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External Graphic Equalizer

  • 5 September 2018
  • 7 replies
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S
  • Sutt
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Is it worth using my old external graphic equalizer (Onkyo EQ35) with analog-only inputs (RCA) between Sonos CONNECT and Amplifier (Rotel RA-12), or is it better to keep a clean digital signal to the amplifier (with a high quality - Wolfson - DAC)?
I'm using an RCA switch to link several other analog line-in sources (CD Player, Turntable, Minidisc player, etc.) to the CONNECT. I was thinking of using the equalizer AFTER those analog inputs before the CONNECT input, but NOT using it for the streaming output from the CONNECT. Is this a wise approach, or should I run everything through the EQ35 before the amp?
FYI, Ive got a pretty decent 2x2.1 (4.1?) speaker setup with a pair of B&W 686 and vintage JBL 6" bookshelf speakers with B&W ASW610 subwoofer.
I plan to try the set up several different ways, but I am wondering if anyone else has tried these kinds of configurations and especially if the external EQ is worth using over the basic controls within the CONNECT.
Lots of fodder for discussion here. I would appreciate some input.
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Best answer by Kumar 6 September 2018, 04:57

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7 replies

Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
I'd put the EQ on your tape in/out jacks as my first choice. You could then switch it in and out as needed.
S
Unfortunately, my amp doesnt have a tape in/out, only a pre amp which im using for the sub.
Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
A problem with putting any device in-line with your audio signal is noise, and if it is put in post-volume control, like the pre-amp out, the noise can become a major factor. If you do try it between the Connect and your amp set the Sonos volume to fixed (high) to minimize the signal/noise ratio issues.
K
Sonos do not mention what DAC is used in Connect, but no one has yet published a controlled double blind test that picked up any difference heard between it and any other DAC, regardless of the latter's price. Nor have I ever found any difference in my experiences with a bunch of external DACs.

So as long as you use decent cables and connectors for wiring in the addition to the signal path that the Onkyo will involve, and IF it gives you a better ability to customise the sound to your preference compared to the tone controls on the Connect/Rotel, use it. If all it does is increase the length of the signal path, don't.
S
Update - I connected the EQ between the sonos and amp with RCA analog cables, set the line level to "Fixed" and it sounded AMAZING!! Much better than with the standard coax cable and basic tone controls.
Then...
The speakers started making crackling noises. I immediately powered down and checked the speaker wires, (which I replaced as part of the process). A couple banana plug tips were a bit loose, so i tightened them up and everything looked OK. I re-powered the EQ, then the Amp and tried again. It worked blissfully.
Then...
The next morning I hit play (after leaving the amp and EQ on overnight) and now the left channel isn't working at all (on either the A or B channels). Crap!
What have I done?!?!?! I just received the amp back from Rotel for service. I wonder if there are still some bugs in it (I also suspect it somehow fried a toslink cable I had been using, which no longer worked after I switched from my old backup Pioneer amp). I think the Rotel is possessed. Fortunately it is still under warranty. I just hate the thought of sending the thing away for another 6 weeks.
I plan to triple check all the connections again tonight and will update with results. Anything I should check while I'm back behind the dang thing?
Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
The TOS cables are usually just a single light pipe / fiber so there isn't anything electrical to go wrong. About the only thing you normally see is that they get kinked and the fiber breaks. Quite a bit of the time the cable will work with a break in it if it is just a single point but the connection may be iffy.

I don't have a good method of testing the cables but what I have found that can help is to connect a known good cable to one TOS output and the iffy one to a similar output. Hold the opposite ends up to a white background a few inches away and apart and compare the light output. Flexing the suspect TOS cable near the connectors and along the length can also reveal light transmission level changes if there is a fracture.

TOS cables are cheap so I don't hesitate to toss out suspect ones.
S
UPDATE #2 - ADDING A GRAPHIC EQUALIZER TO YOUR SETUP is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Optimized, the setup would include the Graphic EQ between the Sonos CONNECT and an amp with the Sonos volume set to "fixed". This configuration sounds REMARKABLY BETTER than simply connecting the CONNECT to the amp with a coaxial cable (with the Sonos volume also set to "fixed").

Speaking of fixed, I fixed the issues discussed in previous posts by:
- Lowering the "attenuator" on the EQ to resolve the "crackling" sound I was hearing from my speakers.
- Reconnecting the RCA cables that had come loose when I moved the furniture that housed the equipment back into place. This fixed the problem of only one channel coming through the amp. Yes, I should've known this was the case. Yes, I'm an idiot (my wife can easily confirm this claim). Even still, this idiot can stumble on success.

This time, the idiot got lucky and scored with the EQ. Hopefully you can get lucky like me and find a used EQ for $15 at a Goodwill-type store. Good luck and happy listening.
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