2. amps-preamps
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I miss my Loudness Button and Tone Controls....

So I recently upgraded my system to a Rogue Audio Sphinx integrated amplifier, V2.

Prior to this purchase I was using a NAD C162 preamp, and an Emotive UA-200 amplifier.

After a month of listening, I have to say, I miss the tone controls and the loudness feature on the old NAD pre-amp, especially when listening at lower volumes. The Rogue amp sounds great when played at a minimum of 50% of its output, but at lower volumes, it just seems flat. I do use a sub (SVS SB-2000 pro, and I'm using a very efficient speaker (Zu Audio DW's).

I've toyed with the idea of buying an EQ of some sort that has a bypass so that I can boost some of the frequencies when listening at lower volumes, and then bypass when I listening at higher volumes.

Any thoughts on this? Anyone experience anything similar? I'm about to pack and sell the Rogue amp, as the cons outweigh the pros for me.

 

 

barkeyzee1
willy-t
124 posts
 

Toe your speakers in 5 degrees at a time until you reach

the amount of high frequency detail you desire

speaker placement is your tone controls when your components don’t have tone controls

Good luck

Willy-T 

alanhuth
32 posts
 

I had the Loki but now use the Akitika PR-102.  It has a lot more features, sounds better, IMHO, and it has a remote.  Costs a little more, but it sounds good and is much more convenient.  Balance in particular is a huge benefit.  The remote covers a lot of the features, including volume, balance, “hush”, turning tone controls on and off, input selector, output selector, and mute.  

alanhuth
32 posts
 

You mentioned loudness.  You can set the tone controls as you like for loudness and then turn them on and off with the PR-102 remote.  This is essentially a customizable loudness control.  

gemoody
130 posts
 

I have been looking at the JBL SA750 integrated amp, lots of features packed inside.  It doesn’t have tone controls, but some have suggested that the DSP the same, sounds complicated to me.  That’s been part of my hold-up.  I’m not glad you’re having problems, but good to hear of your experience. I’ll guess I’ll stick with that my vintage Sansui, for now.  
 

Back in the day I owned a Technics 8055 equalizer with a spectrum analyzer. Very cool, albeit blingy, piece of kit.

nitrobob
238 posts
 

For those on here that use surround sound formats, the Lyngdorfs MP-40..50 and 60’s all have Tone controls. Bass and Treble and they are adjustable. You can set the Bass adjustments at whatever you wish,,, Adjustments centering’s @ at 50, or 350, or 500 HTZ etc (whatever you like)..., likewise with the Treble. Plus Surround speakers volumes, Center volume, LFE volumes.. all these adjustments are on the " home" page.

You also have (conveniently on the home page) a "voicing map" which can be used like a old time equalizer. I have one voicing for movies, one for news, one for music etc.

All these adjustments are also on the App, so I just leave my lab top hooked up and make quick tweeks during movies, albums etc. Love this Lyngdorf.

Only wish is some of these needed to be incorporated on their Remote Control..

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