Audioclinic (Q and A) (Nov. 1973)

by Joseph Giovanelli

Musical Instrument Versus Hi Fi Sound

Q. I am planning to construct a bass reflex enclosure with a duct behind the port.

I want to build a system which can handle the sound of a pedal steel guitar and also play recorded music. The loudspeakers I plan to use are designed for musical instrument reproduction. I am interested solely in reproducing rock and jazz; basically, music produced by guitar, bass, drums and organ.

With the help of a graphic equalizer, can I smooth out the response for recorded music?

-Dennis Lipster, Bellerose, New York

A. I have not found it possible to make speakers designed for musical instruments produce good sound for high fidelity systems.

Musical instrument speakers are designed to produce certain colorations so that the instruments have a specific sound quality. Therefore, some people do feel that such speakers will be great for reproducing these same sounds. Remember, however, that the sound has already been colored by the nature of the speakers originally producing the sound. It will be colored once again during playback. The quality or alterations of quality, therefore, will be enhanced. This "enhancement" may not be an improvement in quality.

A graphic equalizer will not smooth out speaker resonances and dips. These speaker aberrations are much sharper than the equalizer's filters.

I suggest, therefore, that you use two separate sets of speakers: one for live playing, and another for sound reproduction.

Using an Equalizer

Q. The idea of an equalizer working over many different frequency ranges to compensate for room differences fascinates me, but who is to tell me whether I am going to make matters better or worse by twiddling with the controls? My present amplifier, in addition to bass and treble controls, has a contour control, which, believe me, affects the bass. I will go for a month without emphasizing the bass and then decide that things sound thin and go another month the other way.

Do equalizer manufacturers provide advice or test recommendations which will protect me against my own bad musical judgment?

-Francis Woodbridge, Boston, Massachusetts

A. An individual's ideas of good musical sound can change from time to time. I do not think, therefore, that you need "protection."

Some manufacturers of equalizers do offer guides for the initial setup and adjustment of an equalizer to compensate for deficiencies in the loudspeaker system and in room acoustics.

We might sometimes want to compensate for deficiencies in the sound of the discs or tapes or to accommodate our own feelings at a given time.

Therefore, just make changes in equalization whenever they seem necessary.

Listening to music is a highly subjective experience. There is really no right or wrong way to listen to audio.

Listen in accordance with your mood.

Forget logic. If you enjoy the results you can achieve with an equalizer, this enjoyment is what counts.

While such equalizers are capable of producing great changes in the quality of sound it is likely that you will only need to make small changes of the setting of any given control to produce a useful enhancement to your enjoyment of music.

It is generally a good idea to record tapes without using the equalizer. The equalizer can then be used during playback of these tapes. This is most true when you first get your equalizer because you will want to experiment with it quite a bit. Once a tape has been recorded with some equalization, it could be difficult to alter the reproduction later on when you have learned more about the uses and abuses to which such equalizers are subject.

(Audio magazine, Nov. 1973)

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