anyone use an EQ with their Ascends?

[Eddie]

I was thinking of getting either an AudioSource EQ200 ($113 shipped, Amazon.com) or some used EQ off eBay (Technics SH-GE70, ADC, BSR) and using it *only* for bad recordings since my 340s are so mercilessly revealing.

Mainly I want to use it to reduce the treble on some of my old classic rock CDs which sound thin and shrill on the 340s. And to cut down on those horrible brushed cymbals in the background of Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me" which make the song basically unlistenable at high volumes.

The rest of the time I plan on having the EQ flat or with defeat on.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Any particular brands/models of EQs that you might recommend?

[Lee Bailey]

Eddie, before spending any money on an EQ, you need to see about acoustic treatment of your room.

[Abhi]

Eddie, before spending any money on an EQ, you need to see about acoustic treatment of your room.

I second Lee. Room is the last and one of the most important components of the HT setup. It introduces many modifications to the original signal. There could be huge ripples in spectrum spanning more than 2 octaves which are difficult to equalize using an EQ. Moreover, the time delays introduced by the reflected waves CANNOT be eliminated by an EQ. EQ is not an alternative to room treatment. EQ comes AFTER room treatment. Even if you could equalize the response curve as flat as possible, the clarity and dynamics won't improve much (because of time delays) if you don't treat your room. I'm considering DIYing a few broadband absorber panels. It might cost somewhere around $150 for say, 8 panels. I think it's worth it!

[Eddie]

Room treatments I'm afraid would be out of the question for WAF reasons, the wife likes a real spare minimalist look and had to be arduously persuaded to accept all the black boxes I've accumulated on the AV wall --- sub, 3 fronts, receiver, cdp, dvdp, vcr, cassette deck, 2-channel separates ... any further "decorations" on my part could prove fatal!

Plus it's a rented house so don't want to be nailing too many things to the walls, etc.

So no EQ-users out there?

[Lou-the-dog]

I would really like to experiment with some treatments BUT, like Eddie, I don't think it would go over very well with the "Boss". A tapestry here or there might work but definitely nothing glued to the ceilings. A dedicated room would be nice.

Randy

[Lee Bailey]

It could also be as simple as where the speakers are currently placed. An EQ will not be able to account for room acoustics at all. I'm talking mainly about reflections here. Furniture in the right places can also help. If you can show your wife what a difference the treatments make, they can come up with a decorative solution.

Here's a thread about what one of the members did with their setup:

Pioneer 1014 and Ascends

[Eddie]

Lee,

OK, please look at this diagram of my LR and tell me if there's any hope whatsoever. Sorry it's fuzzy, had to resize it or it wouldn't upload.

The front mains and sub are toed in towards the center of the futon, BTW.

I know the sub belongs in the left corner but I haven't figured out how to run the cable under the carpet yet so that's why it's floating in the middle of the room. It's front-firing so I was hoping the toeing in would help a little.

Have already found the reflection points on the side walls but since they're on the French doors, no dice for any tapestries and heavy drapes are out for WAF reasons. Hopefully because the doors are so far from the listening position (10 & 15 feet) maybe I shouldn't worry too much about it?

With my recent purchase of NAD separates my 340s are now filling up the room with sound very nicely, glad to say. Still not getting a whole lot of bass from my sub, but that may be in large part due to the fact that it's a pretty lousy one to begin with (JBL e150)!

[IMG]

[Abhi]

It could also be as simple as where the speakers are currently placed. An EQ will not be able to account for room acoustics at all. I'm talking mainly about reflections here. Furniture in the right places can also help. If you can show your wife what a difference the treatments make, they can come up with a decorative solution.

Here's a thread about what one of the members did with their setup:

Pioneer 1014 and Ascends

Lee is the one who pointed me in this direction. Thanks again, Lee!

[Lee Bailey]

Eddie, for now, the sub should probably be placed between your LF speaker and Center channel, there currently is not enough wall behind it. The corner I would think you'd want it in would be where the bookshelf is at, though that is quite a long run of shielded cable. Believe it or not, that coffee table is a reflection point as well. Try covering it with a blanket or something soft and see if that changes the sound any. As far away as the side walls look, I would not think secondary reflections would be a problem, though having your listening position up against a wall can be an issue, since all sound hitting the rear wall is being immediately reflected back at your head. This would mean putting up some sort of material behind you. The other choice of course would be to reverse where the couch and entertainment are. This would give you the corner for the sub, as well as a lot less rear wall reflection. I take it that this is a carpeted floor? If it is bare, you'll need to treat the reflection points on the floor.

[Eddie]

Eddie, for now, the sub should probably be placed between your LF speaker and Center channel, there currently is not enough wall behind it. The corner I would think you'd want it in would be where the bookshelf is at, though that is quite a long run of shielded cable. Believe it or not, that coffee table is a reflection point as well. Try covering it with a blanket or something soft and see if that changes the sound any. As far away as the side walls look, I would not think secondary reflections would be a problem, though having your listening position up against a wall can be an issue, since all sound hitting the rear wall is being immediately reflected back at your head. This would mean putting up some sort of material behind you. The other choice of course would be to reverse where the couch and entertainment are. This would give you the corner for the sub, as well as a lot less rear wall reflection. I take it that this is a carpeted floor? If it is bare, you'll need to treat the reflection points on the floor.

Well the wife won't hear of flipping the couch and entertainment center, and putting the sub BETWEEN the LF and CC isn't possible because the EC is one of these low-risers:

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/store...ts=10104*10174

So the only way would be to put the sub ON the low-riser but since I doubt that it's magnetically shielded this would screw up my TV. Wife really likes the low-riser too, so no chance of getting a different a/v cabinet...would have to wait until we ever get a wall-mounted LCD/DLP/plasma TV and even then I'd expect the bass to decrease if elevated 18" off the ground wouldn't it?

Yes, the floor is carpeted. The coffee table is metal and glass so you're right, it is a reflection point too though I have the mains elevated 31" off the ground on stands so there's a direct line to my ears in the listening position.