Equalizer in a Hi Fi system

@mirolab , the process you described is AMAZING in its intricacies and elaborateness. I would LOVE to spend a day watching mixing and mastering in a real studio!🎶

@ellajeanelle there is absolutely no hiss.In fact there is not even an audible click when switching to bypass or back again. This is with very sensitive Zu speakers.I'm using it between the dac and pre. When reading what other users think of the SR24 some are not comfortable with the knobs that don't click into place - they move smoothly and freely. So you can't easily repeat a setting without writing it down.To me it's a good thing to be able to find a 'perfect' setting just beyond one of the marked dots rather than forced to choose one or the other. I don't know enough about circuitry to know if freely moving moving controls are partially responsible for no audible noise or it's just the choices made in the design of the output circuitry.

Changing the subject for a minute back to what it does in my system for a bad recording..... James Gang Live in Concert (1971).Amps cranked up to 11 to achieve a big sound with only the three guys. Joe's amp I would describe as literally 'roaring'.Lo neutral 0,Mid/Lo up a bit at 120hz,Mid/Hi down a bit at 650hz,Hi neutral 0.The 'roar' remains but I can hear more clearly what Joe's playing,Dales bass plucking is SO clear and textured,there is much,MUCH,more going on with the drum set (Jim Fox) than I've been able to discern in the past from this recording.I saw them live back in the day,and also Joe and Barnstorm, and remain a fan.Another CD that cleans up nicely is Mad Dogs and Englishmen which is quite a mess in the mids.What I have found so far is when I can bring into balance the area where the instruments and vocals are compressed together the frequencies on either side almost always smooth out with little or no help.

@jtcf I'm assuming you are new to API eq.  API EQ's have long been a standard in studios.  The most famous model 550 has stepped controls.  This is both sonically superior, AND more easily & accurately recalled at a later time.  This new API eq is half the price, and uses pots instead of stepped controls.  I'd prefer the continuous pots anyway.    So happy to hear you are enjoying it!  

tlcocks  jtcf:  Thanks to both of you for the info on the EQ.  I am definitely going to do more serious research into the API equalizers.  It may sound picky, and you can call it girl stuff, but I want them in black and no rack mount ears, or removable ears.  Only one of them will be going on a rack, the others not.  I like everything to match!  

@ellajeanelle For looks AND performance, it would be hard to beat the new McIntosh MQ112.