Do I need an eq

TXjohnny

Member
Hey guys johnny is back with another rookie question. I have my onkyo 8020 hooked up with my cv vs100s and it's sounding really good. My question is should I get an eq. My buddy keeps pushing the idea but I'm not sure if I need one.
 
Hey guys johnny is back with another rookie question. I have my onkyo 8020 hooked up with my cv vs100s and it's sounding really good. My question is should I get an eq. My buddy keeps pushing the idea but I'm not sure if I need one.
If you're not sure about it then most likely you'll be just fine without one. Unless you have some "room issues" that can not be overcome with some basic measures you're more likely to introduce problems that were not there to begin with.
 
Hey guys johnny is back with another rookie question. I have my onkyo 8020 hooked up with my cv vs100s and it's sounding really good. My question is should I get an eq. My buddy keeps pushing the idea but I'm not sure if I need one.
If you don't think you need an EQ, then you don't need one.
 
very few folks actually NEED an eq. or really now how to use one.
but they are interesting to play with. I have 3 or 4 and have built them from kits and bought from ebay and CL.
1st time one came out as a kit in POP Eletronics mag I had to have one, a 5band stereo one.
Later I built a Deltagraph kit dual 12 chs rack mounted it.
All are now unused as my system no longer uses tone or EQ as all is run without. sounds GOOD that way IMO.
my equipment sounds just fine run ''flat''.
 
I agree with the others--EQs really aren't needed. Back in the 70s it was "fun" to punch up the sound with a smiley-face EQ, but as we all matured, we found that it was more silliness than anything. I own two myself that I haven't touched in decades. If a system "needs" an EQ, then there is something seriously wrong. Room treatment experts also suggest using EQ only as an absolute last resort, after properly assessing speaker placement and room treatments. (And keep in mind that even with a "room correction" EQ, all you are doing is EQ-ing one spot in the room; the EQ for the entire rest of the room is now even more out of whack.)

EQ has a place in professional sound reinforcement, and in recording and mastering studios. In the home? I fail to see any benefit. Save the money and buy more music. :)
 
i have a bunch
sansui, rad shack, soundcraftsmen, kenwood, ect
none are hooked up
but i do luv my amps that have mid range controls
 
Hey guys johnny is back with another rookie question. I have my onkyo 8020 hooked up with my cv vs100s and it's sounding really good. My question is should I get an eq. My buddy keeps pushing the idea but I'm not sure if I need one.

Probably don't need one.

If you want to get one for fun, go for it.

You may get tire of it after awhile......:music:
 
It seems when an EQ is in a system every song or next needs adjustment! In all of my systems the only EQ is in service to compensate a pair of speakers because of differences in efficiencies. Gain is the only adjustment, flat otherwise.


Barney
 
The 8020 is a basic, no frills receiver. I doubt an equalizer would give you much improvement.
 
I prefer having an EQ, but you would need a different receiver. You need pre-out/in. You could EQ one source if you wanted, but no radio.
 
Yes, you need an equalizer. I highly recommend an inexpensive vintage eq with decent specs. Hook it up and play with it for a year. Bypass it frequently to see how you like the results. Play around with it.
Decent quality eq's can often be had on C-list or ebay for little money. Then you will be an eq veteran and never have to wonder again.

I used equalizers extensively for many years. Now I seldom do so, but find they can still be handy in certain situations (I've moved a lot in my life. New house = new sound challenges). Also, playing live music has taught me to respect the equalizer as a powerful tool in the right hands. Of course, all tools can become self-destructive weapons in the wrong hands. So YES! Go. Play. Tweak. Do your best and your worst. Try to do it for under a hundred dollars if you can. Love it or hate it, you'll have fun learning to understand it.
 
Hey guys johnny is back with another rookie question. I have my onkyo 8020 hooked up with my cv vs100s and it's sounding really good. My question is should I get an eq. My buddy keeps pushing the idea but I'm not sure if I need one.
AK is a great place to come ask most audio questions,so lemme first welcome you to AK.

Now that is outta the way I'll point out that this topic (EQ's) is one of "those" questions that typically brings some common responses on this forum.
So go ahead and put on that flame proof suit,LOL

Most members here dont care for EQ's @ all,and as such they tend to (strongly) advise against using them.
Though there are some members here that take the opposite POV (like myself).

Some EQ characterizations I patently disagree with:

1. If you prefer to use an EQ there must be something seriously/inherently "wrong" w/your system.
Sorry but that is B.S. plain & simple.
Some folks just prefer their music to sound the way THEY want it to sound,and they dont give a cr@p what anyone else thinks about that.
First thing first there is no "rule" against using an EQ,the decision to use one is purely a personal choice.

