Why aren't equalisers used much any more?

[bleeding ears]

Hi guys, after contemplating room treatments, feedback destroyers, and using an equaliser in my system, I was thinking back to the days when equalisers were popular in home Hi Fi systems.

Equalisers were all the go around the 80's ? and they looked very cool with all those LED's flashing away, those attractive flashing LEDs were probably responsible for a lot of new stereo system purchases back then.

My question is- why are they no longer used in home hi fi systems ?

Are they unnecessary now for some reason ?

Why were they necessary back then ?

Anyone ?

[Kal Rubinson]

They were not ever necessary for the uses to which they were put. Or they still are. :-)

They were usually used to flavor the sound to the taste of the user and can still be so used but they were never really needed except for a few really needy recordings. They were not used to correct for room acoustics and they were rarely used to correct for equipment colorations. Now, there are even better tools for all of these issues (room treatments, parametric and other EQs).

I thought the flashing LEDs were trashy, not cool.

Kal

[Alaric]

Ahhh,the 80s.

I used my equalizer mostly to make cassette tapes for my car.The acoustics inside a 69 Charger weren't all that great. I combined it with a dbx 3bx range expander and a Nakamichi ZX9 cassette deck. Don't know that it did much good,I eventually pulled the radio out of the car 'cuz my GF kept turning it up and I wanted to hear the motor.

[bleeding ears]

Yeah, the LED's probably are a bit trashy looking compared to the build quality of more expensive equipment, but when your 15 years old those bright LEDs grab your attention and your money. LOL

I think equalisers would have been great for stereo sales back then due to their WOW factor alone not because they were necessarily any use.

As for eqaulisers not being able to help correct any issues with room accoustics etc, would one with feed back detection help ?

Also can anyone suggest some good info on what exactly a parametric EQ is ? or how it differs from a plain old equaliser ? so I can get a better understanding of what it does and how it works.

Pete

[Kal Rubinson]

Yeah, the LED's probably are a bit trashy looking compared to the build quality of more expensive equipment, but when your 15 years old those bright LEDs grab your attention and your money. LOL

I don't think I was ever 15. 8O

As for eqaulisers not being able to help correct any issues with room accoustics etc, would one with feed back detection help ?

That's not what I said. What I said, I think, is that THOSE EQs from 2 decades back were mostly graphic EQs and, therefore, lack the frequency and phase adjustability to be effective for room correction. Feedback detection is, imho, a feature used for live events but is not ideal for home use.

Also can anyone suggest some good info on what exactly a parametric EQ is ? or how it differs from a plain old equaliser ? so I can get a better understanding of what it does and how it works.

Google or Wikipedia.

Kal

[bleeding ears]

Thanks Kal, 15 was quite a while ago for me too, now 42, and can hardly remember it. :lol:

[bigburner]

I missed the 80's. What happened? Anyone?

[bleeding ears]

bigburner, sorry none of us can remember ! :rofl:

[Chris D]

Neon, big hair, Cold War, Space Shuttle Challenger, Top Gun, breakdancing. That pretty much sums it up.

[Alaric]

I missed the 80's. What happened? Anyone?

Not real clear on most of it , seems to have been a lot of parties...

[chinets]

Madonna, Duran Duran, A Flock of Seaguls, Tears for fers, Wang Chung, Aha,Frankie goes to holywood, Howard Jones,Falco, The bangles and much much more just to name a few that just came to my mind!! :roll:
What a shame and a pity, because they were Great years if you have missed them !! And that was the last good days of the OLD times, before Aids, Cancer and the decadance of our schools and morals and war of the 90's and 00 !!! ops:
I personally miss my Teen years of the 70's and the college life of the 80's ,so I was a Happy Camper ,and I find people were happier and had more respect and morals then !! Now?? is what happened?? :E
I'd like to skip this generation ,even though everything is going High Tech and easier and faster to use and saving time on the other hand, but Morals and behaviour of people all over the world is going LOW tech and No time to talk and share love.
Sorry, but thta was my take of the 80's: Good and fond memorries!! ;x(

Cheers guys.. I am sure you all remember ,but are all shy to admit: OK !!! Who was a BAD boy in those 80"s???? :rofl: 8)
Party till 1999 Prince!!

[Gene Simmons]

I thought the flashing LEDs were trashy, not cool.

Kal

Google or Wikipedia.

Kal

Some really valuable contributions to bleeding ears' thread. Thanks.


For me an equalizer was a must in the 80's and mid 90's because without one I just couldnt get great sounding stereo from my tape deck! Now with all the DSP and digital sources, they kinda went to the wayside.

[Kal Rubinson]

Some really valuable contributions to bleeding ears' thread. Thanks.

You are being highly selective of what you choose to quote. I did offer substantive comments, too, and no one else has stepped up to answer his request for definitions.

Kal

[bleeding ears]

Gene, dont go too hard on Kal, I'm sure it is not a simple or brief thing to explain the ins and outs of how these eq's work. I will have to do some work myself reading and researching this stuff, and I can see that I could not hope to learn instantly what perhaps takes years of experience working in the industry to learn and understand. This is probably why sound engineers etc with proper training exist.

I can also see why professionals are employed to get systems up and running properly, not just at concerts, cinemas and studios but also in a plain old 5.1 home theatre set ups.

I guess this is what makes the hi fi home theatre stuff so interesting to those outside of the industry that do it as a hobby, such as myself.

If it was simple and easy everyone would have a perfect sounding system and we would all be bored with this hobby and have to find some other interest.

Still, any references to websites etc that anyone knows would be helpful.

As for the 80's was it really better back then ?

