Doug: Don't get too carried away with this auto-equalization idea. Perfect, flat equalization doesn't sound like what the human ear is expecting to hear.

John: The fact that a perfectly flat response sounds terrible means that recording studios aren't using speakers with flat responses.


I don't understand, Doug/John. Are you saying that without an equaliser a system sounds 'terrible'?

I have a pretty good sounding home system I think, that plays beautifully without any equaliser in the chain. All components are optimally tuned to deliver as closely as possible what was recorded: CD head delivers 10-20kHz between 0 and -0.2dB!; the amplifier section is also totally flat (within 0.1 dB!) between 20Hz and 20kHz; and the response of the speakers is as 'flat' as you can get them (with a bit of roll-off on the bass side - my wife doesn't like big speakers). No adjusting anywhere. Just lots of power (300W per channel) to accurately drive the speakers (limited to protect the speakers )

This system never sounds loud, even at pretty high volume levels. Everything remains easy, transparent; light; lots of 'air', if you know what I mean. Playing exactly as the recording engineers intended.

IMHO, there are two types of equalisers one could use: simple ones, like the one built into Emma to make gross corrections to the tonal balance to compensate for poor components / bad listening environment. With these, output can be polished up to make it sound impressive but the resulting sound will be very different from the sound that was intended. I agree, in the car Emma needs adjustments and I too have found a few Eq settings that make Emma shine. But the result is very different from the way the same album sounds at home. I have never measured the output of 'my' equaliser settings but I doubt that it will be flat: I guess that bass and treble are boosted more than speaker fall-off. Also, it is remarkable that with these adjusted frequencies, Emma can sound really loud.

The other type are the complex ones that adjust at many frequency points. Especially the new computer controlled ones are said to be very effective in optimizing listening environments by making (small) volume adustments at hundreds of different frequencies, compensating for speaker deficiencies and imperfect accoustics; basically making the output of the combined components as flat as possible at the intended listening position. I've never listened to one, so I can't judge. In a review of the German magazine Stereo they used one to analyse an already optimised room. It made many (small) adjustments and the resulting frequency curve was indeed more flat than before, but music played as beautifully as before. Proving that a good ear (and patience and an understanding partner) can be equally effective.

For me, equalisers are a last resort; I try to avoid them whenever possible. In a car, however, I find them unavoidable and I'm glad with Emma's embedded Equaliser controls. Above anything else though, I prefer unadjusted playback in a good playback / listening environment that allows the skills of the recording engineers to shine.

Henno
# 00120 (6GB+18)