well its morning here as well, and already ready for a debate about eq is not fun in the morning
I really shouldn't jump in here, because this got blown up from something totally innocent. I guess if Warrior hadn't used the word "improve" but something like "tailor" the sound, there wouldn't have been an issue. And if Rezei hadn't started his response with a definitive "No," it could just have been overlooked. But here we are in the early morning starting up an age old debate, and I can't help myself. Of course both sides have a point, EQ can't generate the improvements in resolution or dynamics that go with objective measurements of sound quality. It can however alter the sound to suit the tastes of the listener. So at the dawning of a new day we're back at the stalemate....
The thing is, No. Warrior is right. EQ improves the sound. I know what you're getting at Rezei there is a natural sound produced by the source+amp+transducer and EQ can only "shape" that. Right, but that "shaping" has two parts. 1) It tunes the sound to individual preferences, sure. E.g., the basshead can boost the low end to his heart's delight before distortion. But, 2) A poor spectral rendering can be corrected and enhanced. E.g., one of my favorite phones is the HD800 that has an infamous 6K peak, so I use EQ to cut it at 6K to bring it closer to neutral. Even more, it also has a naturally weak bass response, so I boost the lows. Some other phones have rolled off highs and so I get out the EQ again and insert a high shelf filter. Another word for this "shaping" is called "improving."
The way I know this is because in the studio before the tracks ever found their way to my DAC, it was never natural, it was "shaped" (i.e., EQ'd) probably a lot. The musician might have EQ'd it, the recording engineer EQ'd it, the mastering engineer most likely EQ'd it again. Certain instruments, amps, microphones, etc. were all chosen for their natural tonal qualities, but these guys tend to take a crack or two or hundred at "improving" the sound. In the studio, the people producing the sound might say to the engineer,"there's not enough low end can we do something to make it, you know, better?" I happen to say the same thing when I'm re-producing the sound. To say that this only makes it sound "right" to the musician, engineer, producer, or end-listener is not really relevant. Music is not made or heard by robots.
Well, apologies all over the place for inserting myself and the, ahem, tone. It is, as was mentioned, early in the morning.
What I meant was that with these settings the volume would go down when you engage the EQ and back up when you disengage and this is normal.
