my eq campaign

uglijimus, thank you *so* much for this resource - particularly the link provided to the audiocheck site. While I've previously done my EQing by ear, I really appreciate being able to find something that I can use to semi-quantitavely match with my ears and speakers.

I think you're right in that EQing can really help people enjoy their music. However, I think a lot of the audiophile objection to EQing comes not from the fact that it isn't what the musician intended.

I mean, after all - let's face it: there's no way to hear what the musician intended without having the exact same studio monitors, setup, positioning, ears and brain chemistry of the recording artist. While he/she's mastering the track, the studio is going to have no idea what the strength and weaknesses of your equipment are. And that's assuming the mastering artist is even competent, and isn't compressing the dynamic range within an inch of its life because, hey, who's going to notice on their Apple earbuds?

I suppose in an ideal world everyone would have reference grade equipment and their own personal sound engineer to master tracks to their personal taste. For the real world, with consumer audio, the EQ is the closest you'll get.

I think the main objection comes from the fact that an EQ circuit, if implemented badly and coupled with bad hardware, has all kinds of other negative effects on the sound. I find this particularly on portable audio players. For instance on a lot of iPods I've tried, the bass boost EQ overwhelms the amp and causes distortion and clipping in bass. I've found that engaging the EQ on my own little Sony can help overcome weaknesses in headphones, but still the EQ circuit has a subtle negative effect of recessing mids a little and diminishing dynamic range a little.

So often I've had to compromise in one way or the other. But you are absolutely right- when used wisely, EQing is terrifically helpful. So thanks for campaigning for it!

I'm a big EQ fan as well.

The whole how the musician intended it to sound is complete hogwash. The musicians, or really the producers don't know what equipment I'm playing the music on, don't know what my hearing is and is not sensitive to and don't know my exact tastes as far as sound goes.

And in this day and age of overly compressed new music and remasters of classics that are horribly clipped I do not want to hear it as they intended, I don't like clipping and no dynamic range. I will go so far as to reduce the clipping and amplitude of overly compressed audio from remasters and newer music by manually adjusting the waveform myself.

In the end I'M the one listening to the music I should b able to adjust the sound characteristics of the music however I want it to sound at that time.

Musicians wouldn't even care about sound quality, I guess... They are into the whole different experience in the music itself. I think one person stated once that he is a musician yet it does not make his analysis any more accurate than others- he said, musicians never bother about achieving the accurate reproduction because for them music is beyond that, a live music performance experience only happens when they perform and there is no way that can be replicated.

I am and have always been a fan of the EQ. The only source I have never EQ'd is my ipod and that's only because it took an already bad sounding player and made it worse. It still mind boggling that the company that put digital music on the map still can't and doesn't care about the SQ of their players. Sigh.....oh well, at least there are other companies out there that do care.

Completely agree with this also. And if you like rock music, well they have been producing rock music over 88db for quite some time. So the music is already overmodulated before it ever hits your ears.

EQ for me just enhances all the things I'm already hearing. It gives me a bump in the mids, slightly higher treble and a bit of a bump in the bass....depending on the artist. Never have to increase the bass while listening to whitesnake!

oh, and I'm fond of EQ.

I think you're right in that EQing can really help people enjoy their music. However, I think a lot of the audiophile objection to EQing comes not from the fact that it isn't what the musician intended.

I mean, after all - let's face it: there's no way to hear what the musician intended without having the exact same studio monitors, setup, positioning, ears and brain chemistry of the recording artist. While he/she's mastering the track, the studio is going to have no idea what the strength and weaknesses of your equipment are. And that's assuming the mastering artist is even competent, and isn't compressing the dynamic range within an inch of its life because, hey, who's going to notice on their Apple earbuds?

I suppose in an ideal world everyone would have reference grade equipment and their own personal sound engineer to master tracks to their personal taste. For the real world, with consumer audio, the EQ is the closest you'll get.

I think the main objection comes from the fact that an EQ circuit, if implemented badly and coupled with bad hardware, has all kinds of other negative effects on the sound. I find this particularly on portable audio players. For instance on a lot of iPods I've tried, the bass boost EQ overwhelms the amp and causes distortion and clipping in bass. I've found that engaging the EQ on my own little Sony can help overcome weaknesses in headphones, but still the EQ circuit has a subtle negative effect of recessing mids a little and diminishing dynamic range a little.

I have discussed the EQ matter with Hisoundaudio who is one DAP developer don't provide EQ with their players.

Hisounddaudio's opinions are roughly as the following, I don't know if we agree with it:

1, EQ is a good feature to most players. but the general users are hard to set the correct EQING except the experienced audiophiles.

So to design a perfect DAP with strong spectrums controlling strength is the best way to get the decent music enjoyment for massive users.

2, If really need EQ to improve the music taste, it should have much more EQ bands, more than 100 bands is better.

3, Balance and natueral music signatuer is the preority.

4,Accurate reproduction the studio recorderings is their ulitmate target, so they have a model named STUDIO, which is persue to duplicate the music played in the recording studio.

Let's see if the up coming STUDIO can "understand" the intention of the recording engineers.

I hate that type of attitude though, at least give us the options, don't just throw the whole idea out the window because some think the end user can't configure an EQ correctly. If that is the case the users can always turn the EQ off.

Better to give us the options fiddle with it and turn it off if we desire then just yank it out all together.

Yeah 100 bands would be great and mostly over kill but something is certainly better than nothing.

Accurate reproduction of the studio recording mean nothing nowadays with remastering jacking up the levels so high and over processing of just about everything. I'd rather listen to the music how I want it to sound then any other way.

Metallica wanted their latest album to sound like crap and clip people speakers, Lars even defended there over volume. In cases like that i do not care what they intended I would not want to listen to Death Magentic with all that clipping all over the place.

Haha there is a quote button

And I agree with Swanlee, its not a great reason to provide an EQ. The player may be perfect but not everyone has perfect headphones/speakers.

I adore the EQ. Punk the treble and front he BASS

Or dowhatchalike. W Curves, V Curves, S Curves, U Curves. Flat Lines. Its all a matter of Rendition, Detail, Mood, and yes. LENS you choose with which to see your music with.

Nice thread.

FLAC - it goes further. Depending on your source and output module, your EQ needs will be different again. Manufacturers who say it is most pure without EQ are missing the point: in order for that to be true, they had better have an output which can hit 20-20000 with NO roll off or spikes in any circumstance, otherwise, the output is already tainted.

Then earphones will have their own sound even if the output can sustain their 0 decibel deviances. EQ is necessary and is stupid to shun as anti-audiophile.

WOW thanks for that...

shigzeo,

I'm a longtime fan of yours... true. Much respect an thanks for all your input in this community. Its nice to see this bit of knowledge and thanks for sharing!