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From: greg@olivee.UUCP (Greg Paley)
Newsgroups: net.audio
Subject: Re: equalizers
Message-ID: <438@olivee.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Jul-85 12:17:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: olivee.438
Posted: Mon Jul 29 12:17:54 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 31-Jul-85 04:13:17 EDT
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> Dave Fritzinger
> Public Health Research Institute
> NY,NY
> {allegra!phri!fritz}
> 
...

> In fact, I am of the opinion that even tone
> controls are not needed, and indeed, tend to degrade the sound quality.
> This was proven to me when I compared a really good amp without tone
> controls (in my case, an amp and preamp by Naim) with my old unit, which
> had tone controls.  The result was that the good amp sounded much better.
> 

Although tone controls may degrade the sound quality when reproducing
sonically perfect recordings, the sad fact is that a number of recordings
are defectively equalized and require modification to make them enjoyable
or, in some cases, even listenable.  One could say that record companies
should do this right in the first place, but that doesn't help the
consumer who is stuck with what is actually available.

Prime examples of this are classical reissues, most notable many of
the London "Stereo Treasury" series and various RCA reissues of
Toscanini material.  In an apparent effort to make these old recordings
sound more "hi-fi" the remastering engineers have boosted the treble
and reduced the bass to a degree that drastic compensation is necessary
to restore a reasonable tonal balance.  Those who are more interested
in sound per se than music would argue "why buy those recordings then?",
but for me, at least, there are a number of cases where these recordings
provide the only examples I've heard in which the musical shape and form,
as specified by the composer in the score, emerges in sound.

Therefore, I refuse to give up the superior musical satisfaction of the
older recording.  On the other hand, I refuse to live with the falsifications
a remastering engineer has wrought on the original sound.  Ergo, I need
tone controls.

	- Greg Paley