Review on ART EQ341 Channel Graphic Equalizer by Tony Wilson

Hooked up my new ART 341 today between a Grace Internet Tuner (model 200) and a Qinpu A-6000 hybrid tube amp with a small set of cheap BIC DV62si speakers. First off, the reviewer who said the RCA jacks on this EQ are too small is full of it. They are the right size and my premium connectors fit very well. I have had many home stereo equipment in my life, up to Onkyo M-504, M-508, Bose 201, 301, 501 and 901, various Polks, JBL 4312 studio monitors, Japanese non-export Onkyo Monitor 1000 series speakers, Dbx- Gear, Klipsh reference speakers (existing), Onkyo EQ, Onkyo HT (existing) and more. For $99, this is the best equalizer out there. Once I had. I also had some junk, like an Audiosource equalizer. This equalizer costs less money than Audiosource junk and is way better! It can be used with professional equipment or unbalanced 2-channel consumer. This is commercial quality. Ultra quiet noise. All potentiometers are of very good quality. I think it's better and just as good or even better than the old dbx block I had. It has professional features that audio source junk doesn't like, left and right output trims, clip limit indicators, selectable 6dB or 12dB scaling, plus a ground lift for any noise and professional-grade jacks on the rear panel. Since it can be used for both professional use and at home on consumer components, it is much more flexible and should better hold its value. It's more compact than the Audiosource with its big, distracting LED spectrum display, which I turned off because it's just a gaudy light show that doesn't go with anything in color. Some of the AS EQ's function buttons are labeled with positions etc. This EQ is not a mindless business EQ. It might not be the best professional product out there, but in my opinion it's pretty damn good. Low cost and very good quality are not easy to find. Visit the ART website. Your material and website look good. Excellent value for money and quality. Anyway, after tweaking this EQ on my little system, the sound is pretty damn good! Damn better than an apartment with nothing. The BICs are definitely worth the $108 I paid for them, but at this price they're still cheaper, lower-density 6-inch bookshelf speakers. They are a little strong in the middle and a little weak in the bottom. You have a happy ending. I once put a smile on each side of this 15 band to start with and then tweaked the outside edges down and up a bit and it sounds pretty good for what it is. Got the boom, resonance off the bottom end and tightened. Got some crystal from the top end and dampened the mids a bit. Sounds pretty good thanks to this ART 341. It's a very good deal at only $99. You cannot surpass them. Yes, you really need an EQ for most settings, despite what some audio snobs say because they have big bucks to buy stuff they really know. Achieving a perfect match between everything without an equalizer is rare when required. This is possible in the real world. The trick is knowing how to use the equalizer, which a lot of people don't know. You'll need good hearing, plenty of time to play around with it, but once it's on it's well worth it. I can't live without most systems anymore. Most systems will sound OK with just the bass and treble controls, but will still be smooth. To get clear, powerful, high-fidelity sound out of all those dirty resonances, you need a good EQ. They are a necessary component and used by all professional audio engineers. Get one! You will not be disappointed. PS: I am an old electronics engineer. So when self-proclaimed "audiophiles" throw around terminology they've read in a vendor's brochure or parrot, I actually know what it means, aside from being buzzwords.