Does Windows 7 have an equiliizer for controlling audio?

[richard1980]

When a manufacturer lists "Frequency Response: X-Y Hz", all they're saying is "We were able to reproduce some measurable SPL at every frequency between X and Y". Like many other specifications, that statement is just a marketing gimmick that has no real meaning and is designed to appeal to ignorant consumers. Any decent-quality speaker will list the frequency response along with the relevant terms that give it some meaning (e.g, "Frequency response on axis at 0 degrees +- 3 dB: X-Y Hz"). So I don't think it's a case of companies fudging the numbers...they just don't publish all of the necessary data to give those numbers any real meaning.

[barnabas1969]

I agree, Richard. I suppose I should have been more detailed. Yes, in most cases, if they say something like that without giving any further specification, the speaker will produce some sound at the indicated range. My point was that they are "fudging" the numbers to make people think the product is better than it is. I see this most often on audio products from companies I've never heard of. I certainly hope the OP didn't pay $400+ per pair for those speakers.

[blueiedgod]

If I am looking at speakers, and they have a "spec" that says they will reproduce sound at 24Hz, I sure as hell will want my money back if they don't.

These are not some cheapo speakers, they are like $400. I bought a whole set of Pioneers for under $200 a couple of years ago from Newegg when they had them on sale.

Someone threw out an Infinity sub because "it was buzzing" I replaced the sub for $100 and it is like new.

It is all powered by Denon 1612 AVR that was on sale for $129 shipped.

It sure is not top of the line, but for the price they work together nicely. Clean, crisp sound, with detailed voice and music reproduction for a relatively large family room (about 20x30 feet)

[richard1980]

$400 for a pair of speakers is the very definition of "cheapo". There are no decent quality speakers on the market for $400/pair. About the cheapest decent quality speakers that I know of are the PSB Imagine series, which go for about $800/pair for the mini, $1100/pair for the bookshelf, and $1200/pair for the tower. And that's just for the main speakers. A full set of 7.1 speakers will run you around $5000-$6000.

As for the Pioneer speakers, the name says it all. Pioneer doesn't make quality speakers at all.

I'm reminded of what someone once told me about dress shoes: A $200 dress shoe will last about twice as long as a $100 dress shoe, but a $300 dress shoe will last a lifetime. I think the same concept is true for speakers. And IMO, if you can't afford to go with something that's at least somewhat decent quality, why waste any more money than necessary?

[RyC]

richard, have you seen the Pioneer Andrew Jones line? They seem to get pretty good reviews considering how cheap they are. There's a huge thread at avsforum http://www.avsforum.com/t/1278774/pione ... rice-point

[blueiedgod]

richard, have you seen the Pioneer Andrew Jones line? They seem to get pretty good reviews considering how cheap they are. There's a huge thread at avsforum http://www.avsforum.com/t/1278774/pione ... rice-point

That's actually what I got. Andrew Jones line.

It is going to be a very, very cold day in heck when I spend $6000 on a set of speakers. Perhaps if I were some sort of musician, or somehow made money with the speakers, I would have considered it. But, I am not. All I want is to hear what is said on TV as if they were in the room with me. I don't need to rattle neighbors' windows.

[barnabas1969]

It sounds to me like Richard is a real audio snob.

I bought my set of Sony speakers back in 2003 for about $550 for the whole 6.1 system. They sound great to me, and will rattle the windows when there's a big explosion on the TV... if the volume is turned up high enough. Of course, that was a deep discount... I forget how much they retailed for... but nowhere near the $5K that Richard is talking about.

I like them, and that's all that matters.

I picked up my AVR's - both the old Sony ES system that's now being used in my bedroom, and the new Yamaha RX-A2010 that I have in the living room now - at big discounts too. E-bay is your friend.

They're not crazy expensive systems, even at retail prices, but they do the job I want them to do.

I'd have to check... but I think my Sony subwoofer has three 8" drivers in it. It's ported too! Strike that... now that I think about it, it's actually a band pass box, which means that the drivers are mounted in a sealed enclosure, and that the front side of the drivers are inside a ported enclosure. And I think it does a great job.

[richard1980]

richard, have you seen the Pioneer Andrew Jones line? They seem to get pretty good reviews considering how cheap they are.

I find that in most product reviews, the price point is often a factor in the review, so most reviews/recommendations are more of a price vs performance comparison than a true performance review. Such is the case with the Andrew Jones line of speakers. Sure, they're some of the best speakers you can buy for that price, but when you ignore price and look only at the performance, they don't perform nearly as well as true high quality speakers, such as a pair of Revel Ultima Studio2s.

It is going to be a very, very cold day in heck when I spend $6000 on a set of speakers

I'm not saying that anybody should spend that kind of money on speakers. I'm just saying that true high-quality speakers cost a lot more than $450/pair.

It sounds to me like Richard is a real audio snob.

I'm not an audio snob; I just don't like to pretend that something is anything other than what it is. I don't have high-quality speakers. But what's important is the fact that I know that I don't have high-quality speakers.

[curtis]

Many companies fudge their frequency response numbers. Don't believe it unless it's a very reputable company (never heard of that brand) and they specify that the frequency response listed is +/-3dB.

Agree with Richard. Set both the high pass and low pass filters to 80.

Agreed, and then run the YPAO autoconfig. With today's pretty amazing auto-config tech, you really should ever be messing with equalizers and such unless you are a audio pro with some test equipment to match your skills.
I have some an older M&K THX Select set that are supposed to be set at 80 per thx standard but after running through my new Pioneer sc1223, it actually turned it up higher, to 100.