2. That when using an EQ you need to fiddle with the sliders for every song and/or album you're lsitening to.
That is entirely dependant on the user,if said user is overly obsessive about what they're hearing,then odds are they're going to do that sorta thing.
The rest of us just find a "happy medium" and leave the sliders there and forget all about fiddling with them further.

3. The only acceptable reason to use an EQ is to correct for room issues.
An eq can absolutely be used that way,but one is usually far better off compensating for that situation with DSP -or- room treatments.
It's perfectly acceptable to use an EQ as a "glorified tone control" as some folks derisively call them,it's a personal choice plain & simple.
So dont be pressured into any school of thought that is contrary to what you choose/prefer to follow.

4. That an EQ is somehow instantly create more problems than they're gonna solve.
This amounts to anti EQ propaganda because one can easily take the EQ right outta the chain anytime they want to.
It's the user and how they're using their EQ that creates the problem,not the EQ itself.
The issue is whether said EQ user will recognize that sorta situation & understand how best to address it.

Now does anyone NEED an EQ ?
To be perfectly honest NO they likely do not.
The question you need an answer for here is do you WANT an EQ ???
And only you can answer THAT question...

Anyhow as was previously mentioned you would typically need a receiver that has a tape loop w/a monitor function -or- a pre out/in option.
And I dont believe that Onkyo has either of those so likely you wont be able to properly employ an EQ with that unit.

On that topic: I tend to procure gear that has a tape loop (w/monitor) -or- dedicated external processor loop for just this reason.
Myself I tend to avoid using the pre-out/in for an EQ as it's not a fixed signal level,this is especially true w/most consumer grade EQ's w/o clipping indicators.
Typically that sorta thing is one of those situations that gets many EQ users "into trouble" (ie: trying to use an EQ with gear that's not really suited for use w/an EQ).

And if one opts to use an EQ I always recommend using an EQ with some sorta level control(s),as that's really key to getting things set properly.

FWIW ~ HTH

Bret P.
 
No, you don't need an EQ, but...

While I don't use one myself, an EQ when properly set up will provide a flatter frequency response. That is important if you want instruments and voices to sound natural.

Depending on the quality of your system, an EQ, like any other additional processing can impair transparentcy. I have heard a high end stereo system with $30,000 speakers and 600 watt mono blocks that used a computer based digital EQ that did not get in the way.

So it might be worth trying an EQ. But only if you Calibrate it correctly using a test CD or LP, and a SPL meter. Otherwise you can do more harm than good. The better frequency response might more than make up for a reduction in transparentcy that may not be noticeable.

That is why nearly every recent AVR includes an EQ with proper set up tools. IMO they should be Included in stereo amps too. But the higher quality one required for a good amp would increase the price considebly.
 
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I used to be against EQ's on philosophical grounds, but I now feel like they're just another tool that's available to be used or not used.

I've gone through maybe 15 pairs of speakers trying to get something that satisfies me 100%, but in a non-ideal multi-purpose room (which puts constraints on what I can do to optimize for sound) and across all the recordings I have, I've come to the conclusion that it may not be possible to beat what I have now.

My only desire is, at times, to have a bit more sparkle and energy on the top end, which the EQ does for me. With a tape loop available in my preamp, I can loop it in when I want a touch more in the highs, or have it completely out of the signal chain if I don't. It works for me and beats trying to demo a bunch of different speakers, preamps, or amps for a tweak that I sometimes want and many times don't need.
 
I prefer having an EQ, but you would need a different receiver. You need pre-out/in. You could EQ one source if you wanted, but no radio.

An eq can also be connected via a tape monitor loop, not just pre out/main in.

That said, where the rubber meets the road, you are effectively correct as the OP's receiver has neither. So, an EQ would have to go between a source and an input as you said.

I suppose one could route all their sources through a switch box, to the EQ, then to one input of the receiver (but still no EQ for tuner). However, if EQ is that important to have or want, maybe a different receiver with proper tape monitor or pre out/main in should be considered by the OP.
 
IMO a quality powered sub will be of more value in the long run, if you have room for it. Get one and blow your friends doors off!
 
I have an EQ that I bought in high school, 20 years ago. It was fun back then, but my current main system is just too darn good to screw up with an EQ.

Recently, I started tinkering around with the Dayton Audio B652-Air bookshelves in my living room. They're cheap cheap bookshelves with issues, so out came the trusty EQ...

Dan
 
Just my 2 cents. I too, thought I needed an EQ. Used it approx. 1 month. Now it takes up space it the closet. Speaker placement/room acoustics play a major role
in sound quality. Try moving things around.
 
No one "needs" an equalizer. If you want one go ahead and give it a shot. You may end up like many of us who've "been there, done that" and decided they didn't want to use one.
 
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