of gives a "zoom in" for the sound. Reason being I don't play at high volumes so loudness control does the job for me.It just pops up the finer details.
Tone controls and balance are not on the remote, I guess same with other brands too. I have not used them ever, but just for experiment how much difference they make. Couple of reasons for that in my case.
1. Nowadays I am more involved with music than sound. It's not that I have started listening to crappy recordings, but Tidal is satisfying for me and I am happy most of the time. If I have to ever tinker with tones, it's mostly bass, treble is already too much with horns.
2. I am too lazy to adjust tone from the IA.
3. A particular tone setting won't fit in for all the tracks so I don't touch them.
4. Balance, I am quite happy with the separation so again not too important for me.
5. Loudness, I just need it all the time.
Rest it's just me, they are good to have but not must have.
Regards
Vivek
Thanks for sharing your experience Vivek . Very glad that your gear is doing what it was intended for & you are happy with it. As for me if I were to buy an IA, then I definitely would want those controls rather than not having them.
Since you will find the tone controls missing in most of the newer IA's, hence was wondering if I was the odd one missing them . But really glad to know that there are others too who share a similar opinion
Vivek Batra
Well-Known Member
I guess you are about to buy somethingThanks for sharing your experience Vivek . Very glad that your gear is doing what it was intended for & you are happy with it. As for me if I were to buy an IA, then I definitely would want those controls rather than not having them.
Since you will find the tone controls missing in most of the newer IA's, hence was wondering if I was the odd one missing them . But really glad to know that there are others too who share a similar opinion
Am Still Contemplating Vivek.I guess you are about to buy something
. For me there is no space in the rack, but yes, will go for one after finding a solution for space. I do have an old Kenwood KA 5050R which I have not used in around more than15 years & a bit apprehensive of trying it in my current setup.
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COOLDUDE7808
Active Member
tone controls , loudness , etc are good to have and one more feature which has been excluded in amps is option for subwoofer . I have attached a equalizer . Most of us want it but I guess to cut costs amps are doing away with it and giving some audiophile nonsense to justify that . Most of the vintage amps have all these options
Very true, especially for those who have bookshelves or a lower powered IA & would need a sub for the lower frequencies.
What are your primary sources going to be for the IA?
Also, besides tone control (preferably on the remote as @Vivek Batra pointed out and its not simply a matter of being lazy, its rather cumbersome to get up every single time), have you identified the other features/inputs(coax,optical,USB,XLR, bluetooth)/outputs(Sub out, preamp out) that you'd need? Does your IA need to have a DAC or a phono stage?
Decadent_Spectre
Well-Known Member
What is "loudness" control?
I still fondly remember the AIWA tape deck which we used to own from 30 years ago; the tone controls and the loudness button were such magical essentials!
These three features totally transformed our listening experience.
It's a pity that these controls are considered unessential now. Infact when i was researching to buy my first amp, more than 10 years ago, I was particularly looking out for these controls, and ended up buying the Harmon Kardon 3390. Such a lovely amp with a plethora of connection options. Unfortunately the amp died on me.
These three features totally transformed our listening experience.
It's a pity that these controls are considered unessential now. Infact when i was researching to buy my first amp, more than 10 years ago, I was particularly looking out for these controls, and ended up buying the Harmon Kardon 3390. Such a lovely amp with a plethora of connection options. Unfortunately the amp died on me.
Hi DB,
My primary source would be CD's, wav & mp3's . To your other question what to expect if I were to buy an IA then I would go one with a built in Dac, subwoofer out & HT bypass connection. If it has XLR connections then it is a bonus but not a must. I would not expect anything more from the amp for my needs. For streaming the avr would suffice as that is not my regular source.
Regards.
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