Tone Controls, why not!

Unless you’re sitting in front of the performers, it’s all a simulation, tone controls or not.

 

for me tone controls are best left Flat...

 

LOL
At least the OP did come at it with a slightly different perspective- he started life as a purist - as opposed to those who cling to their tone controls like they are birthrights.

 

I have bass and treble controls on my receiver that have 2 different switchable curves each, a 10-band graphic equalizer, a dynamic expander, and a harmonic enhancer. But THE best ¨tone control¨ I have are my room treatments. And I only spent U$ 200 on them (DIY panels , but I paid someone else to make them). The rug and curtains came with the house

 

Would you mind sharing your source for these DIY panels?

 

ah...OK! ; )

 

There are gazillions of tutorials on Youtube. They're all the same.

 

Just kiddin !!!!

 

me too! ; ) but I did love the earth Flat!!!! AH AH AH...

 

I didn't use Rockwool though, because I fear the particles you end up breathing, but it's the most effective material. You can also use Auralex like I did, and there's a guy who stuffs them with old towels, which he claimed he got for free at the Salvation Army.

 

Interesting you mentioned about guitars, yes this is true! There is similarity, however the typical guitar circuit differs from the typical Baxandall control amp circuit in a stereo amp. The control amp minimizes signal loss to the point the listener may be pressed to tell the difference from a bypassed signal path... even with all the parasitic gain reduction and the necessity to add another gain stage.

This is not so with the typical Gibson, Fender, Gretsch et-al guitar with passive pickups. Pickups are high impedance devices, and are ultra sensitive to passive electrical circuits. The tone cap is always in circuit, even with the tone on "10". The same is true about the volume control in parallel with the pickup, when it is on "10". When taken out of circuit, the treble of the pickup increases audibly. The guitar playability changes, which becomes more touch sensitive.

The increased treble output from a bypassed tone control is the reason metal guitarists have no use for tone controls. Back in the 80's the hot guitar mod was to install a "zoom switch", which bypasses the tone control, sometimes the volume too. Some of the Fender Stratocaster models bypass the tone control with the selector in the "1" position, the bridge pickup. Some models are minimalist with only a volume control, such as the Mick Thomson soloist.
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/jackson-usa-signature-mick-thomson-soloist/l18937000002000

 

Haha, "And, 10 band EQs are the best." Not 9, not 11.

Always wondered why these classic '70s equalizers provided separate controls for left and right. What would motivate someone to equalize the two channels differently, as depicted in the photo?

 

Well in my experience, sometimes the treble may be bright on the left, bass muddy on the right, now you can compensate for both! This is the FUTURE

 

This is taken from ELAC FAQ's:
(General Speaker Frequently Asked Questions – Elac )

Putting the speakers closer to walls and corners will give you more bass, and quite possibly too much bass. In such situations, you could try... changing your listening location... Alternatively, a simple tone control might help alleviate the problem.

 

I wish the title of the thread had a question mark instead of an exclamation point.

 

Another option is to use full range floorstanders that do not require the boost, cut or the additional noise of an eq.

 

To enhance/tame a guitar/cymbal/vox, etc that's markedly panned/isolated to one side or the other. I do this very often with my Pioneer equalizer.

ONLY if it's a perfect recording, room, you have perfect hearing, etc.

 

For those who use a more complex multi-band EQ and adjust depending on how something sounds, my question is, doesn’t all that fine adjustment take up quite a bit of the time the song is playing? Are you keeping the EQ somewhere you can adjust from your listening position, or are you moving back and forth making adjustments?

I have no principles about this. I think everyone should do what makes music most enjoyable for themselves, but I just wonder about the logistics of adjusting EQ so much.

 

I wonder if anyone used SS-X by Jolida (Black Ice)? Seems like the same idea with some additional whistles such as soundstage expansion (contraction) and better bypass. For half the price (DECWARE is way more premium brand of course, no surprise here).

 

Great question. I adjust from my listening position because my 10-band equalizer has a remote control. If it's a minor adjustment (usually the case) , I correct on the fly, which doesn't take more than a few seconds, or if it does I just press a button and start the song again, with the corrections in place. Same with bass an treble knobs if needed, but no remote for that, so I move back and forth from the couch to the rack.

 

My "set" is fine, and with sources that are well mastered it sounds great. But there is music that I have that is deficient in tone, and that is
what I have a tone control for. Why should I have to settle for a bad mastering job? Otherwise, I do keep my controls fairly "flat".

 

I love this thread. I know there have been many already, about the same topic, but this one seems to be more in the cooperative way, rather then turning tone controls down!

 

The haters got tired of being ¨right¨

 

More than fine !