Just wondering what people think about EQ on stereo's and/or stack systems... I've been looking at maybe getting a nice stack system with a proper amp and CD decks etc, mostly been looking at richer sounds cus they're a good little shop... but noticed they dont stock any EQ stacks what so ever, when quizzed about this by my friend, and by myself a few months later... apperently they're not that popular and not many companys make EQ stacks? :?

I'm quite bemused really, I've always loved tweaking the EQ settings on my stereo to have the "just right" sound for the different genre's of my music... and a full 5 band parametric EQ was one of the key reasons for choosing the Rio Karma as my media player for when I'm out and about...

whats everyone else's oppinion? is EQ important? or are you happy with a treble and a bass knob that hardly makes any difference?

also, if anyone knows where to get EQ stacks for a stack system I'd like to know, obviously I'm not after a full DJ mixing and EQ system, I've seen those but I cant afford them :P

Hi for all of my adult life, and most of my teens I have owned a proper hifi system. And believe me, you have very little use for eq on it, unless you are wanting to make out things on knackered old tapes, or you are trying to work out a bass line when it is lost in the mix or something like that. But to be honest a clever young chap like yourself will probably do that kind of thing on your PC nowadays. I find soundforge especially useful for setting repeat sections on some track I need and playing with it until I have worked it out.

Alternatively if you have some rubbish loudspeakers, then you may need eq.
But they usually recommend that you spend the same amount of money on your loudspeakers as your amp.
I am running Mission floor standers 991?[can't remember the model] and a Technics 900 amp. Both the speakers and the amp cost around £400 and the detail is great, you can hear every instrument and every sound.

Compared with a HiFi, a little tower system from currys or dixons sounds extremely weedy and tinny. If it ain't seperates, it ain't HiFi

I would highly recommend you pick out your 4 favourite cd's or records and set up a demonstration with some nice hifi dealer e.g. Moorgate Acoustics or Richer sounds.

I was in tears when I heard my favourite music coming through the model of loudspeakers, I was thinking of buying. It never sounded so good.

maybe your right, I'll have to see, but I just love tweaking, same as I do when I'm trying to get the perfect sound with my guitar amp... the guitars just have to scream the right way, the drums have to make me ear drums shake and the bass lines have to make my body tremble

my current setup is an old Aiwa combi NSX S777, I think its got to be hitting 6 years old or so?, in all honesty for a normal stereo its pretty damn good... but as a music lover I'm tempted to not folk out £1,000 on building a new super PC and just blow it on a nice new music system

plus my mate got some sweet floor standers with twin speakers, 1 sub and a tweeter in each, a cambridge audio amp... think it set him back £400 for the lot cus he got a great deal on the speakers, dunno how cus the speakers are £300+ for the pair I think... but it freakin blows me out the water :(

but damn, how would I choose a few good CD's? I have tons! lol

If you really love tweaking I have a maplin graphic equiliser with built in analyser. I could sell it to you for a few quid £25??. It has about 11 bands for both channels.
It is hifi size and works via a tape channel which means you can put it into your hifi or out, by selecting tape monitoring.

We all have hundreds to choose from, for myself I took a balls out rock album which I know every note from [probably highway to hell]
An extremely well produced album [Donald Fagan -Nightfly]
A busy album with lots of layers [ Jelly fish spilt milk] check out the dynamics..
Probably Bjork debut, and Beatles Abbey road.

hmm... think I'd probably go with something like:

something to test how it copes with varius higher frequency instruments like violin, keyboard, synth etc... maybe some Nightwish, Nine Inch Nails or Ayreon?

something to test some heavy bass, Rage Against The Machine? Megadeth?

something with good guitar solos maybe some Joe Satriani, Iron Maiden, Steve Vai or Hammerfall?

then something with wickid complex drum beats, Tool or Fear Factory?

tis such a hard decision lol... maybe I could just rip a good selection of my favourite and complex for different reason tracks to lossless FLAC onto my Rio Karma and take it down with its phono out leads :? technically thats the same quality as having the CD played through a CD deck.

Originally posted by xafier
FLAC onto my Rio Karma and take it down with its phono out leads :? technically thats the same quality as having the CD played through a CD deck.
Yes but a 2-500 quid HiFi cd player has a much, much higher quality DAC and therefore will sound a great deal better.

Many times I have been working on the final mix of a demo track and I burn it onto a CD and listen through the proper HIFI to see what it really sounds like, and boy does it sound better.

well I guess all thats holding me back now is a few paycheques lol... think I'll wait till Xmas time see what bargains I can pick up on stuff and check some amps and speakers out over the next few months and just wait and see if any of the ones I like come up on sale :D

moorgate acoustics have some DAMN expensive speakers and amps... an amp at over £10,000! thats insane :| I think my budget is going to be about £1000 for an amp, 2 floor standers and a CD deck... I'm sure its do-able to get a really sweet set-up... I can wait till I get my own house before I get some extra speakers :) I think two floor standers is PLENTY when sharing with other people lol

Originally posted by xafier
about £1000 for an amp, 2 floor standers and a CD deck... I'm sure its do-able to get a really sweet set-up... I can wait till I get my own house before I get some extra speakers :) I think two floor standers is PLENTY when sharing with other people lol
I don't think you should think about extra speakers. And £1000 is plenty for a great HiFi. Make sure that your speakers suit your musical taste though. I had some Wharfedales, which were massive and extremely loud but they were over bassy so I sold them on to my brother and I bought my Mission 773s [Im back home now, can see their number] and could immediately hear "detail". Every sound in the hearing spectrum was there and it just sounded 100% better. I listened to loads of my music again and I heard loads of things I'd never heard before.

Getting a proper HiFi at last, for a musical Guy is a wonderful experience, you're in for a great time. :clap: