Tone controls

[letsavit2]

I use them if my amp has them, in fact I sold my pioneer a400 20years ago because I missed them.

my naim doesn't have them and the sound is spot on but my marantz amp has them so I use them, mostly to get a little more bass out of my monitor audios.

so why do some frown on using them when they can improve a budget system for nothing or help out with room acoustics you are tied too?

 

[Thompsonuxb]

I use them if my amp has them, in fact I sold my pioneer a400 20years ago because I missed them.

my naim doesn't have them and the sound is spot on but my marantz amp has them so I use them, mostly to get a little more bass out of my monitor audios.

so why do some frown on using them when they can improve a budget system for nothing or help out with room acoustics you are tied too?

I swear by them and would never buy an amp without them.

I mean bungs for your speakers......thats ridiculous.

 

[tonky]

Tone controls - If you think it benefits your overall sound by all means - it's your choice. Manufactures put tone controls on for a reason and a proportion of listeners like the ability to "tailor" the sound.

Personally in amps I have heard the sound quality is slightly (but noticably) inferior when the tone controls are "in". I know that some music might appear "bass light" or "too bright" and tone controls can alter this. But for me - the overall clarity and spaciousness of the music is also altered (in a negative way) and this is far worse than some bass lightness. - If it's a big problem for you i might propose the synergy of the whole system is lacking in some way

But each to their own btw I (as well as many others) own or have owned a Pioneer A400 amp - a superb example in it's time and it still sounds v good now. It certainly doesn't need tone controls to help it.

Cheers Tonky

 

[letsavit2]

Thing is though with budget systems its not the music, my marantz amp and speakers do sound abit bright and light on bass compared to my naim, hence I use tone controls sometimes.

Or does my naim sound sound a bit bass heavy and flat, who knows unless you was in the studio at the time of recording?

 

[chebby]

I use them if my amp has them, in fact I sold my pioneer a400 20years ago because I missed them.

my naim doesn't have them and the sound is spot on but my marantz amp has them so I use them, mostly to get a little more bass out of my monitor audios.

so why do some frown on using them when they can improve a budget system for nothing or help out with room acoustics you are tied too?

It's like a restaurant where condiments are banned from the customer's tables because the chef has decided no-one should be able to adjust the seasoning of the food.

The manufacturer can charge more for using less components (and such minimilist designs usually cost more). It was a trend started by such companies as Naim with the excuse that 'there was less to get in the way of the music'. It was horse#### then and it's still horse#### now.

Quad, A&R Cambridge (with their A60 and many subsequent amps) and Audiolab (in the early days) and many other high quality companies managed to produce legendary amplifiers with tone-controls to show up the lies of hair-shirt, cheapskate, purists who'd rather their customers spent fortunes finding the 'right' speakers and fricking around with the products of the burgeoning 'boutique cable' industry.

Now you need to get 'smooth' cables to tame harsh amps (!) or find speakers that have just the right 'synergy' (ech!) and you have to swallow a cartload of pony poo from 'posh wire' companies (and their dealers) who know that a judicious tweak of a treble or bass control would save most customers hundreds (or even thousands) of quid and put themselves out of business.

 

[tonky]

I put two very large bags of sugar on top of each of my speakers . The music did sound a little sweeter in tone.

Yes - I think there is a lot in this food analogy - I just thought I'd put it into practice.

Tonky

 

[letsavit2]

Well I'm working late tonight (as well as posting here!) and listening to my new headphones akg 550's that seem a bit bass shy. So source direct button off bass turned up a little and im more than happy with the music I'm hearing.

Now I wonder if chase and status want me to hear it as they recorded it or when I see them in a club in Ibiza or when I last see them live? Either way I reckon they like there bass though!

 

[letsavit2]

;
[/quote]

It's like a restaurant where condiments are banned from the customer's tables because the chef has decided no-one should be able to adjust the seasoning of the food.

[/quote]

yes I like the analogy, spot on!

 

[tonky]

I wonder if Gordon Ramsay uses tone controls?

Maybe he likes his food (and the sound) over processed

 

[ID.]

On my Alpha 9 I never used them because it meant turning off direct, which resulted in an audible deterioration of SQ. My current kit has beautifully implemented tone controls. I currently use them to turn the bass down just a tad to compensate for having my speakers close to the walls.

 

[dayglowred7]

Roksan Caspian 2 amp has no tone controls , make of this what you will , but at £1500 . The design is to let the recording sound as it's intended .
If it has massive bass and you have the right system massive bass is what you get.

Explain Roksan Caspians choice to omit tone controls if it's not for the purpose mentioned to hear the recording as it was intended.
But there is the camp that prefer them , me I dont use them .

Food is seasoned whilst cooking , not added to after.

