"akbal" <adg00101@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:f7429aea-4718-4874-b89d-f44b7befd924@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> I simply want to know what is the real purpose of an EQ.
> If it's not to enhance bass or treble of an audio piece, then what?
> For the audiophile an EQ is a no-no?
> For a home studio, do I need one?
Equalizers (abbreviated EQs) were originally created by the telephone
company. The purpose was to compensate for losses in the lines, so that
the
system passed all frequencies equally (hence the name). Typically these
were
passive devices made from coils and capacitors, with an amplifier
following
to make up for the loss that the equalizer imposed.
Recording studios began using them to change the frequency response of
signals, either compensating for deficiencies in the microphones or for
creative effects; eventually, the use of equalizers to change frequency
response became routine in recording.
Equalizers can also change the frequency responses of speakers in rooms,
by
changing the response of the signal going to the speaker's power
amplifier(s). There was a period during the 1970s-1980s when massive
amounts
of equalization were used on control-room monitors in an effort to produce
flat response; this idea has become less popular with the realization that
the equalization works only for a single point in the room, it can't
eliminate peaks and dips due to standing waves, etc.. Nowadays room
equalization is used less frequently, and usually to correct deficiencies
in
the speakers rather than the room. Room deficiencies are better controlled
with acoustical treatment. (An exception: there are some loudspeakers
specifically designed for use with equalizers, usually for bass
frequencies.
Sometimes these have additional bass extension created by boosting low
frequencies; others can be adjusted to match various room positions.)
All electronic equipment degrades the signal to a greater or lesser
expent.
Many audiophiles prefer not to use equalizers (including "tone controls",
which are usually simple shelving equalizers), on the grounds that any
improvement in tonal balance is not worth the slight degradation the
electronics produce. Other audiophiles disagree.
That's a start; go look up "equalizers" in a good online source for more
information about how they actually work, what sorts of response changes
they produce, etc..
Peace,
Paul
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