Modding the EQ

[Line Out]

So, I've been thinking this quite a lot. Most of the "black box" -era boomers have 5 or even 10-band EQ's, but most of the time the lowest frequency is 100Hz. That is way too high to adjust the "boom". It should be somewhere around 50-80, depending on the "abilities" of the box.
Sanyo LA3600 is one of the 5-band EQ IC's. It would be really easy to modify the frequencies in this kind of circuit.

Or even add another IC and make it a 10 band. That is what I thought about doing to my newly acquired ICS STR 5099A. It has faked EQ sliders. For cosmetic reasons I believe, all the 10 sliders are working in pairs. That is really cumbersome.

Hitachi for most part, I believe, has the lowest frequency in a EQ. Thats 60 or 63Hz .

Usually 5 band eq is something like 100 - 300 -1k - 3k - 10k, but a more practical setting for the 2 lowest frequencies would be 50 - 150. Most of the time you don't really need to adjust the 300Hz much. But for getting that bass "right", you would need to have a low and mid/high bass adjustments.

For a 10 band EQ I would go for something like 40 - 60 - 80 - 100 - 300 - 800 -2k - 4k - 8k - 14k, when usually they start from 100. And that makes me a sad panda.

 

[Cpl-Chronic]

think of the 100Hz slider in a 5-band as BASS. All bass controls center on the 100Hz freq. yet you get plenty of 50Hz action from incresing it but 'loudness' which is a 50Hz boost is what you are looking for. That is the reason I don't like EQ's, I prefer the BASS, TREBLE & LOUDNESS type of controls as they sound more natural & have less distortion, overall.

 

[Line Out]

Well, the market has been doing "bass" controls at 100Hz point for ages. But from my point of view, "low" bass is 25-45Hz, "mid" bass is 45-60Hz and "high" bass is 60-120Hz+

Other big thing with eq's is the Q-factor. Thats how wide or narrow the adjustable point is. No idea what values these cheap IC's on the boxes have.

I'm always fiddling with the EQ, be it any given audio gear that has one.

But granted, BASS & TREBLE controls with a good Loudness can be really satisfying. Great example of this is my Crown. The Bass knob has its few last steps really boosted, don't know how they've pulled that one. And the Loudness switch is magnificent too. Though Treble control could be a bit better.