Measurements, EQ, and what we actually hear

[James]

Following a suggestion from curtis, I'm starting a new thread to discuss this topic.

I use a series of 1/12th octave test tones when trying different speaker placements/positioning, and it's very correlated with what I hear with music. I'll usually listen to music for a while, and see what sounds different, then listen to the test tones after that.

The clear exception is with room modes - they don't show up on the test tones, but show up on plucked double bass. For those, I rely on a room mode calculator and our piano. I can generally find the note that's more resonant than it should be on the piano.

That's why I'm leaning towards getting a precise parametric equalizer like the Behringer, fine tuning the response a bit, so that the frequency response is extended and even more neutral than it is now. I'm not imagining I'd change a lot - just boost the low bass a bit, tame a room mode or two, and bring down the 500-1000Hz rise a little bit.

I lean towards less intervention rather than more.