prodo123
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2012
- Posts
- 25
- Likes
- 23
Hi,
I know Head-Fi is generally against EQs, and due to the lack of a specific forum for equalizers or anything of the like this thread may be in the wrong forum, but hear me out.
I'm trying to get a flat response studio setup on a budget. Since the better monitors cost too much for my budget, I was wondering if I could use an equalizer to achieve it.
The current monitors are a pair of vintage passive Pioneers which I have salvaged and refinished to tip-top condition. It's a generic tweeter/woofer with a passive crossover, as expected of a passive monitor.
Upon (subjectively) analyzing the frequency response, I've noticed that each driver's peak frequencies have gigantic humps on them and the transition to the tweeter results in a volume drop around 10kHz. To find the exact equalizer setting required, I used a logarithmic sine sweep from 1 to 20kHz in Audacity and played around with the virtual equalizer there to see which settings get me the flat response I'm looking for. I've equalized subtractively as to avoid any clipping issues that may arise.
I've since moved onto a virtual 10-band systemwide graphic equalizer for Mac called Boom. I've noticed that such an equalizer is too generic for my needs; it can't make the fine adjustments that I need between, for example, 8kHz and 16kHz, since the tweeter hump is at around 14kHz. I'm looking into virtual parametric equalizer solutions at the moment.
I'm mainly concerned about the resultant sound quality, however. Will a virtual, digital or analog EQ affect the sound quality of the monitors? Is it even a good idea to use equalizers to achieve a flat response? If I'm to use a physical EQ with a DAC/amp, where in the chain should I place it, or should I go with a virtual graphic analyzer instead? Would it be more economical to get a DAC/amp with a virtual equalizer or a physical equalizer with the computer's built-in line out?
If I'm to go with a DAC and amp combo, I'd opt for an Apogee Duet 2 and an O2 amp; this combo seems feasible as a portable studio setup.
Thanks in advance!
I know Head-Fi is generally against EQs, and due to the lack of a specific forum for equalizers or anything of the like this thread may be in the wrong forum, but hear me out.
I'm trying to get a flat response studio setup on a budget. Since the better monitors cost too much for my budget, I was wondering if I could use an equalizer to achieve it.
The current monitors are a pair of vintage passive Pioneers which I have salvaged and refinished to tip-top condition. It's a generic tweeter/woofer with a passive crossover, as expected of a passive monitor.
Upon (subjectively) analyzing the frequency response, I've noticed that each driver's peak frequencies have gigantic humps on them and the transition to the tweeter results in a volume drop around 10kHz. To find the exact equalizer setting required, I used a logarithmic sine sweep from 1 to 20kHz in Audacity and played around with the virtual equalizer there to see which settings get me the flat response I'm looking for. I've equalized subtractively as to avoid any clipping issues that may arise.
I've since moved onto a virtual 10-band systemwide graphic equalizer for Mac called Boom. I've noticed that such an equalizer is too generic for my needs; it can't make the fine adjustments that I need between, for example, 8kHz and 16kHz, since the tweeter hump is at around 14kHz. I'm looking into virtual parametric equalizer solutions at the moment.
I'm mainly concerned about the resultant sound quality, however. Will a virtual, digital or analog EQ affect the sound quality of the monitors? Is it even a good idea to use equalizers to achieve a flat response? If I'm to use a physical EQ with a DAC/amp, where in the chain should I place it, or should I go with a virtual graphic analyzer instead? Would it be more economical to get a DAC/amp with a virtual equalizer or a physical equalizer with the computer's built-in line out?
If I'm to go with a DAC and amp combo, I'd opt for an Apogee Duet 2 and an O2 amp; this combo seems feasible as a portable studio setup.
Thanks in advance!