Tone controls -- assuming you're ok with them, when would you try them?

I find the anti-tone control fanatics to be the modern day equivalent of corset wearers.  Rigid adherence to an aesthetic without much practical benefit.

Totally love the tone controls on my c-900 pre-amp; Completely transparent and takes rock performances to another level--far more enjoyable than flat; An interesting thing I noticed is that at higher levels and with a modest boost (3-6 dB on the bass knob), the sound stage becomes more enveloping and blooming; I love it;
It has taken me many years to find a pre-amp with such a high fidelity implementation of tone controls and I hope I can hang on to this luxman pre-amp for life; I regretted selling it soon after I let it go the first time; 

 

"Focused on developing outboard (i.e. separate) tone controls for audiophiles and music lovers who miss them. Delicious Decibels". :)    

http://www.deliciousdecibels.com/about-us.html



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I have tone controls on my pre-amp, don't use them.  I use the digital equalizer in iTunes for a few great performances that were poorly recorded.  I look at the subject of tone controls pretty simple, It's my music, I paid for it and I'll listen to it any darn way I want.

QUESTION: If the sound is not right in your room, and you've placed speakers as best you can, what do you try next? At what point do you go for tone controls? 

There is no point at which you go for tone controls.

Hey @d2girls weren't you about to buy an Accuphase??

I'm about to receive ownership of a C53 solid state stereo preamp next week and it has many knobs on the front for 9 band EQ.

@erik_squires 
...Meaning, it's' good to set up your system so that it's in the middle of the lane for the music you listen to, at the volumes you listen to. If you like rock or heavy metal, get speakers for that, instead of buying neutral and jacking up the bass and treble. 

But, once you know where the middle of the road is, your tone controls act as subtle adjustments. Also, tone controls can be lifestyle tools. :) Need to keep the speakers too close to the rear wall? Turn the bass down. 

+1, good advice.  

And, I was anti-tone controls for decades until I heard some really good preamps/integrated amps with them.

A good friend and total tube nut with several custom built boutique tube preamps recently picked up a nice tube preamp with quality tone controls.  He absolutely loves it.  He uses it for (-1) tuning of high frequencies (mainly for streamed content) when listening to older/bad recordings of tracks he enjoys listening to.  Says it expanded his listening library. "can listen to anything now".  

Now it's his favorite preamp in his tube preamp collection.  

And not replying to anyone in particular here, but I’m pretty sure all human beings should come equipped with tone controls. (At least, that’s what people would say to me if they thought out loud!)

Another way to think of this is like this:

"I don't always drink beer, but when I do..."

Meaning, it's' good to set up your system so that it's in the middle of the lane for the music you listen to, at the volumes you listen to. If you like rock or heavy metal, get speakers for that, instead of buying neutral and jacking up the bass and treble.

But, once you know where the middle of the road is, your tone controls act as subtle adjustments.  Also, tone controls can be lifestyle tools. :)  Need to keep the speakers too close to the rear wall? Turn the bass down.

I'm lucky enough that I don't need them. And if I felt like I did, I would explore other avenues before using a band aid approach.

YMMV........

@erik_squires I always love your answers.
Good point about the gear. I'd heard that about Luxman.

"It’s not as if you are going to taint yourself or be arrested."

LOL!
I hear you about room acoustics, and I know there are ways of dealing with that that does not require specialty equipment, necessarily.
When I lived in apartments, loudness buttons were frequently useful.

Well, thanks for quoting me but I want to address a couple of things:

a standing debate whether tone controls are worth the (likely) sound degradation

This is very equipment specific. My current integrated, a Luxman, has totally transparent tone controls. I can’t hear them do more to the sound than I want. My previous Parasound P7 pre however noticeably veiled the sound when engaged, so this seems to be specific to the implementation.

Also, audiophiles are curious creatures. We don’t always think about pros and cons, we think exclusively of the cons, or we ignore the cons of whatever our trendy solution might be. Too bright? Well, let’s’ go spending thousands of dollars on interconnects until we get it right!!

Lastly, I do think in our genetically transmitted knowledge, audiophiles too often equate modest tone controls with the heavy handed use of noisy, crappy EQ’s from the 80’s.

what do you try next?

Room acoustics are always a place to start.

At what point do you go for tone controls?

Whenever you want to. It’s not as if you are going to taint yourself or be arrested. The police won’t come and take away your gear. Take some deep breaths and try it in the privacy of your own home. Draw the shades if you are afraid of being seen. :)  But, don't try to fix a speaker with them. If a speaker doesn't sound right to you most of the time, and the room isn't it, chances are that's what needs to change for you.

For me, typically though it is late at night. I find the loudness switch a real benefit to listening at low volumes.  It's a lot better than having two pairs of spaekers, one for late night, one for the afternoon. :)

Above all, try it. Ask yourself what your own benefits and issues are when you use tone controls. :)

Best,

E

" QUESTION: If the sound is not right in your room, and you've placed speakers as best you can, what do you try next? At what point do you go for tone controls?"

From the beginning if it seems something is just not "right", but only a hair size adjustment at a time.  I usually only adjust the treble(+ or -) and maybe the balance knob based on whether I sit on the sofa or love seat.  The controls on my Yamaha A-S1000 integrated amp are probably the best implemented ones I have ever used. 

Bill

I have found that people who love tone controls & room correction gizmos do so because they don't want acoustic treatments plastered all over the walls of the Home & Garden living room.
IMO this remixes the original sound.Closer to the truth reproduction requires acoustic treatments & proper placement not digital or analog reediting.