 

[lpv]

... just please play some Chaka Khan and then James Blake... Wouldn't you like to add some bass in Chaka's songs and turn down a bit with James songs?
I'm currently not using tone control at all and music on my headphones sounds terrific but not so good on speakers... but recently I paid attention to positioning and room acoustics... I've got now rather unfortunate speakers placement but changes are coming.. a complete room redesign with speakers firing down the long length of the room, carpet in front, some acoustic pannels on walls... I've already tested the new set up and the difference is obvious, however need to get rid off chimney breast and move doors... next year work

 

[audipheonix]

Listening in moderate to 50% levels, does using tone controls have a detremental effect on the amp or the speakers?

 

[namefail]

I'd guess it depends on how much your boosting the bass by, are your speakers really flapping? I've the same amp as you and have never had to turn it to 12 oclock but my speaks are 3db more sensitive than yours.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I use them if my amp has them, in fact I sold my pioneer a400 20years ago because I missed them.

my naim doesn't have them and the sound is spot on but my marantz amp has them so I use them, mostly to get a little more bass out of my monitor audios.

so why do some frown on using them when they can improve a budget system for nothing or help out with room acoustics you are tied too?

Tone controls don't actually 'improve' a system, it just changes the tonal balance to that which is more appealing to the user.

I'm not against them - I do use them now and again on an Audiolab 8000A. Only very subtlely though.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Can any amp have loads of bass or too bright? In any half decent amp one would hope that all frequencies are amplified equally - a flat curve. Isnt a bass heavy amp one which is amplifying the bass more.than other frequencies? Like a tone control then?

 

[Frank Harvey]

Can any amp have loads of bass or too bright? In any half decent amp one would hope that all frequencies are amplified equally - a flat curve. Isnt a bass heavy amp one which is amplifying the bass more.than other frequencies? Like a tone control then?

It isn't really an issue you'll get with an amp - it will be more down to the frequency response of the speaker in any given room.

 

[letsavit2]

I'd guess it depends on how much your boosting the bass by, are your speakers really flapping? I've the same amp as you and have never had to turn it to 12 oclock but my speaks are 3db more sensitive than yours.

.

I turn the bass up mostly for low listening, it's not the amp it's the speakers. That's exactly it, they flap away and push plenty of air but I don't hear it! So say at 10 o'clock adding a little bass gives me the sound I want and am use to.

How about the loudness button, I put that on sometimes, god forbid!

 

[MajorFubar]

I think the only useful post-script I can add is to remember that no tone-controls, EQ's or loudness-buttons will compensate for substandard kit. And that's partly why they got a bad name: too often they were plastered on substandard amps to both increase the visible gadget-count and to gloss-over the fact that fundamentally the amp sounded cr*p. Nor, realistically, will any bass-control or loudness-button make the woofer in a 10" tall budget stand-mount sound like range-topping 15" sub. Bear all that in mind and you'll be fine.

 

[letsavit2]

I lace my spag bog in vinegar, most do not!

 

[eagle123]

I got a roksan kandy no tone controls, its paired with the kef r700, the cable are qed anniversary silver, the sound is a bit bright must be the cables, the source is a kandy cd player, used to have a technics z125 amp that had tone controls never used them left them on the half way stage, some said that adding graphic equalizers a no no as it dilutes the purity of the sound.

 

[audipheonix]

I'd guess it depends on how much your boosting the bass by, are your speakers really flapping? I've the same amp as you and have never had to turn it to 12 oclock but my speaks are 3db more sensitive than yours.

Well Sometimes it sound very good indeed, but when it is at 8'o clock to 9'o clock in the volume dial then it feel that something is missing. What speaker and source you r using Namefail. I have put some bung in the port that seems to tighten up the sound a bit. It is a bit higher than normal listening position. and speaker seems to benefit from placing closer to the wall.

 

[davedotco]

I'd guess it depends on how much your boosting the bass by, are your speakers really flapping? I've the same amp as you and have never had to turn it to 12 oclock but my speaks are 3db more sensitive than yours.

.

I turn the bass up mostly for low listening, it's not the amp it's the speakers. That's exactly it, they flap away and push plenty of air but I don't hear it! So say at 10 o'clock adding a little bass gives me the sound I want and am use to.

How about the loudness button, I put that on sometimes, god forbid!

Actually a proper loudness control, ie one that reduces it's effect as the volume is raised, is probably better and safer then regular tone controls.

Personally I think tone controls, particularly on budget amplifiers, are lethal devices, for bass units at least.

People do not seem to realise that the bass control is in effect a second volume control. Amplifiers have limited power (volume) and you can only use this power once, as far as using your amplifier's power is concerned turning up the bass control is the same as turning up the volume.

Turning up both is going to cause damage.

 

[Covenanter]

Never use them.
Chris

 

[namefail]

I'd guess it depends on how much your boosting the bass by, are your speakers really flapping? I've the same amp as you and have never had to turn it to 12 oclock but my speaks are 3db more sensitive than yours.

What speaker and source you r using Namefail.

An old pair of Mission 732i