Equalizer?

I have an Harman Kardon AVR130 reciever and FL8385 cd changer. HK receivers are known for being a bit warn, and in addition to that, i have warm speakers. The trebble control on the receiver alone cant correct for this enough, but when i play music through my computer, i have an equalizer in windows that lets me adjust the sound to how i like it.

I was wondering if its possible to get a decent 2 channel equalizer to put between my receiver and cd player (which is connected with RCA jacks), to help balance the sound a bit.

Thanks.

If the 130 has one you should be good to go.

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Originally Posted by poneal

If the 130 has one you should be good to go.

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tape loop? what's that? The AVR130s equalizer settings are pretty basic. just trebble and bass knobs on the front.

How do i go about hooking up an equalizer?

You hook it up like you would a cassette deck, the EQ outs to the the receivers tape in and the tape out goes to the EQ's input. You have to have the "tape monitor" on to hear the EQ's effect.

I don't recommend EQ's. They are mostly good for introducing noise into your system. It's putting a bandaid on a larger problem if it helps at all. If you say the treble control don't do much for you, I think you need to do some system experimentation to see where your weak link is. HK usually sounds pretty good, what speakers do you have? Maybe see if you can try another brand on your receiver to see what that does. If you like your music on the bright side, try some Infinity.

...if possible, the best place for it nowadays* would be between the preamp stage and the power amp stage, assuming this is possible.

*Nowadays, I don't think the traditional "tape loop" exists on too many multi channel HT receivers. EQ's do funky things to the phase of signals.

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EQ's do funky things to the phase of signals

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That is one of the virtues of digital EQs like Rane or Behringer. In digital mode many of the traditional problems of EQ can be reduced eliminated. They introduce other problems not the least of which is complexity. The Behringer, for example, has so many features (most of which don't get used in a home setup) that it makes setting up an old VCR for delayed recording seem like a snap! You also have to make a transition from an unbalanced source to a balanced 1/4" phono plug. This is that hard once you understand what's involved, but it usually requires the ability to solder or otherwise terminate an interconnect cable plug.

Another objection to EQs was that many people find they don't actually like a truly flat room response. The Behringer, for example, letws you specify a particular non-flat room response and can then set itself to match that. The (thick!) manual can be downloaded from their website if you are curious.

For fanatic high-end audiophiles units like Rane and Behringer have a major, major disadvantage - - they are inexpensive.

By no means am I a sound engineer or even an audiophile, but I have a good ear and as a reformed EQ addict I will add some input. A friend of mine who really knew about equipment, and not just about technical jargon, but actually about the mechanics of sound got me off of EQs by explaining things to me like this.

First when you use an EQ you are colouring the sound. The engineers who recorded the music have already done that for us. Not meaning to say that all recordings are good, but they have an intended character to impart to the listener. His next point was that an EQ is potentially suitable if you have a way of actually measuring which frequencies need improving and just by our ears is rarely enough of a guide.

It took me months to learn to leave my tone controls on flat and just let the music be, but once I did this I think I started to hear the music for the first time. My brother has never tried this and anytime I listen to music at his place or in his car I am amazed at how harsh and bright it sounds as he boosts the frequencies. Perhaps this information is to simplistic, but from my experience the less you shape the sound the better the chance of hearing accurate reproduction you have. Just some thoughts.

:)