Smiley face EQ

[Kym in Hawaii]

You know, all my life I've listened to music with a smiley face EQ setting (high bass and treble, little or no mid).

I'm proud to say that I LIKE my smiley face EQ! Lately I've been told by many musicians and audio enthusiasts that a flat EQ is the way music is meant to be heard. I've even heard a flat EQ on an expensive tube system in a hi-fi shop, but I just don't like it. I think it sounds too harsh.

Just wanted to air my thoughts and champion the smiley face EQ!

Anyone care to convince me otherwise?

[britre]

You have what people like to call "tin ears"

However in your defense, almost all consumer systems made now a days use that particular curve as it is least offensive to the common publics ears and most "Non-Audiophile Types" prefer their music to be ..... boom boom boom boom boom, Ching, boom boom, ching, boom booom boom booooooooom oh oh, I lost all my speakers except that 15" sub in the back, where did my ching go???

[britre]

In response further, my EQ curve was set specifically for my room acoustics, then fine tuned for my taste of very clear high mids and detail. It is more or less a straight line with bost at 2k, 500hz, and 8k. it is on the negative at 30hz and 10 khz.

[lukpac]

Well, it's really a case of "it depends". It depends on your speakers. It depends on what you're listening to. It depends on your room.

"Flat EQ" is pretty much anything but. Speakers color the sound. Your room colors the sound. What you're listening to may not be mixed/mastered in the best way possible.

All that said, I usually keep my own "loudness" switch off. It's generally too much of a boost for my tastes.

[Kym in Hawaii]

Good lord, my post has created a bit of a hubbub in the Hoffman forum!

You know, my EQ is not that much of a smile - it's more like a, well, curve of contentment.

By and large, I agree with you, Luke - it *is* a case of "it depends." There are many variables that dictate what a system will sound like, which has been pointed out in the Hoffman forum. I do a majority of my listening in the car, where the EQ is set to all flat with a slight tweak in the high ends. My stereo at home has a "W"-shaped EQ setting (kinda like the constellation Cassiopea).

Perhaps Steve is right - I *am* mixing up CDs with smiley EQ masterings and me listening to CDs WITH the smiley EQ setting on my stereo.

In all, most of my EQs have that slight curve.

[Ron]

The bottom line? Mix 'um and listen to 'um with whatever EQ sounds best to you in your room environment. The only caveat is that if you mix the files with a smile you're sort of stuck with that. Should you change speakers and/or move to another location you're stuck with CDs mixed to a listening environment that no longer exists and then have to apply additional EQ to compensate. But having said that, I mix my own CDs with an EQ that suits me NOW. The future be damned! We're all gonna die anyways [grin]. Of course, those of us living in Tokyo may die sooner than the rest of you [sad face/frown.]

[Sound]

Good lord, my post has created a bit of a hubbub in the Hoffman forum!

No kidding! I especially like the ones that say, "I can't imagine why a SH forum member would be affraid to post that here. I'd never..."
What a bunch of maroons.
Another suggested, "Maybe they are confused..."
Didn't seem 'confused' to me.
I guess if you have a differing opinion, you are 'confused'.
Funny how it was posted here, (maybe so they wouldn't get ambushed)
but they still manage to circle the wagons at that site. Maybe they are just a bunch of 'confused' injuns.

And notice how they just love to invoke Luke's name, even after they deliberately chased him off. Is Big brother having second thoughts? Or just missing a voice of reason every once in a while?

[Rspaight]

Listening to music is supposed to be a pleasant experience, so whatever way makes *you* smile is fine and dandy. Worrying about whether you're listening "correctly" is such a waste of our brief lives (hopefully not too brief, though -- I'm keeping you and your neighbors in my thoughts, Ron).

The forums are valuable to see what others' opinions are, but there's no sense in listening in a way that's unpleasant to you, just because someone on a forum says it's the right way. Trying something different never hurts (and sticking with it for a while is a good idea, since something new will always sound odd for a time until you acclimate to it), but in the end you're the only one whose opinion matters.

Ryan

[lukpac]

Good points, Ryan.

It's one thing to say "maybe if you listened *this* way you'd be more happy", but it's quite another to say "you will be more happy listening this way, the way you are listening now is wrong". To be fair, I'm sure I've taken the latter stance a few times - I'm sure many of us have at one point or another (heck, just look at our Jon Astley trashing). But with many things audio, there isn't a clear "right" or "wrong". Maybe 99% of people would prefer to listen a certain way (at least if "educated"), but there's still that 1% that would like to listen another way.

It's a touchy subject...

[Patrick M]

It's a touchy subject...

But you're obviously a sensitive individual. Dare I say "compassionate."