About Kevin East Expertise I`m a lifelong audiohead and have been a professional audio writer for over five years, reviewing CD players, turntables, amplifiers, preamplifiers, speakers, and assorted ephemera. I can answer your questions about how to audition equipment, what to consider when buying, and how to deal with retail dealers. I`m not an engineer or technician, so I can`t tell you how to fix a burned out tube or a malfunctioning channel. And since I haven`t heard and/or reviewed every available product, I can`t tell you if Brand A`s Model X is better than Brand B`s Model Z. But I *can* tell you how to listen, how to shop, and how to take the stress out of buying audio gear.
Experience I've been a staff writer for The Sensible Sound, a small audiophile trade journal, for ten years. I review audio equipment and write a CD/music review column each issue.
Question I was wondering if you could give me a basic explaination of how to set a graphic equalizer (ten bands)? I've been all over the web, and to my surprise couldn't find the answer. I don't need much; I just want to understand enough to get a frame of reference and then I can use my ear.
Thanks!
Answer Dear Kristi,
Hmm. Since each graphic equalizer has unique band settings, it's difficult to give a generic explanation. The following can be more finely tuned if you'd pass on the make and model number.
Basically an "equalizer" is simply a multiband set of tone controls. On virtually every preamplifier, integrated amplifier, and receiver made there are bass (low frequency or LF) controls and treble (high frequency or HF) controls. Turn 'em to the right and the bass-ness or treble-ness of the sound is boosted or enhance. To the left and the effect is backed off.
A multi-band equalizer is the same brand of animal, except that it's broken the sound spectrum into a number of brackets, which correspond to frequency response. Low frequencies are the bass; middle frequencies are the midrange; and high frequencies are the treble.
A "graphic" equalizer is simply an equalizer with a visual display of how moving the controls around shapes the sound. Each frequency bracket is represented by a sliding potentiometer (or "sliding pot") in which the "off" or "no effect" position is "0/zero" in the middle. Most equalizers have a small detente (a depression or notch) at the zero point, just like garden variety tone controls, so you can find the "off" position by feel. For this reason the "off/zero" point is also often called the "detente position".
Set all your sliding pots to the detente position.
Turn everything on so you can hear music. I suggest using a female vocal or jazz instrumental as your test music. A vocal is a very clear instrument that is easily manipulated by equalization, so the effects will be readily apparent. Ditto instrumental music.
Gently, one at a time, slide the pots up to increase the signal at a given frequency bracket, and then slide it back down to decrease the signal. Return the sliding pot to zero, and do this again for each of the pots. This exercise will give you an idea of how each pot alone affects the sound. The increase/decrease is measured in decibels, the reference lines on the pot. Most equalizers also give some kind of value to each line, so you'll know how many decibels you're either boosting or backing off the signal.
Now it's time to experiment. The most common configuration is a sine curve with the leftmost, rightmost, and middle pots in the detente position; and those to the left of the middle (lower midrange and bass) dipped in an inverse bell shape--those to the right of the middle raised in a bell shape. Voila! A sine curve.
But what you need to do is experiment. Set the controls sparingly until you're familiar with how each alone and in combination changes the sound. Eventually, you'll arrive at something that will optimize the sound for your environment.
Remember, an equalizer *changes* the sound. What you'll end up with will be different from what's on the CD, LP, or whatever source material you're using. With that in mind, equalizers should only be used (IMHO) to correct room anomalies. In other words, you know how a particular recording is supposed to sound, but the configuration of your room and its furniture makes it sound boomy on the bottom end (very common) or screechy at the top (also common). An equalizer in sine wave configuration will back off the bass and boost the midrange, taking out the boominess and taming the screech.
However, if you have only fair speakers, all the equalization in the world isn't going to make them sound better. They just won't sound as bad.
If you want to write back and tell me what kind of equalizer and speakers you have, perhaps I can be a bit more specific. Happy to do so.
Good luck. And thanks for choosing allexperts.com!
