Tone Controls etc. Any one use them? If so,why?

Sometimes I use them on Dvds or Blurays but never anymore on music. I gave up because I would never be satisfied with tweaking tone on vinyl, cd, or sacd playback. Now I leave everything on Pure Direct basically which I much prefer. The fact that some masterings are too bright or whatever doesn't bother me enough to adjust every different album. I don't want everything tailored to my taste so I aim for mostly flat.

 

So basically... What I've learned in this conversation is that some people are indecisive to the point where they cannot figure out what sounds good to them so they let a pre-set (flat) do the job for them, and there are some that know what a song needs and are not afraid to commit to fixing the problem by tweeking a knob. At last, I understand.

 

and some of us are decisive and have no interest in tone controls and the added circuitry it entails.

 

Exactly I decided I prefer flat for music especially as I upgraded my phonostage and cart.

 

Targeted? Stop talking pony. What you think people only say things because You say them .

 

Does the added circuitry degrade the sound then?

 

What I understand is that people don't care how the artist wants their music to sound. People want their music to sound the way they want to sound instead of the way it is supposed to sound. But, if you say that you would rather cherry-pick songs from an album, they will gasp in horror and tell you that one should always listen to the entire album because that's the way the artist wants it.

 

Better question.....Does it "improve" it?

 

If you think it does, then it clearly does. Most people don't own audiophile rigs that can be left flat.

The argument that flat is what the artist intended is a bit exaggerated. Many times they don't even get a say in the final product. I'm a musician and I haven't met any yet that care about the sound to such extremes, although I'm sure there are anal, micromanaging perfectionists among us. I'll have nothing to do with them. By and large, we're just happy when you listen to it.

 

Or it could be that some people's taste in music reproduction is so skewed that they can't be satisfied with a recording as originally presented, and have to alter the tonal balance away from the established norm before it pleases them.

 

Which is fine by me. Who am I to judge how someone listens to music?


And what exactly is the "established norm" of tonal balance??? Where is that documented? Was there a survey?

 

That is the opinion of the top designers.

 

Depends on the circuitry and structure of the tone controls. Steve Deckert has designed tone controls that are not in the signal path and add to the flexibility of the products, and really helps me enjoy a range of recording quality more fully.

In my experience tonal balance changes as interactions between preamp, amp and speakers change. Synergy might be achieved for some combinations of these but tonal controls allow beneficial tailoring.

 

On most quality recordings, my tone controls are set to flat. I do use them on musically superb, but sonically deficient recordings. Those who have wide ranging musical taste should have tone controls and use as they see fit.

 

Tone controls may degrade the signal when you analyze them on an oscilloscope, but fortunately for me my ears are not oscilloscopes. What I listen to may or may not be the "pure" sound, but how I choose to set the controls is certainly more pleasing to my senses, and in the end that is all that really matters.

 

Let's consider that certain Panasonic players turn off analog circuitry to improve the digital sound. I have two Harman Kardon receivers that sound best to me with tone defeat used. Best when playing well mastered music.

 

Indeed. And only your ears and tastes can decide this.

 

You can take that debate up with Dan D' Agostino of Krell/Momentum who knows more about it than you & I .

 

I don't care until I walk into their room, or have to ride in their car, and am subjected to their noise.

 

There are certainly exceptions, and I have no quibble with him being considered a "top designer" - he certainly is that.

JA's measurements of the Momentum preamp with tone controls are exemplary. He clearly has done a great job - and Michael Fremer had this to say:

I will revise my comment to say: "That is the opinion of most of the top designers."

 

On the other hand, it could be that some people know what unamplified instruments sound like in a concert hall and can recognize when instruments on recordings DON'T sound like they do in the concert hall (acknowledging the impossibility of perfect reproduction). Sometimes in these cases, tone controls can be a big help, and I've never heard tone controls do more harm than they do good on recordings that need them.
-Bob

 

To look at it another way, even if you set the controls to flat you still may not be hearing "what the artist intended" because your hearing itself may be damaged. As we age we naturally lose the ability to hear certain frequencies. We may very well need to turn the treble up a bit to get to that "flat" tone that is desired. It's like that old debate: do you see blue how I see blue or do you see it as green? Your totally flat tone and my +3 bass/+6 treble could sound sonically identical if we switched bodies and could hear through each other's ears for all we know.

 

Even if you have hearing damage, you still have the same reference - real unamplified sounds. You hear the real world with the same ears that you use for hifi listening.

 

Very true.