In my opinion they did seem to make the best music back around that decade and I did have a lot of fun getting out listening to bands and getting up to mischief. :T

Thanks guys, Pete

[David G]

I don't believe in equalisers for the main speakers due to additional stages the signal must traverse.
However, on a subwoofer I think it's a great idea as it allows for compensation of room acoustics and may even do the lowpass filtering.

I'm using the Behringer FBQ1502 which I'm very happy with.

[Chris D]

I freely admit to having enjoyed my mid/late childhood in the 80's, and still like the music.

[chinets]

That's a BOY Chris!!! :T
Yup, The Music in the 80's was FAB !!!!! :T ;x( I MUST admit ,and still like the 80's music until today!!!!
Cheers!

[spyboy]

What do you think about the EQs in the Yamaha receivers and the Audyssey EQ system? I used to think that speaker/room EQ was something I would buy in my next receiver. I have not purchased anything with room/speaker EQ yet.

I was thinking about eventually buying a stand-alone Audyssey EQXT unit, to add to my Denon 5803A receiver. The Audyssey seems to be way too much to add right now.

What do you think?

[Kal Rubinson]

I don't believe in equalisers for the main speakers due to additional stages the signal must traverse.

I agree but (1) I do not think that full-range EQ is that useful because acoustical treatments and correct setup are more effective and (2) one can use the EQ built into the DSP that is handling most of your digital signals already without encumbering any more stages in the signal path.

That said, the modern stand-alone EQs, especially those that do not require additional A/D or D/A conversions, are quite transparent. Z-systems, TacT, Rives, etc..

Kal

[spyboy]

Hi Kal

I will be getting married on June 23, 2007. We would like to buy a house. I live in an apartment right now, and may not be in a position to add acoustical treatments right now. However, I have only done a limited amount of looking into acoustical treatments.

Even so, would you mind saying just a few words about acoustical treatments.

Thanks In Advance.

[Kal Rubinson]

Hi Kal

I will be getting married on June 23, 2007. We would like to buy a house. I live in an apartment right now, and may not be in a position to add acoustical treatments right now. However, I have only done a limited amount of looking into acoustical treatments.

Even so, would you mind saying just a few words about acoustical treatments.

Thanks In Advance.

??? Would you mind saying a few words about peace in the middle East? 8O

There are some great websites for this (www.rivesaudio.com, www.realtraps.com, etc.) and there's a dedicated forum and thread on www.AVSforum.com

Too big a topic for any useful off-the-cuff summary.

Kal

[spyboy]

??? Would you mind saying a few words about peace in the middle East? 8O

There are some great websites for this (www.rivesaudio.com, www.realtraps.com, etc.) and there's a dedicated forum and thread on www.AVSforum.com

Too big a topic for any useful off-the-cuff summary.

Kal

Thanks Kal

I will take a look at those websites. I would love to talk about the Middle East if it is permitted. Some Forums do not allow political discussion. If political discussion is not allowed, that is fine. I just don't want to get on anyones sh*tlist.

[chinets]

"Ahem", Spyboy !!! :E A SIMPLE Thankyou for the Websites to Kal would suffice!!!

On another note, Kal ,when you have some time, I really would like to talk to you about the Middle East?? :W

Have A Nice day guys !

[Kal Rubinson]

On another note, Kal ,when you have some time, I really would like to talk to you about the Middle East?? :W

Sure but don't hold your breath. :W

Kal

[pbarach]

Hi Kal

I will be getting married on June 23, 2007. [snip]0

Even so, would you mind saying just a few words about acoustical treatments.

Thanks In Advance.

My advance advice would be to include your spouse in planning to acoustical treatments to make sure that you have workable compromises between the priorities of acoustical improvements and the appearance of your home. If you don't, I would be happy to refer you to a marriage counselor for a June 24 appointment :W

[bleeding ears]

Great stuff guys, very funny.

Perhaps we should throw religion into the thread as well, I think that is about all we have missed so far. Then again, that is what the middle east is probably all about.

But seriously, as I said above, I can see the benefits of hiring a professional for accoustic advice and setup.

Whether it be EQs, Parametric EQs, Room treatments, or just about anything involving sound quality, to me as a beginner and probably most people, it ain't simple.

I am finding there is always something else cropping up that I was not aware of, or something new coming out.

This is what, for me , makes it interesting. Unfortunately it also makes it difficult and confusing to know whats best.

Perhaps this is why many brands now have units which include the capability to simply and quickly run tests and adjust themselves to suit the room accoustics, such as Denon/Marantz receivers (I am sure there are others too)

Maybe these type of units are the easiest solution for those with limited knowledge on accoustics, such as myself?


It would seem with these newer units that test and adjust themselves, you dont have to understand much at all, just follow the instruction book that comes with the unit. The designer has done all the work for you.

Too easy, problems solved.

Or are they ?

[pbarach]

It would seem with these newer units that test and adjust themselves, you dont have to understand much at all, just follow the instruction book that comes with the unit. The designer has done all the work for you.

Too easy, problems solved.

Or are they ?

Yes and no. I have a Denon 3805 receiver with AutoEQ. It did a good job in telling me whether or not my speakers were out of phase, in adjusting the speaker delays (i.e., compensating for distance from the listener), in adjusting channel levels, and in attempting to compensate for uneven frequency response of my speakers. However, it couldn't do anything for room acoustic problems such as early reflections from side walls, room modes that muddy the bass, less than optimum speaker placement/toe-in, etc. To solve those kinds of problems, either you need an acoustic consultant or you have to become one!

[chinets]

You are funny Kal !!! :T
Thanks! ;x(