Equalizer in a Hi Fi system

100% in favor of digital EQ

I am seeing a fair amount of discussion on the BACCH SP in this thread. I will chime in with my opinion on it. I think it is arguably the biggest breakthrough in spatial audio playback since the invention of stereo. But the BACCH works best when room interaction with the speakers and listener are minimized. The goal of the BACCH system is to extract the spatial cues on the recording as completely and accurately as possible. To do this the spatial cues of the listening room need to reduced as much as possible for optimal effect. While I am in favor of EQ as the final application of frequency response corrections as much correction as possible should come from the speaker design and room acoustics. EQ is best used for room target curves and flavoring for personal preferences. 

“ @scottwheel , what digital system do you use? “

I use a few DSP plugins that are modeled after old classic analog equalizers for flavor and I use the internal EQ on my BACCH SP for correction

“ So @scottwheel , you have a BACCH preamp?  And obviously you like?  I may try this before playing with DEQX.  we are in the golden age!  So much good technology! “

I have the BACCH4Mac which runs through an RME Fireface UCX II digital interface and a Mac Mini CPU. Saying I like it does not put the proper perspective on it. Once you have lived with it there is no going back. Conventional stereo and Dolby Atmos simply sound broken in comparison 

“I use dedicated audio gear. Not computer savvy and exclusively stream Qobuz. Is the BACCH preamp as good as you approach?”

sorry I did not get back to this sooner. I’m not computer savvy either. I went the BACCH4Mac route because it is a lot less money and every bit as effective. The dedicated BACCH SP units are plug and play. Definitely simpler. They are a lot more money and are essentially the same thing in one chassis. If I were a billionaire I’d get the dedicated BACCH unit. But I’m not and the money saved was spent elsewhere on the system.

“Still have concerns about that much digital processing of the original signal. There’s something elegant and simple about keeping signal pure followed by high end dac and augmenting with high end analog EQ. It’s simple and elegant.”

I get that. But since you are going to audition it you will hear first hand what it does. One thing I want to point out is that despite some claims to the effect, it is not a gimmick that wows in the short term only to grow old. It will wow you. But it will wow you so much that it will also send up a red flag. Will it stand up in the long run or is it just about the wow factor? It only wows us because it corrects such a severe problem with stereo. In the long run it becomes clear that it is an essential part of state of the art audio. There is no going back. 

One more thing. Head tracking is essential. Don’t skimp on the head tracking

“Yes, I understand that @mahgister   but when we hear envelopment or surround dispersal of the 3 D soundstage but it’s coming from 2 front speakers it’s still the brain being tricked.”

everything we hear ultimately is two channels. Our right and left ears. Our brain deciphers cues based the difference between what the right and left ears hear. There are three main factors. Arrival time, amplitude and the head transfer function. Stereo cross talk messes up those cues by leaking those cues to the opposing ears. BACCH SP corrects that. So it actually is the only playback system that *isnt* a trick. And you can demonstrate the extraordinary accuracy of the system by using the in ear microphones to record someone at various positions in the room and then playing back that recording. It’s nuts. 100% accurate.