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I like my system flat, no tone controls, no eq..........what is your preference, and why.

A poster on another thread here has encouraged me to post this. Been an audio professional and a hobbyist for 50 tears. I had my time with eq, tone controls ( even reverb and time delay units ). I am currently at the point where I need nothing to alter the recordings I listen to, nor to compensate for room aberrations. I have spent lots of money on equipment , had equipment on loan, of all types ( pretty much a bit of everything, for the most part ) and I have tweaked, and tweaked, and tweaked. I have recently tooled down to a much simpler and less expensive system, and I find I am the happiest I have ever been. Might be my amp, my passive unit, my speakers...…….yes, all of that. Yes, all of that is important, but it is the system synergy that has made me realize that changing anything with an eq or tone controls took me further from that synergy, that balance. I accept, and enjoy my recordings for what they are. Some better than others ( sq ). But, I am enjoying the brilliance of all the studio work put into them,  exactly as they were intended to be listened to. This is me. I do not believe in right or wrong, better or worse, newer vs older, yada yada yada. I have believed, and have stated, particularly in this hobby, to each his own. I hear fuse differences, power cable differences, etc. Some believe I was born a bat. I am happy of my gift, not just hearing well, but through the years, teaching myself " what it is I like ", which is the key for most of us. I am not sure where this thread will go, but I put it out there, and hope folks will drop in, even though much of it might have been stated before in other threads. Thank you A'gon family, be well, and Enjoy ! MrD.
mrdecibel

Showing 7 responses by wolf_garcia

wolf_garcia
6,783 posts
 
In my listening room the floor is flat as are the walls and ceiling, although the latter does slope up fairly high in a flat way. And I can say I’m VERY judgmental about this stuff, as I’m a purist. I’ll say again that the Loki doesn’t degrade anything except my reputation as I previously stated prior to denying I own one, which I do...both things...deny and own...
wolf_garcia
6,783 posts
 
I totally agree that if one is to own a Loki, one must deny ever using it or at least explain those rare times that you do use it, with a damn good explanation by the way, of why you would violate the unspoken rules of True Audio Geek Authenticity by allowing a tone control of any kind anywhere near your well sorted heap of hifi. I may now deny ever owning the thing but I’ll continue to use it...SPARINGLY...I swear...so "win win."
wolf_garcia
6,783 posts
 
I think the ultimate "serious cred" system would have no volume pot either. You just move closer to it for louder, further away for softer. 
wolf_garcia
6,783 posts
 
I did some research and found that quite possibly Schroeder and Schneider are the same person. Nothing conclusive yet, but agents are combing through thousands of documents including high school yearbooks and restaurant receipts to get to the bottom of this issue, and plan to have completed the research before more damage has been done...or any damage has been done...or anybody is damaged by being done. Note that this investigation has been widened to include everybody claiming to be named "Douglas," and this could delay final reporting on this for at least a decade.
wolf_garcia
6,783 posts
 
The 20 hz knob on the Loki is "centered" at that frequency and effects the frequencies nearby, so the effect takes away or adds low bass. It’s not a notch, it’s a smooth curve. Although I augment my (seriously underrated and amazingly great sounding) Heresy IIIs with 2 REL subs, I agree that the bass that the Heresy IIIs produce alone is really nice and seemingly accurate, and I think since they're on the floor getting reinforced acoustically it makes sense. I have turned my subs off and cranked the Loki 20 hz knob just to see what's what, and it's interesting...there's some bass hidden in those 12s!  Otherwise I say again I rarely use the Loki, and when I do it's primarily to deal with reticent or overly aggressive high frequencies on a few recordings.
wolf_garcia
6,783 posts
 
A great system can often highlight the crap part of crappy recordings, or since the system sound is so nice otherwise it might make them more palatable. A paradox...the Schiit Loki is an inexpensive little gem of a gizmo that could be worth a shot.
wolf_garcia
6,783 posts
 
I also have wound up with a system that doesn’t need anything but me listening to it...However, not having tone controls doesn’t mean your system is "flat," it simply means you aren’t able to flatten or un-flatten anything with a gizmo or tone/loudness knobulation. I have a Schiit Loki EQ in my otherwise "tone knob" free system, and it’s always out of the loop until that rare time I need it to add sparkle to a dead sounding recording, or require some other tone mod...the thing is rarely used but looks cute sitting there anyway, and doesn’t add any audible noise when not in use. The minimalist approach to hifi works for me (I’ve also been at this stuff for 50 years plus), which contrasts with my live sound mixing gigs to some degree (piles of outboard stuff in a rack, plus tone shaping in every channel) but influences them also as I eschew compression and and try to keep the sound honest, relative to what the performers prefer and what the various mics require...they all have their own sound. My "minimalist" hifi has extended to a simple single ended tube amp that seems clean as can be, efficient speakers to make that amp shine, and a clean tube preamp...but one "tone control" I still use here and there are the level pots on my subs...little more, little less...but I think even for a "tone purist" that’s allowed.
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