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Tone Controls can be so nice.

Of all the ways to tame, tighten or tone the sound of our systems, cables are usually the first to come to mind. Preamps, amps, source and speakers are all chosen for what and how they contribute to the sound and each affect the other in ways that confound, amuse and satisfy.

Anyone who's paid even scant attention to what I like in my system knows that I've always wanted to hear further into the recording, extracting as much as possible from those shiny discs and not pay the price of loss of tone, richness or body. From sliver ICs to power conditioning and boutique fuses, each step has gotten me closer, revealing more detail, nuance, air and realism.

One day while listening I chanced to look at my Marantz PM-15S2b and it dawned on me that I hadn't tried the tone controls since the first time I tried them when new. I didn't like it then. Just switching it on without adjusting the controls it was evident there was a difference for the worse when used.

Time can do funny things. It may be due to something as simple as break in but when I engaged the tone control setting and adjusted the bass a tad (1 1/5-2db) a lot changed. Everything I liked about what I already have was fleshed out some more without a single, negative drawback. Tone improved. So did body. Percussion was easier to believe be it wood, brass, etc. Vocals had more chest and in the room presence. Piano had more weight, guitar more blues and twang (steel easier to tell from nylon). Even decay took on a different quality since the lower portion of the notes had more presence which led to a longer, more believable decay. Decay used to be the in the realm of the higher notes, the lower ones foreshortened, and now decay is across the spectrum which makes piano, upright bass, anything in that realm all the more authentic.

I dialed it back to just about a 1db boost and still had that magic. Nothing was shelved back, hidden or muted as a result. Just fuller, like a really good tube setup with great see-through ability. No bloat. No smear.

It's too bad that tone controls aren't in vogue nowadays. Blame the purists and thank those that still use them (Marantz, Luxman, Accuphase, etc.) I'm not advocating some all out assault with extensive equalization but in my case the bass boost is just at the 50Hz region and covers a small, but critical range for folk like me. My Tonians drop off at 40Hz and the drop slopes well before that. That little boost is all it took to even the frequency playing field, so to speak, making it seem all the more real. This is not to say I didn't have bass to begin with. What I did have had texture, detail, nuance but not enough force to have equal billing in the presence department.

If I had speakers that extended lower, all of this wouldn't matter. In my case it did. This is not to say that everything is better with tone controls but is some cases, certain recordings can use that little bit of boost and some systems, like mine, can benefit from it. It's been only a few days since I've done this but I've yet to tire of it and find myself loving what I'm hearing. Who knows?

All the best,
Nonoise
nonoise

Showing 5 responses by nonoise

nonoise's avatar
nonoise OP
11,150 posts
 
Thank you all for your civil responses, whether you agree or not with my findings, and thanks Al, for that pat on the back.

As much as I used to be a "straight wire with gain" kinda guy, this matter with the tone control helps in ways I thought not possible. Again, YMMV. :-)

All the best,
Nonoise
nonoise's avatar
nonoise OP
11,150 posts
 
Deeper into the rabbit hole we go.......

LIke my experience with my Marantz (forgetting about the tone controls), I remembered that my Tonian Labs Tl-D1s are a semi-open baffle design and that there are three different vent settings on the rear side. No matter which size vent slat you pick, there is always a slotted opening above and below the slat that varies from a little to a little more or so on. Each one makes quite a difference from the next.

With my bass increase via the tone control came an appreciation for a fuller sound. Remembering that I had the vent slat in place that gave the biggest bass reinforcement, I removed it and left it open with nothing to block the sound.

Someone call the guys in the white jackets

I won't go so far as to say that I blew out the back wall but I did move it back quite a distance. Everything became so distinct that the sound no longer projected into my room but floated, instead. Now I think I get it: what some folk have described that I'm now hearing.

Putting in the smallest of the slats, I still retained that incredibly open sounding effect so I kept it in. Everything is so freaking distinct but it no way etched. Guitars, piano and vocals are the most realistic I've heard to date. I'm even going to go so far as to say I've never heard more realistic guitar sound anywhere, anytime. Closing my eyes completes the process. They're right in the room. Piano and vocals don't quite match the level of effect but I'm not going to complain one bit. They've improved enough.

Another neat trick is just how clear and distinct a drummer can sound, situated backstage behind the players. Whether brushing a drum skin or tapping the drum rim with his sticks, it's all crystal clear. It's that clarity that makes the layering so realistic. If one can pick out what's going on backstage it no longer becomes a distraction since you're not mentally trying to figure it out. It's just there working in concert, in it's proper perspective.

This has all made me appreciate the genius behind Tony Manasian's design. I always thought that 'Tonian' was some kind of take on his name but I feel it rightly belongs to the 'tone' that these speakers recreate. They are, indeed, instruments that can be tuned to your room, your amp, your ancillaries.

Before anyone goes out and gets a Sawzall and attacks the back of their speakers, please keep in mind that these speakers are meant to be tuned as a final step once all other considerations are accounted for. The vast majority of speakers out there are built as is so room considerations are what you should be looking into.

Is there a bottom to this rabbit hole?
:-)

All the best,
Nonoise
nonoise's avatar
nonoise OP
11,150 posts
 
Cdc,
In my opening post I stated that the difference I heard was when new. Now when I switch it off and on with the slight bass boost, it's done on the fly while playing and the difference is in the bass. Nothing else is amiss that I can tell but it's still too soon for me to absolutely certain.

You say your Denon UDM-31 didn't negatively effect anything and I find my Marantz PM-15S2b to do the same. With the addition of using smaller vent slats in the rear of my speakers a lot is going on but so far it's one sweet ride, with a ways to go. :-)

I'll keep you all posted.

All the best,
Nonoise
nonoise's avatar
nonoise OP
11,150 posts
 
Thanks Mesch and yes, Holiday Cheers to one and all.

May the music sooth your souls,
The tubes warm your hearts,
The cables convey the thoughts,
The source be aplenty,
The speakers be truthful.

Now back to driving myself crazy.

All the best,
Nonoise
nonoise's avatar
nonoise OP
11,150 posts
 
After being fitted for my jacket (they assured me the sleeves are that long and everyone will be wearing them and yes, they do fasten from behind) I've come down to some somewhat definitive conclusions. Chief among them are:

1) Now that I'm using the smallest vent slats on the rear of my speakers, the
tone control bass boost is so hard to tell from straight in that it's a toss up.
2) Only a few CDs benefit from the bass boost.

The question that perplexes me is how can enlarging an opening in the rear of a speaker make the bass all the more real and fuller sounding? Granted, the soundstage took a big leap closer to reality, losing the projected sound and replacing it with a floating soundscape that remains stable and yet sounds seems to project in all directions in a more natural fashion. There's so much more info doing its thing.

Maybe this is an effect of open baffle speakers and I've just now learned to appreciate it. If so, then I think I know what my next speaker's are going to be like. If this is how one loses the box sound, I'm all for it.

All the best,
Nonoise
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