Do you feel guilty using tone controls ??

[Stratmangler]

I have the tone controls off (there's a defeat button on my amp).

Going back to the bit about using USB - is your laptop a Windows machine?
There can be readily noticeable gains to be had with Windows machines using WASAPI or ASIO drivers for the connected audio device (in your case the DAC).
It's all to do with prioritising Windows resources to audio playback.
Does Media Monkey have such drivers to plug into your existing installation?

[rigger67]

Going back to the bit about using USB - is your laptop a Windows machine?
There can be readily noticeable gains to be had with Windows machines using WASAPI or ASIO drivers for the connected audio device (in your case the DAC).
It's all to do with prioritising Windows resources to audio playback.
Does Media Monkey have such drivers to plug into your existing installation?

Yes, it's Windows - about 18 months old, Lenovo.
No idea about what you're asking I'm afraid.
I'm using the free version of Media Monkey.

I guess I'll have to look into it to find out more.
Thanks for the heads up ..

[Stratmangler]

Try looking at WASAPI drivers first - I've just had a quick Google, and it looks like there are drivers available.
An 18 month old machine will likely as not have Windows 8.1 on it, so WASAPI drivers would be appropriate, although ultimately it's down to the audio hardware - there might not be drivers available for it.
If that's the case try ASIO drivers.

[rigger67]

Try looking at WASAPI drivers first - I've just had a quick Google, and it looks like there are drivers available.
An 18 month old machine will likely as not have Windows 8.1 on it, so WASAPI drivers would be appropriate, although ultimately it's down to the audio hardware - there might not be drivers available for it.
If that's the case try ASIO drivers.

Yeah, it's Win8.1.
Thanks again - I'll check it out

[dave2010]

This ^^

I don't use tone controls, because I don't need them, but if you do, use them and fook what anyone else thinks or what is deemed as 'correct'!

Marco.

I don't use tone controls either - perhaps because my current kit doesn't have them (unless I run through a laptop and put a software equaliser in).

However, I do have multple copies of some CDs (essentially the same performance) in different remasterings and some sound much fuller and richer than others. If tone controls can give that effect, why not use them? Whatever floats your boat ..... A lot of hi-fi sound is artificial anyway, so if you think you can get a better result by using tone controls what's wrong with giving it a try. There's no law against it.

[Joe]

I have tone controls in the downstairs system and use them (a tiny bit of treble lift to counter the slightly 'dead' acoustics). Being Catholic, I feel guilty about everything.

[Sherwood]

Go for whatever sounds best to you. Personally, I prefer to put a system together which obviates the need for equalization so none of my equipment has "tone" controls. I generally find that the treble and bass adjustments are too crude to improve on the basic signal anyway.

Geoff

[jandl100]

For me the main point of the OP was that the tone-controlled sound was listened to without Paul being aware of it ... a genuine blind test.
"Wow, this album sounds great! ...... oops, the equaliser is on! Doesn't sound half as good without it." type of thing.

Which of us would respond differently in the same circumstances?

I think the point is you don't know what is flat til you measure yer systemo.

You sit there thinking it is flat, but it probably isn't. Truth is it is probably quite a bit away from flat. A bit of a play with some EQ might actually be making it quite a bit flatter unbeknown to you. Lest you measurebate.

Yep. Well, something like that.
Justin, unusually, got noticeably irritated with me on a recent visit to his place when I said I thought my system had deeper bass than his beloved Apogee 'Interstellas'.
"It measures flat to 20Hz!!" he insisted, quite loudly. "Your MBLs don't go that low."

Oops. Correct.
I'd forgotten that unless a little stuffed in the bass ports there is a significant bass hump in my system - and I love it that way. It makes it seem deeper to me, even if it isn't.

[User211]

Mine might be flat at 21 Hz, but is doesn't mean they are flat all the way down to 21Hz. 30Hz and 60Hz are definitely more than flat, so to speak, especially 30 Hz, which is quite a bit up.

It is possible to alter it by messing around with panel tension and placing card behind the speakers. But I don't want to alter it. It is awesome as it is. The bass reproduction is a strong reason why I use the speakers. The bass reproduction is outstanding in my book.

At a guess Jerrys are probably hyped around 40-50 Hz in room. They do sound good, albeit in a cone/box speaker kind of a way with some box resonance. I honestly prefer the bass to the MBL101E. Better the cones than that big MBL omni driver I think for upper bass.

So whose bass is better? Mine of course

Frequency response aberrations are a huge reason why some people prefer one speaker over another, and why some material sounds better on one system and not on the other and vice versa.

Playing with EQ is totally legit to get the sound you want IMHO. In some respects it is idiotic NOT to use it. If it sounds better, do it! There's no standard in the studio and the monitors any album was mixed on almost definitely have a markedly different response to your system.

[Marco]

Justin, unusually, got noticeably irritated with me on a recent visit to his place when I said I thought my system had deeper bass than his beloved Apogee 'Interstellas'.
"It measures flat to 20Hz!!" he insisted, quite loudly. "Your MBLs don't go that low."

Oops. Correct.
I'd forgotten that unless a little stuffed in the bass ports there is a significant bass hump in my system - and I love it that way. It makes it seem deeper to me, even if it isn't.

Nothing wrong with that - you like what you like. For me, I don't really get off on 'how low does it go?' (unless I'm listening to organ music), but rather can I *feel* the bass rattle my ribcage, when the music demands?

Therefore, trouser-flapping SCALE is what wiggles my wick, not necessarily super-deep bass, and in that respect there is no substitute for big-boy woofers, housed in suitably big-boy cabinets. You need to SHIFT AIR, muchachos!!

No need for any artificial or disjointed bass-boost, from an equaliser or a sub either...

Marco.