Review on dbx 1231 Dual-Channel, 31-Band Graphic Equalizer in Sleek Black Finish - Enhance your Audio with Precision Control by Ryan Frazier

Oh my god I bought a graphic equalizer! Not for my system (nothing wrong with that), my room, or my music. I bought it for myself and my 78 year old ears. I have a recent audiogram that suggests I might sell my tweeters for all the good they bring me. My gradient starts at around 2km and drops off a bit at 8km where the reading stops. In addition to my audiogram, I have noticed a weakening or absence of the sounds of certain instruments on known recordings. For example, in my recording of Ravel's waltz I heard a slight cymbal hit. It just doesn't exist. The harpsichord is not suitable for early music. I bought a dbx 1231 dual channel 31 band equalizer, which meets my absolute requirement: balanced input and output. the music sounds unnatural, will it add a significant amount of noise, will it reduce other audio attributes such as acoustic staging, dynamic range? Will it distort on loud, sudden passages, will the massive string tone be harsh? Well I feel great relief. Overall audio performance seems to have improved. Among other things, the sound stage seems a bit more transparent. I can hear the room where classical music was recorded more. I feel like I'm hearing what I've been missing over the last few years. I only boost 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12k, the first five by about 4db and the last two by 6db. The effect of the EQ is to recreate the sound of old recordings as I heard them 35 years ago, before my high frequencies got to my nose. Pawnshop Jazz is a really good example of this. The device itself is easy to use and quite flexible. Simply grab an XRL cable from your source or preamp and plug it into the XRL input. Connect an XRL cable from the output of the device and connect it to the input of your amplifier. P12 engine, Ayon 35 CD/SACD (tube power amp), Ayon Spirit PA amp, Klipsch Forte IIIs.