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In Reply to: Tone Controls?? posted by jaydacus on October 17, 2011 at 18:01:17:
...ok, how about my opinion.In the 1980s audiophiles eschewed tone controls for a more purist approach to preamps.
The problems were that the equalizing circuits usually did more harm than good - besides the extra circuitry the signal had to pass through, they often affected the phase of the signal introducing distortion.
And the FR boosts or cuts were often not right where you wanted them, again doing more harm than good.
So, many of the preamps with tone controls offered a defeat switch, so you could use it without the controls.
They were mainly used to equalize poor recordings.
As recordings got better and CDs arrived, they began to disappear all together.
About this time, Mark Levinson developed his Cello line of electronics and came out with a separate tone contol unit called the Pallette, which was expensive, but said to be very transparent.
So they can be done right, but at great expense.
If you are selecting good components and matching them properly, you shouldn't need them - at least that's the audiophile mantra.
And if you do, it may be preferable to treat your room, say with tube traps to even out the missing bass response rather than subject the signal to additional circuitry.
On the other hand there are many inmates here who use a preamp with tone controls or an equalizer but keep it on the low down.
Suit yourself.
Edits: 10/19/11
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Follow Ups
- Tone Controls?? Feelings?? - mkuller 19:25:43 10/18/11 (1)
- RE: Tone Controls?? Feelings?? - b.l.zeebub 03:14:46 10/19/11 (0)
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