Would the Behringer FGQ3102 or 1502 EQs be okay for home audio?

[tennisets]

I'm looking to get an equalizer for my stereo system becasue I know the acoustics in my room are terrible and the frequency response is obviously not anywhere close to flat.

I can't afford the DEQ2496, but on B&H Photo and Video I saw Behringer makes the FBQ line. They appear to be the same except the a 15 band EQ adjusting every 2/3 octave from 20Hz to 16khz and the 3102 has a 31 band EQ adjusting every 1/3 octave from 20Hz to 10kHz. The 1502 costs $100 and the 3102 costs $150.

Is a 15 band EQ enough, or would 31 bands be necessary to make it worthwhile? Are either of these EQs worth it or would I just be wasting my money? And don't tell me to save up for the 2496 because a) that would take forever and b) I don't want to spend that much on an EQ before I upgrade other components in my system. So, any insights?

 

[clarke68]

Well, I don't own an equalizer or know a whole lot about them, but if I were in the market I'd probably think about the DEQ1024...which retails (in the US) for around $180. Not quite as fancy as the 2496, but it has digital in and out, which (to me) is one of its most compelling features.

However, if your listening room has noticable nodes and anti-nodes (spots in the room where, for example, certain bass frequencies get really loud or soft) an eq is a band-aid solution at best. I assume you're talking about a normal room in your house, so you probably don't have limitless flexibility to move/remove furniture and place speakers anywhere you want, but you should try all the free 'room treatments' you can before diving into an eq.

If you haven't tried this already, doing a search on google for "setting up a home listening room" I found this article, and there's probably a few others like it.

Have fun!

 

[tennisets]

I'm working on doing all that I can to treat my room right now (at minimal cost). The problem is that the room is my bedroom, since I'm still in high school.

I've removed every piece of furniture from the room that is feasible. But that still leaves my desk and dresser. My mattress is on the floor. The speakers are away from the walls on stands on the long wall at one end of the room. I left the bookcase in ther room and put it on the wall behind my listening seat as a diffuser. I'm working on getting some of that egg crate material to use that Greg Weaver talks about in his article here. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that might not be enough.

Maybe I'll wait until I finish with my room to get an equalizer. But next year I'll have a roommate in college and I will have a far less ideal setup and far less flexibility than I have now. It seems to me an equalizer may even be necessary then.

 

[clarke68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tennisets Maybe I'll wait until I finish with my room to get an equalizer. But next year I'll have a roommate in college and I will have a far less ideal setup and far less flexibility than I have now. It seems to me an equalizer may even be necessary then.

You're definitely on the right track...try all the free stuff first before buying anything new. You're also seeing one of the great benefits of Head-Fi...no room effects!

 

[ooheadsoo]

EQ is always a bandaid because the reverb and time/phase interaction with the reflections is what causes the room modes and nodes. EQ will solve the amplitude domain issue (maybe) but will not treat any of the time domain issues. That said, technically, it seems best to go for one of the digital eqs for expandability of your source down the line.