who wants tone controls on your next preamp?

Carlos269 - It depends how you approach it. I wouldn't adjust bass on my bass heavy or bass light CDs because it changes character of performer/performance. Some CDs are recorded darkish and some with too much treble and again, I don't want to adjust anything to equalize it.

I can see value of high quality equalizer to compensate for the room acoustics if it cannot be done by treatments but don't have any experience with that. Simple tone controls are just not for me. I don't mind them as long as I can bypass them and don't have to pay for them.

"Some recordings just have an off stereo balance"

Daverz - I noticed that. Most often they move to the left but I don't mind (I'm a democrat).

Seriously, the biggest problem I have always had with tone controls (done well) is that I am too lazy to try to tweak things to perfection all the time. Recordings are too variable to ever even attempt this even if one had the tools. You'd spend all your time tweaking and little listening. I prefer things the other way around.

However, on the occasions I have attempted to tweak sound to perfection using tone controls, signal processors, etc, the results are generally superior to what I started with.

05-21-10: Carlos269
...this whole concept of "Absolute Sound" (the basis for Audiophilia) is so bogus as we all perceive sound slightly differently due to anatomical differences.

Bullseye.

Someone should Permaplaque that statement.

I disagree. Let's say you have somebody in your room singing a song. Even if we all hear it differently we are all hearing the same thing. If you could record it and play it back so the exact same sound waves were produced (absolute sound) then we would all say we were hearing an exact copy even if we all heard it differently.

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with altering the sound to suit personal taste, but it would be nice to start with an exact copy of the original.

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