Electrostatic speakers and low volume resolution

I find it funny how some will change any of their hardware at the blink of an eye the instant something does not sound exactly right but will never consider the simple things that might be done to correct common simple problems like that fact that our hearing is neither perfect nor static over time.

Equipment makers gotta love it though.

Broadstone, according to what I have heard, it should also sound generally smoother without loosing any detail.

Mapman, I don't see your response in any way heretical. As a matter of fact, your response here as many of your others seems more in the down-to-earth, experience based approach to problem solving. I know I will never again hear music the same as when I was younger and I finally realize that, save for one component, chasing this issue through equipment changes may be fun but not likely to result in significant improvement.

The component that I refer to is the equalizer. To many self considered audiophiles the use of one falls into the category of heresy and is an affront to their sensibilities. As I've said before, though, if one has an unrestricted budget, a purpose built listening room with all well selected components and has perfect hearing, they will still likely be looking for improvements through addition of or changes to equipment; as an example, upgrading equipment is one of the most popular subjects on these forums.

Now that I'm using the equalizer (Behringer DEQ2496), between automatic room balancing and frequency adjustment to compensate for age related hearing loss, I'm able to get back much of what I've lost. If I had discovered the EQ approach years ago I could have saved significant time and money in this quest. I tried, as I said previously, to use the EQ as a sort of loudness control for low volume listening but it hasn't really worked that well so far. That being the case, I still want to try the autoformer approach and will as soon as my checkbook recovers from purchase the new speakers.

"04-02-15: Mapman
Not be heretic about it but our ears do not have flat frequency response to start with, hear differently at different volumes, and become less sensitive over time as noted. So digital signal processing or equalization may be all the doctor ordered to provide any needed corrections."

It may be a reasonable fix in some systems, but not all. Not taking account that its another component in the chain, an EQ alters phase on whatever frequencies you are adjusting. In my main system, for example, I was careful to select components that keep the signal unaltered, with regards to phase, from my source to my speakers. Using an EQ would undo all that.

Thanks, Zd. I'm not advocating use of an EQ as a solution for all problems and I do understand, or at least am aware of, phase issues associated with additional artifacts being introduced into the sound stream. However, if I had the know how and did what you described in the first place, I would still be faced with the issues of my hearing loss, the extent of which is not bilaterally equal. To further complicate the scenario, my listening room, unfortunately, is my living room and using the auto room equalization capability of the 2496 has resulted in a noticeable improvement that I've been unable to acheive by other means.

About 2 years ago I had a motorcycle accident which resulted in my having to use crutches for awhile. Using them wasn't as efficient as normal but it was a heck of a lot better than going w/o them. I look at the EQ a lot like that except that, unlike crutches, I'm walking better than before the injury.

I guess what I'm saying, then, is that for someone like me who has been in the hobby for over 50 years but have only recently delved into its more technical intricacies, the EQ provides adjustments that allow more direct, wide ranging and relatively simple control.