No. I'm not. I'm merely saying that if one needs to have the bass and/or treble boosted constantly then there's problems with the system/room synergy.
Using an eq to "tune" the system to the room is not the "tone control" scenario I was refering to although, for some reason, some seemed to imply that and argue that straw man.
And, if you read my short post as was intended (and I certainly worded it simply enough) you'll note that I, too, use my tone controls when the source material is deficient to the point where a constant slope towards the frequency extremes may improve it which, fortunately, is more the exception than the rule.
Now, If I always had 'em in the boost/cut mode, that would moost likely indicate a dissatisfaction with the speakers and/or room interaction and I'd be looking to correct the problems in another fashion.
I tend to agree with you about tone controls and EQ in general. I only turn to my equalizers when archiving vintage material, and not all of that! 78s certainly, very poor CD transfers of LPs, some vintage tapes and some vintage LPs
I have been taken to task for not using room treatment, but honestly if I found the need I would. I have set my room dimensions for the optimal dimension ratios to minimize the dreaded bass standing waves. It is very important for a speaker to have a smooth off axis response that mirrors the axis response. In most domestic environments the wall reflections arrive in what acoustic psychologists call the Haas fusion zone, around 40 msec. So in a domestic environment the reflected sounds are such that the ear will not recognize it as a discrete signal as in larger rooms. The net effect is that a poor off axis response will make the speaker sound as if it has a poor frequency response. The late and famous Gilbert Briggs (GAB) pointed out years ago that was a crude, but I still believe valid way to get a handle on this. He used to advise listening to a speaker in a distant room with the doors open. If the speakers are reproducing a piano, in the distant room it should sound like someone playing a piano in a distant room. In my experience only superior speakers meet this challenge.
At least for the music I listen to, which is pretty much exclusively in the classical genre. Overly dead rooms are not good, at least with the speakers I design. Usually a domestic environment with wall to wall carpet, preferably wool, sheet rock walls and ceiling, rigidly mounted with damping behind does the trick. If there is the odd window door, and furniture to give rise to multiple and varied reflections so much the better. To me at any rate that type of environment usually results in the closest approach to the original sound as Peter Walker so famously used to say.
Obviously there are going to be rooms that are dogs, and vigorous expert attention may well be in order.
Now I realize my system is highly atypical, so for more usual systems you might want to bear that in mind. Now every pipe organ builder has to very carefully and laboriously voice every pipe to the space. I believe speaker design and building to still be an imprecise practice. Listening test are vital to the completion of a good design as well as measurement. If you are the designer and builder and your speakers, and they are not moving anywhere, inevitably they end up being voiced to the space, mirroring the organ builder's craft.
These are the details of my system. I also have a note about SACD reproduction and I'm very interested to know how other members handle that issue
Now truth in advertising. My system is highly atypical, and there is no commercial system remotely similar. It is hard for other members to get their hands round its deign concept and execution.
Here is the picture and details. It is a 7.1 system that has a total of 1.7 KW of audio power from 14 amplifier channels.
http://mdcarter.smugmug.com/gallery/2424008#127077317
First the left and right speakers. The MTM array with the two 6.5 inch magnesium alloy cones and tweeter are in a TL with an F3 of 44 Hz. These act as the left and right speakers, and are set to large. The power is 240 watts to each.
Now the bass lines have an F3 of 27 HZ. Each contains two 10 inch magnesium cone woofers. Each 10 inch woofer is connected to a 100 watt amp. The upper woofer is fed a signal from the front left right via an electronic crossover that takes the bass all the way down but has a correction for the diffraction loss of the 6.5 inch bass mids. The lower 10 inch woofer receives the bass from the Rotel crossover set at 100 Hz, and of course a portion of the bass from the other channels. The drivers are from the SEAS Exel range of drivers.
The center speaker contains two SEAS coaxial drivers. Only the lower driver has the tweeter connected. The crossover is passive. The top driver is fed from an electronic crossover the diffraction correction and the bass all the way down. It is a small TL design with an F3 of 47 Hz. Each driver is fed from a 100 watt amp. This speaker is set to large.
The rears are minimal ripple closed box with 2.5 way passive crossover including diffraction compensation. The F3 is 53 Hz second order roll off. The drivers are Dynaudio. Each is driven by a 100 watt amp. The speakers are set to large.
The rear backs are dual TL design. They are biamped. The lower lines have an F3 of 35 Hz and each contains two KEF B 139s. The upper line is a three way passive using Dynaudio cone M75 and Dynaudio midrange domes and tweeters. Each speaker is powered by two 100 watt amps. These speakers are set to large. The speakers are voiced to the space.
Now back to SACD. I don't know of a preamp that decodes DSP. So the SACD player outputs an analog signal. In the Rotel, and I think this is usual, this is handled as pass through except for volume. None of my classical SACDs have a sub channel. They are either two, three or five channel. The Rotel outputs the rear channels to the center back speakers not the rears (side), which is correct for SACD. There is no output for a sub. I have a switch that disconnects the Rotel sub output and puts the amps for the two lower 10 inch woofers in the left/front lines in parallel, and feeds them both the signal from the external electronic crossover of the front left right speakers.
So when I listen to the SACD of the Klais organs of Cologne Cathedral the rear divisions come in full force.
I think the correct set up for playing SACD is problematic. I have found that this arrangement works very well, but I'm curious to know how others handle it.
I have been very pleased with the performance neutrality and realism of this set up. It is very very close to being there. And the rig is not all fussy as to program.
As you can tell, I have an antipathy to separate subs, and favor an integrated approach. Garry Gallo's ref. 3s take a slightly similar approach in that the woofers in his left rights have dual voice coils. One voice coil of each woofer, can be fed the LFE channel from a separate amp. So he has an integrated system. However I did mine first.
