why audiophiles hate equalizers ?

[lduarte1973]

why audiophiles hate equalizers when all the systems i tryed sound better with equalization ?

[UV101]

Multiple low quality gain stages introducing noise and phase shift.

They may well work for low budget systems reinforcing certain frequencies, but you'll never get the openness of a well set up transparent system.

[rikvancoolwijk]

A crap system will sound better when eq'ed, a good system is designed to sound good as is.
You can change the fr with a dsp than you can exacly compensate the fr, with an eq you can only get the fr about right.

[jcx]

of course pretty much everything from earlier decades than ~1990 was mixed with analog EQ in the studio

[lowpoke]

Originally Posted by jcx

of course pretty much everything from earlier decades than ~1990 was mixed with analog EQ in the studio

Yeah, my old reference recordings with all those low quality gain stages introducing noise and phase shift drive me freakin' crazy.

[askii2]

While noise, uneven frequency response and phase alteration is bad, there are good active equalizers with even frequency response and zero phase shift. Good speakers should require equalization only under 300Hz to correct room induced bumps. Should be good IMHO.

[Conrad Hoffman]

IMO, most of the things that are usually wrong can't be corrected with equalizers- speaker placement, room reverberation time, liveness or deadness of the room, standing waves and the temperature of your beer. Because it can't fix these things you spend all your time messing with it, leading to a low WAF on top of everything else.

[jacco vermeulen]

Oh Dear, not on the audiophile count, what an agony.

[DF96]

When you buy a painting you accept what the artist has done. Only in this modern individualistic age would someone want to add a bit more blue to Turner. Its the same with music. The performers and their producers have produced something, which may include EQ. If you like it, buy it. If you don't, leave it. If you bought a fancy meal in a restaurant would you insist on covering it with tomato ketchup? Maybe you would.

A little EQ might make up for room and speaker problems, but most people with equalisers belong to the 'boom and tizz' brigade who like impressive sounds rather than accurate sounds.

[doug20]

You truely do not understand soundwaves/room effects and audio science if you really believe what you posted. Post your ACCURATE in room response to back up that back handed opinion and we will compare who has the more accurate room!!

Art/food HAS NOTHING to do with audio accuracy! since neither of those are effected by the the room they are presented in

Lets see....

1. The recording is engineered in a well controlled room with EQing. With the idea that its an accurately created recording.

2. Some audiophiles believe their non-treated crap rooms will play back that recording accurately without room correction Remember audio is only as good as the room design/placement provides.

3. All ears are different, everyone can have a different requirement, Equal loudness curve isnt set in stone therefore everyone should have 100% control of their own curves. Without it systems are inferior!!!

Yeah, sometimes its better not to know the truth about audio accuracy Lucky the few who still think EQing is a bad thing do not represent the audio world whatsoever and the rest of us never have to share space in the real world with someone like that, since it would never end well

Those without room control have no accuracy, just foolish subjective imaginations corrupted by years of misinformation. Analog lovers need not apply to understanding why digital/EQing is actually important. Through attrition their misguided opinion will disappear (making me a happy guy in 30 years when I do not have to read such BS anymore).