Dear AMX,
You don't mind asking you this in this thread but because this seems to be in relation to tubes also.
I read from somewhere that having equalizers is distorting the sound being reproduced. Is this a correct statement? This statement seems to make me feel a little bit uneasy. For me, some CDs or even LPs needs to be equalize to bring out that balance that I desire. Whether it is my subjective observation that maybe I am loosing a good pair of ears or the room that I am listening causes this imbalance, I find that there is a need to have them equalized. If the sound engineers uses tons of equalizing before we got the final CD and LP, why are we so allergic to have an equalizer in our system? Am I being “baduy”? So be it. Can you make a tube equalizer and how much will it cost?
thanks,
bz
Dear Bz
I can understand your frustration. Tone controls and equalizers are so anathema to many high end listeners. But funny, a tube phono preamp is an eq amp. it has to be pre-equalized correctly under the RIAA standard. Now many resort to twaeks to get that sound that they are looking for. Many cables exhibit high capacitance, which tend to roll off high frequencies, some cables exhibit a slight inductance which will therfore accentuate low frequencies to a certain extent. During the "Golden Age of Hifi"few people resorted to "tweaks" to get their desired tonal balance because their preamps had tone controls. But many will say this is a form of distortion. Well it will depend on how you will look at it. If the recording is perfect, and your loudspeakers are perfect sitting in an acoustically perfect room, then adding any tone control is adding distortion, distortion meaning anything that does not please your perfect ears. But "audio life" is far from being perfect. Sensual pleasure (acoustic kind that is) is what we ultimately seek. So if you will ask me, go ahead equalize,or tweak till your ear brain combination reaches its acoustic orgasm or at least gets tickled.If you reach your "nirvana" then it is yours to keep. What the heck, its the music and the sound we are all after, no matter how you get it. Dont suffer not to listen to your fav artist because the CD is badly done when you can do a little to make it at least acceptable.
Yes we can build tube equalizers, they used to be very costly items found only in studios then, called "Acoustic Baton," but today we have the technology, but many gurus say its distortion! Really?
JUST FOLLOW YOUR EARS!
