Outboard EQ for monitors?

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <BsrBd.7275$yW5.1131@fed1read02>,
"SJMoore" <SJMoore@yahoo.com> wrote:

> I got these Nady model 250 50/50w biamped near field monitors. They sound
> very muddy to me. If I EQ down the base up to 160hz and raise up the
> treble, they sound better. Problem is, I drive a 2nd pair of speakers off
> the same audio output (Sound card on PC) and the JBLs sound great to my
> ears(full size passive JBLs with Yamaha 100W amp.)
>
> I got the NADYS as can be desktop and I wanted something that I location
> properly to my ears and that would be nearfield.
>
> Is there a cheap stereo EQ I can put inline with the audio to the Nadys to
> knock down some of the muddyness and boost treb? If so, can you point in
> the direction to buy such a thing?
>
> Any thoughts on EQ or anything else you think might improve the situation
> are appreciated.
>
> Thanks for any tips!


Just do yourself a favor and use the money you might spend on an EQ to
save up for better monitors that don't need to be EQed. Also, the
muddiness could very well be a room problem -- small rooms tend to have
bass resonance problems. Ethan Winer is the resident expert on the
acoustic treatment necessary to solve these kinds of problems.

Or, if the JBLs really sound great, just use the JBLs and ditch the Nady
speakers. Nady doesn't exactly sit at the top (or middle) of anyone's
list for monitor speakers.

As for replacements on the inexpensive (as far as monitors go) side, I
can strongly recommend the Mackie HR624s. I've had them since last
summer and still am happy to have paid $600 for a pair (slightly used).
I figure anything that costs $600 that I don't regret buying 6 months
later is a good purchase.

-Todd

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

> Is there a cheap stereo EQ I can put inline with the audio to the Nadys to
> knock down some of the muddyness and boost treb?

Take it from someone who has been down this road and don't go
there.........don't even think of going there. You are not doing live sound.
A cheap EQ is going to likely cause phase anomalies and generally degrade
the accuracy of your reference. This won't improve your monitoring setup. I
tried this years ago with expensive 30 band graphic EQ's and also expensive
5 band parametric EQ's thinking I would try to EQ the monitors rather than
analyze and go to the trouble/expense of treating a room I knew I wouldn't
be occupying for very long. Total waste of time and money (though the EQ's
worked nicely for other applications eventually)

Educate yourself on rooom acoustics. You might want to start here:

www.ethanwiner.com

Buy or build the appropriate acoustic treatments.

Buy the best monitors you can afford and test a number of them in the
*treated* room you will be using to mix.

There's no quick and dirty fix for what you're describing that I know of.

I had been treating my spaces myself for years with increasingly positive
results but when I moved to my new room last spring, I wanted it *right* and
I didn't have the time or desire to wrestle with this any more. I brought a
consultant who had experience designing major facilities out to my place to
help me get my head around the whole thing. It was the best money I've ever
spent on my studio.

If you live in a large city, this shouldn't be too hard to accomplish and
will save you lots of time, grief and money
in the long run. Plus, you can use this knowledge forever.

Doug Joyce
Animix Productions
Durango, CO
http://www.graphicresultsofdurango [...] tudio.html


"SJMoore" <SJMoore@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:BsrBd.7275$yW5.1131@fed1read02...
> I got these Nady model 250 50/50w biamped near field monitors. They
sound
> very muddy to me. If I EQ down the base up to 160hz and raise up the
> treble, they sound better. Problem is, I drive a 2nd pair of speakers
off
> the same audio output (Sound card on PC) and the JBLs sound great to my
> ears(full size passive JBLs with Yamaha 100W amp.)
>
> I got the NADYS as can be desktop and I wanted something that I location
> properly to my ears and that would be nearfield.
>
> Is there a cheap stereo EQ I can put inline with the audio to the Nadys to
> knock down some of the muddyness and boost treb? If so, can you point in
> the direction to buy such a thing?
>
> Any thoughts on EQ or anything else you think might improve the situation
> are appreciated.
>
> Thanks for any tips!
>
>