Everyone here listens to their music flat, right? (No eq, sub, etc.)

Tone controls at zero...

I used to not. I used to jack up the treble all the way, and the bass a little...

These days, I only use EQ when needed otherwise it's flat all the way baby. I started this actually a few years before joining here.

To quote someone from this board (prix/audio? I think...), I used to be a "treble-whore."

Now for me, it's all about that "midrange-magic"!

So...'fess up, y'all...what do you do?

 

Of course not. CDs are all over the map sonically. Gotta compensate!

 

My main system has no tone controls whatsoever. Couldn't do anything even if I wanted to

My second system has a receiver with tone controls, but I keep them on bypass. I just can never get it 'right' when I'm fooling with it's bass, mid, treble controls

 

Yeah, I have no tone controls on my preamp either. Don't want 'em, don't need 'em, wouldn't buy a preamp what had 'em.

 

I always listen to music with all my settings on Pure Analog direct (which bypasses all digital processing, tone controls, etc in my reciever).

 

I will play with some tone controls when the recording needs it. I mean, how many 'perfect' masterings are out there?

Having said that, I've found that with my current preamp I use the tone controls far less than I used to. Maybe on one out of 20 or 30 recordings ... the rest of the time it's on bypass.

Dale

 

I have a system that is set for flat response, including its sub, and I set it up that way and confirmed its performance with a glide tone and various white and pink noise tones. It takes a bit of experience but once you know what it should sound like they are very helpful. I will kick up the sub on a recording that was mastered with the low bass cut way down, and cut the treble when it was mastered too hot. Mostly I just run it flat.

Richard.

 

WHOA!! I need EQ! Depending on the room you're in, car you're in, etc., it will always sound different. Like a previous member said, CDs are all over the map, and so is vinyl. I have to compensate, or my listening experience is just not happy. I mostly cut mids, and some lows and some highs. I only listen to things flat when I am mixing and/or mastering stuff. If I listened to things flat in my car, it would be midrange city! Flat sounds flat. I need life!

Frank R

 

Ditto.

 

Flat all the time, I just enjoy music more that way.

 

I do most of my serious listening on a decent portable CD player and AKG headphones set up nest to my bed. No EQ to deal with

The only time I really use any EQ is on my 80's boombox I have in my bathroom! I connect the portable CD player through the AUX input so I can listen to my new CDs while I shower.... even then I only use the EQ to make the music more listenable in a tiled bathroom.

 

Mine are slightly to the + side off center. I used to have the bass and treble boosted all the way (and a nice "smiley face" eq setting when I had an eq), but as my speakers got better, the tone knobs moved closer to the middle.

But I also don't constantly change my tones to suit the music. I set things to my "base standard" and let the variances between styles and releases come to me as they may. If one has boosted high end, or low end, over anything else I've got, I'll notice it and just say to myself "well, that's how they recorded and/or mixed it". It also reveals whatever eq changes there might be between various masterings as well.

 

No eq, but my sub is always on.

 

ditto!

 

I own two great CD comps of 80s garage rock that both have an intermittent screeching rasp on several tracks. It's like nothing I've ever heard --- the sound of nails on a chalkboard doesn't bother me at all, but this noise has me tearing my headphones off in panic and pain. If I didn't have a treble control, these CDs would be completely unlistenable, and the great songs on them would be lost to me....

 

Flat with the sub on all the time. The only thing that changes is the volume on the sub and on the rest of the speakers. It doesn't appear like I need an equilizer most of the time. It would be handy on a few of the discs though.

 

Ditto.

 

Hi,

No subwoofer here, tone controls flat unless necessary. I will be getting an EQ soon. I feel like some recordings need it. I also am looking at a dynamic range expander too for heavily maximised CD recordings to help make them more livable. What EQ units do you folks like. I'm interested in some perspectives.

 

Ditto...almost. At home, never. In the car, always.

 

The answer depends on what system I'm using.


1.) Main vinyl rig - set to flat

2.) SACD and DVD-A - set to flat (dont have a choice anyway)

3.) Dolby Digital on Home Theater system - definetly not flat

4.) CD - depends on which of the 5 systems I'm listening on


Mostly it depends on the amplifier and the speakers and
the source format. I don't change it much (rarely if at
all) for different software....

When I was younger, I leaned more on the treble and
bass knobs. As I got older and my hardware got better,
I used an Equalizer for just a tiny tiny bit of top and bottom
end. When I graduated to sacd, dvd-a, and tube amplified
vinyl, I realized I didnt NEED EQ and or treble and bass
knobs.

I'm definetly not SCARED to touch it. And when I was younger,
I don't think I was WRONG to touch it. It's not like I've radically
altered my listening tastes. If my hardware is less sophisticated,
and it needs some help, so be it... I still crank the treble
in the car (where I have absolutely horrible hardware and
a terrible listening environment).

I don't think I've ever attempted to compensate for
a room... not even sure I would know how...

 

No tone controls.

 

I also have no tone controls in my main system, but do have stereo subs. In this system I have no use for tone controls. I want to hear what's on the record, good or bad. I do have tone controls in the car and usually boost the high end and cut the bass a tad. If I leave the car stereo flat it sounds terrible with way too much bass. Of course, that is what they recommend.

I also have various systems throughout the house and most of them do have shelving eq. I generally use a bit of eq on some of them in an attempt to make the systems sound like my main system, but rarely change it on a record to record basis.

What is interesting is that some folks come over here to listen to my main system and may say it sounds dull. I put on another recording and then it sounds bright. Some records sound like tubes and some don't. Of course all records do sound different and this is what I want/need to hear.

 

I run my main sound systems flat, except when I'm listening in 5.1 surround, then my sub, rears and center channels kick on.

In the car, Bass is almost always at +2 and Treble at +4 It's a factory JBL sound system in my car and sounds horrible played flat, even with DCC or MFSL CD's playing!

Back in the "old" days of "Best Buy" sound systems, I used to always crank the bass and treble, but when you step up to better equipment and speakers, one needs not fool with the knobs, unless it's a lousy new CD pressing (Read that as...about 85% of EVERYTHING released these days!) and I've found that the ONLY knob that makes them sound better, is the volume turned down.

Chris C