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Anybody using an Outboard EQ?


LoLo

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I've recently been toying with the notion of adding an external Equalizer to my reciever to imporve tone control. Wondering if anybody out there can share their advice/experiences dealing with these. I've noticed that SVS offers two EQs on their site, are those strictly to tune the sub only, or does it control the whole system?

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Hello LoLo welcome to the forum, check out the Equalizers thread up in the Technical Questions or Troubleshooting areas I am not sure which one it was in to get some pros and cons from forum members. I use one to make subtle adjustments in my HT system and find it quite useful. It also adds no noise to the system which would obviously be apparent due to the efficiency of my speakers. Just don't get a real cheap one though. There is a gorgeous ADC SS-525X that just popped up on eBay which is a phenomenal Eq, check it out.

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Hey LoLo, welcome to the forum. I use an AudioControl 2x10 band eq with my Yamaha receiver. It is connected using the pre-out/in rca terminals provided with this receiver. Many receivers do not have this provision, so you end up using a tape monitor loop, which may severly restrict the source material you can use the eq with. On my setup, my two Klipsch Cornwalls are eq'd regardless of the source material OR THE SURROUND MODE used on my receiver. With rock and roll, straight stereo, eq works, with 5 channel Home theatre, Corns are still being eq'd and OTHER CHANNELS ARE NOT. This is critical to your setup. If you are using seperate pre and power amps the eq just goes between the two.

For most home users, a10 band eq works best, it gives you gentle eq slopes at one band per octave of sound, so yes you can control the entire frequency spectrum. Used in conjunction with a good test cd and a calibration device such as the Radio Shack dB meter and you can obtain flat frequency response (as a starting point) from your system. Regardless of the test curve of your Klipsch speakers in an anechoic chamber, the REAL OUTPUT will change based on the size of your listening room, damping materials such as drapes, heavy carpet, upholstered furniture, mass of you dog, etc. These conditions all change the real world response of your speakers. My advice, use the above tools to eq to a 'flat' response at your prime listening position (mount dB meter on mic stand so it always measures from same location), Mark the position of all the eq sliders for future reference, then re-tweak your 'personal' preferences in if you wish.

31-band 'third-octave' equalizers are IMHO too much trouble for home users and you're more likely to screw up the sound with their narrow bands and steep curves.

Good luck- email or msg me for more info on eq-ing. I'm an ex sound and lighting engineer for bands and theatre.

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