Audiophile-grade equalizer recommendations

[TLS Guy]

Hey Stephen,

I know this is an ancient thread but I’ve been looking at analog audiophile EQs lately and I thought I’d mention a few things…

There are, in fact, “audiophile–grade” EQ but they are rather expensive for most folks. Two examples of that are Haniwa Audio’s HEQA03-CI Current Input Equalizer ($20k) and NBS Audio Cables’ Universal Tone Control ($25k). The nice folks at Luxman still include “tone controls” in some of their products. These examples are all built with the same care and attention to detail as any piece of gear at their price points. There are many, many el cheapo analog and digital equalizers but, they sound like what you’d expect given the cost. So, if you have a purely analog system and you want EQ, listen carefully before you buy. If you own a highly resolving rig, most likely you won’t like what you hear.

All analog equalizers exhibit ringing (or frequency localized wide variations in frequency response) and phase+temporal anomalies across the audio passband. It can’t be helped as that’s physics and the innate nature of the reactive circuitry in equalizers. Really crappy EQs also add significant noise on top of all their other problems. Better quality analog EQs are usually of a “minimum phase” design, which means the designer has chosen an architecture that reduces the temporal and phase effects where possible. There are a few notable exceptions, like the Manley MASSIVE PASSIVE which is a (rare) parallel topology. Given all that, there are some analog EQs that are highly respected and widely used and sought after in pro audio circles, like from Manley, Maselec, Neve and GML. Most are rather expensive.

Hardware digital EQ are arguably even worse as they are mostly built to a very low price point, which means real time sample rate conversion coupled with low resolution DSP; a truly deadly combo in term of fidelity. However, software EQs are another matter as there are several ones of exceptional quality and many decent sounding ones that are relatively low cost. Trouble is, they are meant to part of a purely digital playback rig; what is often erroneously referred to as “computer audio.” That’s a whole ’nother can of worms and outside the scope of this discussion.

If you want an analog Eq. then you need to go vintage. These days, equalizers are in the software of DAWs. I have an excellent one in my WaveLab software for mastering. This has made high end analog Equalizers redundant. I have had a Spectro Acoustics 210R in my rack since the seventies. These are excellent, with a very high build quality. The non rack version is the 210. There is one for sale on eBay. I think those units are the best you can hope for.

You used to see these in just about every studio you visited.

As with all these units you have to operate them in a subtle fashion. I use mine for touching up LP and vintage tapes on the fly. For any critical work I use my DAW.

Don't use BS terms like Audiophile. There is the bad, the good and everything in between.

 

[omasciarotte]

Hey TSL Guy,

That’s why “audiophile” is in quotes…Agreed that modern, 64 bit EQs in plug–in form are the way to go, but most enthusiasts are not going to adopt a DAW for casual listening.

Once you are in the “computer audio” world of digital playback, an alternative is a higher fidelity player apps. There are many player apps out there, especially for Windows, but most degrade the sound which is, to me anyway, counter productive. A small percentage of players sound transparent, are sample rate–agile, and can also host plug–ins, which is a simpler way of gaining access to DSP without resorting to the complexity and expense, of a DAW. Examples are Amarra or Audirvana.

Once you have decided to move into file or stream–based music playback, then you need a DAC which, in itself, is an source of color or distortion, depending on how you look at it. As with any piece of gear, especially hardware, price is proportional to performance.

 

[highfigh]

Thanks for the input but I do want to remain exclusively focused on my initial question. I can tell from some comments that we are drifting. To repeat, has anyone used any mechanism, device, or process to isolate various players and their performances beyond just turning off one channel? If you've used an equalizer, it would be great to hear what you've used and how. It's clear from reading the User Manuals of several of the EQs selling at PE (along with user reviews and YouTube videos) that I will be able to do what I want with an EQ but if anyone has used some other device or method, please share your stories.

If you want to isolate specific instruments or singers, that's not done with an equalizer. Unless you have the tapes or drives with the tracks for each, you can't isolate any one instrument or person without hearing something form other tracks. If you want to remove singing, the Thompson Vocal Eliminator is one device that's designed to do it but because the tracks are mixed to create a stereo or multi-channel soundstage, you're going to have a hard time doing i t with EQ alone.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hey TSL Guy,

That’s why “audiophile” is in quotes…Agreed that modern, 64 bit EQs in plug–in form are the way to go, but most enthusiasts are not going to adopt a DAW for casual listening.

Once you are in the “computer audio” world of digital playback, an alternative is a higher fidelity player apps. There are many player apps out there, especially for Windows, but most degrade the sound which is, to me anyway, counter productive. A small percentage of players sound transparent, are sample rate–agile, and can also host plug–ins, which is a simpler way of gaining access to DSP without resorting to the complexity and expense, of a DAW. Examples are Amarra or Audirvana.

Once you have decided to move into file or stream–based music playback, then you need a DAC which, in itself, is an source of color or distortion, depending on how you look at it. As with any piece of gear, especially hardware, price is proportional to performance.

I think you have a severe misunderstanding of the purpose and limits of ANY equalizer. They are really only of use in touching up less than optimal sources.

They have to be used with great restraint, whatever they cost. They are useless for improving less then optimal systems, as the issue is poor speakers almost invariably.
If the axis and off axis response do not match, which is a common ill, then no amount of Eq will help, and likely make it worse.

I note from the pictures in your links, that equipment highlighted is gear that might look in place in a jewelers with prices to match, but sound awful.

When I do get to shows, I am amazed at how awful a lot of this high priced gear with jewelers prices actually sounds. So frequently sound quality has an inverse ratio to price. Usually what is at the bottom of it, is an overload of ignorance especially of basic sonic and engineering principles.

I only use equalizers occasionally, and as sparingly as I can. You also seem to believe that DACs in general are a major source of audio ills they are not.

You do not need to spend a fortune on an equalizer, and I would say these days, most do not need one. If they do include one more often than not they will used it in a ham fisted fashion.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

..then you need a DAC which, in itself, is an source of color or distortion...
As with any piece of gear, especially hardware, price is proportional to performance.

Amazing, two BS statements in one small paragraph. Modern DACs, unless horribly designed are basically 100% transparent to the listener. Yes, they DO measure a bit differently, but even with "golden ears" you wouldn't be able to tell one from another in blind listening (levels matched)

As for quality and price correlation, it's very loosely proportional at best of times and most of the time hugely skewed by these "jewelry" parts you call audiophile (I call snake oil).
Case in point:
Compare these two DACs:
Benchmark DAC3 HGC at $2.2k vs Totaldac d1-six DAC at nearly $14k

Review and Measurements of Benchmark DAC3

Moved some of the recent discussions to the audio measurement tutorial: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/understanding-audio-measurements.2351/ Let's keep the discussion here focused on DAC3 please.

www.audiosciencereview.com

Review and Measurements of Totaldac d1-six DAC

This is a review of the Totaldac d1-six DAC and headphone amplifier. It was kindly shipped from europe to me for testing by a member at a high shipping cost of over 200 euros. The d1-six costs 13,500 euros including VAT in Europe and $12,400 for export. The latter translates into US $13,816...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Alex2507]

price is proportional to performance.

Price is 50% of your sound ...

 

[TLS Guy]

We do seem to have had a surfeit of characters wandering in here with their mouths overflowing with trollop of late. Are they getting booted in from elsewhere somehow?