Graphic Equalizer

[Johnny25]

I love to tweak my roomates equalizer, but I want one of my own.I was just hoping that someone could suggest an affordable, but quality graphic equalizer. While we are on the subject I would like to know if there are any methods to making your music sound as good as it can with an equalizer.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally posted by Johnny25
I love to tweak my roomates equalizer, but I want one of my own.I was just hoping that someone could suggest an affordable, but quality graphic equalizer. While we are on the subject I would like to know if there are any methods to making your music sound as good as it can with an equalizer.

'Good as it can' is a completely relative term, but the 'correct' method of using a graphic equaliser is to play pink noise through your system, use a precision microphone feeding an audio spectrum analyser, and adjust the eq to give a flat response for your system and room.

This way you should hear it as it was meant to be!.

[Eva]

Since different music recordings are equalized in so different ways, and the frequency response of a room can change dramatically by changing the listening position by just a feet, pink noise equalisation is not quite useful for personal listening.

The main purpose of an equaliser is to balance energy content in a pleasant way, particularly by taming excess energy in certain frequency ranges. Also, since the way in which we hear is so much volume dependent, an equaliser is very useful when it comes to listen to music at volumes different to those at which it was recordered or mastered. Playing recordings flat above 100dB tends to be quite frustrating.

However, it's quite hard to compensate for bad mixing with equalisation (sometimes it's just not possible).

[tade]

I agree with eva, when I have my system dialed in for soft vocal jazz or something and then i play some metallica often it shouts a tremendous amount. Don't be afraid of equalization. By listening to audio over speakers and not live, you have already become part of the performance. EQ just goes hand in hand. You couldnt tell a studio they couldnt have an EQ but that they should only try to record the music as faithfully as possible...

Is it white or pink noise?

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally posted by tade

Is it white or pink noise?

Definately pink noise, this has the same energy per octave, so matches the ears response better - it's simply filtered white noise anyway!.

[Johnny25]

So do you have any suggestions for a good equalizer around $200.