Equalizer update - Page 3

I've used the Meier crossfeed on my Corda HA-1 daily for over a year now. I don't perceive the image outside of my head, but I do find it pleasing. It may well be we just hear differently or we're arguing over semantics, no biggie. I like it a lot better than the Headroom crossfeed (which I've spent time with at head-fi meets) because the it sounds to me like the headroom crossfeed messes with the frequency respone too much for my taste, and I can't get past that.

I messed with the DEQ2496 image compression again. It does give you the "shuffle" thing which does something or other to the bass. The manual says it intensifies the image of the bass frequencies (meant for use with speakers of course). Ironically, it seems to attennuate the bass a bit as it intensifies the image, thus the slider to adjust the bass up or down by one to three decibels, I suppose. It's a little over my head as to how or why all this is done. But it's fun to try it out. It's adjustable by .10 increments from 0 to 3. Let me know if you ever try it. BTW, IIRC, with the DEQ2496 you can also rotate the image plus or minus 45 degrees and shift the image to the left or right 180 degrees with two separate sliders (it's two separate effects), silly with headphones but fun for kicks anyway.

I have one of the three DEQ2496 outputs going to my JVC minisystem, maybe I'll mess with the speaker effects with the JVC speakers and see what happens. The other two outputs go to my minidisc deck and my Corda HA-1.

Q-sound sounds interesting, I'll keep my eyes open.

The DEQ2496 has image "expansion" ranging from 1 to 3 in .10 increments, it'd be interesting, maybe I'll have to take it downstairs and try it all on a nice stereo setup. From the manual I think it's supposed to sound like it's coming from beyond the speakers, I doubt it's as striking as Q-sound though.

actually, this should be the opposite of your "crossfeed" feature. it will pan sounds farther out to the sides, essentially making your loudspeakers sound more like headphones (which you noted exaggerates the stereo distance.) it does not place any sound outside the normal stereo field. Q-Sound however is a processor that is created to place sounds outside the stereo field, which would not be possible with conventional setups. this is done by some DSP which also does some crossfeed-delay-like type processing. and it works REALLY well. unfortunately, i think the company went out of business or something, cause i haven't seen the feature in the past couple years.

Well I got curious so I did the mandatory google search. Looks like they are still around and have gotten heavily into computer stuff and have branched out a little. I fished around on their website, is this what you were talking about? Maybe they used to make more involved home stereo components?

Q-Sound UltraQ, only 30 bucks

They appear to have much more involved and complex software and computer equipment, BTW.

That's the only non-PC audio equipment I could find on their web site.

Hmmm.... just to create a facade of keeping this on topic.... I'm waiting anxiously for gerG's HD600 DEQ2496 settings. Sincerely, I am.

I spent another two or three hours on the DEQ2496 last night. I've got my revised headphone rig all set up now. It goes from a Sony DVD player (for CDs) and a Sony minidisc deck and XM radio and my JVC minisystem (for AM/FM radio) and an input for portables to the DEQ2496 (I use the DEQ2496 optical input for the Sony DVD player, and I have a 5-way switchbox for the analog inputs)) with the main analog output of the DEQ2496 going to my Corda HA-1. The DEQ2496 optical output goes to my minidisc deck so I can record anything on the system, and the DEQ2496 auxillary analog output goes to the JVC minisystem so I can take off the headphones now and then. Sweet.

Thanks, I'm gonna try it!

Reading this thread, this equalizer has caught my interest. I wonder how its DAC+analog output performance is. Let's say imagine you use completely flat equalization bypassing any processing, connect the 963's digital out to it, and then feed your headphone amp with the analog outs of the equalizer, does it sound as good as the 963's DACs? How about comparing with some other high end DACs, maybe the Grace or BelCanto?

you know greg, since you are so fond of EQ's, maybe you should try investing in a mid-end pro or mastering grade EQ. here are some:

here's one that's really overkill for us (it's mastering grade--$6000.... very interesting too as its function are completely passive, yet it has tubes inside... dunno how that works):

here's another high-end mastering EQ:

but both of those are probably way over us. here's a much more down-to-earth but still good EQ (this one i believe is $2000-3000)... they have a mastering grade version too which is more expensive:

or you can even turn your computer into a processor with plugins:

so many good choices!!!

Thanks gerG, to say the least it sounds like a component with great value and many hours of play time guaranteed. All these RTA functionalities can take the hobby to a different level for me I think. As far as measurement and analysis, right now I'm only at the Radio Shack SPL meter + Sterophile test CD's level I've thought about getting some good audio analyisis software and just use a normal computer/laptop, but now my next main goal is a good source, so have postponed that. Now this device is yet another temptation.

What kind of mic do you guys recommend? And I wouldn't need a preamp would I?

Okay, for the XM radio, I set up two curves, one at 6471 hz, 1/10 octave, minus 6 decibels; and one 8531 hz, 1/10 octave, minus 12 decibels. It did indeed get rid of a swishing type sound in the low treble on my XM radio... is that what it's supposed to do? Things sounded a lot cleaner. But I noticed a reduction in the perceived brightness.

So...

I changed the 8531 hz band to -15 decibels, and the 6471 hz band to - 9 decibels, and set up a one-octave band centered at 7096 hertz at +3 decibels. The curves interacting pulled up the 6471 hz and 8531 hz band to -6 and -12 db, respectively, and created a little treble increase centered at 7.25 khz, so that the perceived brightness when I a/b it is about the same, but the sound is cleaner now.

Does that make sense? I'm just learning....Lemme know if I'm violating some profound principle of EQ.

BTW, I was REALLY surprised to see on the DEQ2496 RTA that the XM radio music has content from 20 hz out to 20 khz.

actually, they're all analog. the Manley one is very special... it's actually a purely passive signal path, though it uses tubes. and i have yet to understand how that works.

well, i guess theoretically once the signal gets into the digital realm, the mathematical part of the EQ should be perfect. so, i guess if the ADC/DAC is perfect, then perhaps the digital EQ you have might outperform a $6000-10000 mastering EQ. but i would like to think there's a reason why we need $10000 EQ's....

It just occurred to me...how would I hook this up for a 2.1 system?

Would I run the preout from my pre to the eq, and then use one output from the eq to the speakers and the auxiliary out to the sub? Is there a better way?