belgian Posted January 25, 2010 Posted January 25, 2010 A few years ago every decent Hifi set had one, and now you don't see them anymore. Just found a old Technics 8020 in perfect condition, and I am very happy with it to compensate the crappy equalising on my Ipod classic.
Armitage Posted January 25, 2010 Posted January 25, 2010 Maybe because so many people think computer speakers and heavily compressed poorly sampled music sounds good.. no one buys them.
JohnnyB Posted January 25, 2010 Posted January 25, 2010 A few years ago every decent Hifi set had one, and now you don't see them anymore. Just found a old Technics 8020 in perfect condition, and I am very happy with it to compensate the crappy equalising on my Ipod classic.Do you mean the way '80's receivers had a 5- or 7-band equalizer built in? It also was a common separate component for those who used "separates."In the high end, EQ components fell out of favor because 1) Adding extreme EQ changes the phase relationships (and therefore the musical focus) of the music, 2) Adds noise, 3) Combination of extra component and two more pairs of interconnects reduces dynamic range, resulting in a frequency-corrected, but dynamically compromised presentation.In mass market receivers, I doubt that that was the case. I suspect the reason equalizers started appearing in the first place was to compensate for the ever-shrinking wimpy power supplies that resulted in thinner bass. The EQ panel aded perceived pizzazz and made it easier to add low bass without turning the upper bass all woofy as well.I suspect they disappeared from mass market receivers with movement away from stereo to surround sound, and the proliferation of low cost powered subwoofers that came with it. Powered subwoofers do a better job of adding low bass while preserving the power overhead of the main amp for the main speakers. Boosting bass via EQ drains power reserves from the rest of the frequency spectrum.Also, when it comes to surround sound, a single 5-band EQ won't be much help. These days it's easier to add a software- or firmware-driven EQ that can shape each channel separately without taking up any front panel space. The AV receivers with a microphone and automated room correction are much more effective. Since most AV processing is done in the digital domain, the room compensation algorithms can be added there without affecting phase relationships, adding noise, or reducing dynamics and transparency.
belgian Posted January 25, 2010 Author Posted January 25, 2010 It's this unit I found : I have a vintage Luxman amp with Celestion Ditton 66 speakers and use my Ipod with Apple losless. I wasn't happy at all with the reproduction compared with my regular cd player.
gorch Posted January 26, 2010 Posted January 26, 2010 I sold my Tensai last year I think after many years of stocking it in the back. Since my good old DUAL receiver was gone after 20 years of going with me, I could not make use of it anymore. In replacement for the DUAL, I switched to Myryad, a selected British component maker, which don't need equalizing.The Tensai used to do a great job for many years. It was excellently setup and really wasn't noisy. It's face was almost identical to the Technics except for the lower display row. It had three switches instead.Today, people are more consuming and not into detail that much anymore. Additionally, the units became much smaller and compact so there would be no space left for extensive equalizing. I ever had the impression it wasn't a mass market anyways.For the iPod I would recommend to write an equalizer app and/or ask Steve Jobs to add better music hardware to the pods.
belgian Posted January 26, 2010 Author Posted January 26, 2010 Yes a high(er) end Ipod would be a good idea.
Armitage Posted January 26, 2010 Posted January 26, 2010 Just imagine how much a 7.1 Surround graphic EQ would cost.
gorch Posted January 27, 2010 Posted January 27, 2010 Just imagine how much a 7.1 Surround graphic EQ would cost. As a software app? That would do. It seems, I should buy me an Apple plus iPod and write the app. There are two buyers waiting to help to return on the investment.
Disturber Posted January 27, 2010 Posted January 27, 2010 I actually never tried an equalizer that improved the sound. And I think most people back in the day did not know how to set them right, (they still don't).Ever had a car stereo that had settings for "Dance", "Classic", "Large room", "Arena" etc. Boy, they make my ears bleed every time. How someone can find them uselful is so beyound me. You set the EQ in the mix, when it's done it's done - for sakes, don't mess with it.My pre-amp and amp does not even have treble and bass controls. It's a 80W class A power amp and it sounds very much like a tube amp. Just get a good amp, and don't worry. It should make even an ipod sound good. Does an ipod have digital out (sorry never used one, I use a SONY)? Then just get a good DAC, that should do it.
LostArt Posted January 27, 2010 Posted January 27, 2010 try the manley or some other higher end unit. bottom line is it probably won't make a hell of a lot of difference unless you are bi or tri amping your system. it will give you some expanded range control but your money is better spent these days on a d/a converter I own the lavry but the benchmark gets good reviews also
belgian Posted January 27, 2010 Author Posted January 27, 2010 Got the thing for 40 $, and it really improved the sound.A D/A converter is on the wishlist, but I am in the middle of a renovation of my house, and that went over budget. That's about what I had to spent for now....
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belgian
A few years ago every decent Hifi set had one, and now you don't see them anymore.
Just found a old Technics 8020 in perfect condition, and I am very happy with it to compensate the crappy equalising on my Ipod classic.
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