OT: old school graphic equalizers

i_r_machinist · Jun 23, 2016

I've been bitten by the nostalgia bug and started looking for graphic equalizers like everyone had in the seventies and early eighties. I had a couple but just pretty much remember the lights on the front. The ones I've seen on ebay just have jacks for two speakers. Was that before surround sound and four speakers? Do they make ones with more than two jacks?
info needed
thanks
i_r_

JST · Jun 23, 2016

Not sure exactly what you are asking, but spent 28 years in the audio biz..... designed a few if those, mostly in other products like mixers, or power amps.....

There are bunches of different kinds of those equalizers, varying from decent to trash. The ones with the lights on the sliders were often trash (pretty lights instead of quality). They can have one channel or two. Don't recall 4 channel ones, but I expect there were some.

Eaxh channel will have an input jack and an output jack, so 2 jacks per channel, at "line level", not speaker level. So you'd not find a "speaker jack" on them (you maybe just mean a "phone jack" connector type) They'd hook into the system in a dedicated "loop" connection, or else just before the poweramp.

These days, it's most likely all DSP based, I've not seen a regular GEQ in years. You are probably looking in the right place, ebay will have them.

Good brands? I wasn't in the consumer audio biz (we made PA systems, etc) and I have forgotten who had them and who was decent.

MetalCarnage · Jun 23, 2016

As far as brands go, my wife worked selling audio equipment at the local "top end" stereo store in that time frame. The brand that sticks in my mind (and we still have some components in the basement) is Denon.

FWIW

-Ron

charlie gary · Jun 23, 2016

DBX was another top name back in the 80's. Nakamichi made some pretty cool cassette decks.

EPAIII · Jun 23, 2016

Well, I am not a graphic equalizer expert, but I did spend a career in radio and TV engineering and every one I did see was a two channel unit so it had two inputs and two outputs. And none of them had speaker outputs, they were line level devices (somewhere between -10 and +10 dbu or dbV). They would be connected to power amplifiers which would drive the speakers.

BTW, it is not a matter of the number of jacks but of the number of internal channels that the unit has. You could easily add additional jacks to the two inputs or two outputs on a two channel unit but that would not mean it could process four channels of audio.

In those days, ff you wanted more channels, like for surround sound, then you just purchased another graphic equalizer. Today most audio processing is done with digital systems and I would suspect that at least some of these systems will have multi-channel graphic equalizers built in.

John Welden · Jun 23, 2016

I had this one in the early 90's and thought I was pretty cool. :rolleyes5:

Jim McIntyre · Jun 23, 2016

i_r_machinist said:
I've been bitten by the nostalgia bug and started looking for graphic equalizers like everyone had in the seventies and early eighties. I had a couple but just pretty much remember the lights on the front. The ones I've seen on ebay just have jacks for two speakers. Was that before surround sound and four speakers?

Yep. Finding a vintage 4 (or more) channel graphic EQ ain't gonna be easy...

Miguels244 · Jun 23, 2016

Nakamichi made the gold standard of tape decks.
Even their car decks had auto azimuth.
Sony actually made nice eqs, as did maranrz.
I had a friend that had one with a white noise generator, mic and spectrum analyzer, pretty slick.
My personal problem with them is they introduce noise and phase error.
I much prefer parametric eq...not that I really care any more.

mdshunk · Jun 23, 2016

I use Behringer FBQxxxxx graphic equalizers in overhead paging, background music, and public address racks all the time, and have for years. Helps tune the system to the space. Price point is certainly right.

JST · Jun 23, 2016

Miguels244 said:
....
My personal problem with them is they introduce noise and phase error.
I much prefer parametric eq...not that I really care any more.

There is NOTHING that can screw up the sound faster than a graphic EQ.

If you want one, OK, but they are SO powerful as a tool, that they are capable of being the original "suck button". Essentially nobody knows how, or why, to make adjustments, and everyone makes the adjustments way too dramatic.

Yes, they make the phase do cartwheels, they often are noisy. They are the audio equivalent of a BFH, when in general you wanted a tack hammer.

Mike C. · Jun 23, 2016

For a brief period of time, Nakamichi also made some REAL nice CD players. I have a couple of 6 disc changers that sound amazing compared to other typical brands. They went south in the late 90s when, like most companies, the name was applied to generic cheap products.

adama · Jun 24, 2016

Real theatre grade 16" rack gear aint expensive. That said they will all be either single or twin aka stereo, you want 4 channels, buy 2 twin channel ones :-)

Chip Chester · Jun 24, 2016

However, 19" rackmount gear is much more reasonable.

Equalizers within Processors - MCM Electronics Category

Here's a few that are new, and reasonably-priced. There are calibrated mics w/smartphone apps to use as real-time audio spectrum analyzers that can help you dial things in, but attempts to tailor response to be truly "flat" are usually accompanied with component failure, as you can't cheat physics when it comes to loudspeaker response. So, you've been warned.

Plus, there's a reason most EQ's are used in closet mode... as in, they wind up unused in the closet.

Many other suppliers out there, too. This MCM stuff is home/semi-pro-grade, usually. Plus, it's likely all in the analog domain, rather than optical in/out. So you'll need to source some other accessories if you're integrating into a home theater system.

Chip

i_r_machinist · Jun 24, 2016

After reading these posts, I realize why I haven't seen one of these in thirty years. Also, as screwed up as my hearing is, if I adjusted the levels to match, nobody would be able to stay in the shop. To get my nostalgia fix, I think I'll get on ebay and look for a bottle of Hi-Karate.
have fun
i_r_

jlrii · Jun 24, 2016

Chip Chester said:
However, 19" rackmount gear is much more reasonable.

Equalizers within Processors - MCM Electronics Category

Here's a few that are new, and reasonably-priced. There are calibrated mics w/smartphone apps to use as real-time audio spectrum analyzers that can help you dial things in, but attempts to tailor response to be truly "flat" are usually accompanied with component failure, as you can't cheat physics when it comes to loudspeaker response. So, you've been warned.

Plus, there's a reason most EQ's are used in closet mode... as in, they wind up unused in the closet.

Many other suppliers out there, too. This MCM stuff is home/semi-pro-grade, usually. Plus, it's likely all in the analog domain, rather than optical in/out. So you'll need to source come other accessories if you're integrating into a home theater system.

Chip

Soundcraftsmen made a ton of them, not sure of the quality. I still have one except it functions in attic mode. I still have a HUGE Soundcraftsmen amp, a PM1600. That is run in storage room mode along with a pair of Polk SDA SRS 2's. Maybe someday they will come out again. One of the many limitations of condo life...sigh...
JR

Conrad Hoffman · Jun 24, 2016

IMO, Soundcraftsman was the big name. I had a nice one but my wife made me get rid of it because I couldn't play any music without fussing with it. I haven't seen one in good condition for a good price in quite a while, though eBay is full of them with various tiny flaws. Search using both '-man and -men. If I remember right, they did it the hard way, with inductors for at least some of the filters.

bloomautomatic · Jun 24, 2016

I have a Technics SH-8017. Bought it in the late 80's. Seemed like a good one to me, but I never compared them side by side. I agree, you could easily mess up your sound with it. I still use it, have it hooked up in the garage stereo.

It's 2 channels, left and right, going out of a dedicated loop on the amp as mentioned previously. The amp has A and B channels for speakers, so you could get 4 speakers out of it, but only 2 channels. The audio - LP, radio, tape, 8-track was only 2 channels (left and right), so there was no need for 4 channel.

v

Scottl · Jun 24, 2016

charlie gary said:
DBX was another top name back in the 80's. Nakamichi made some pretty cool cassette decks.

The big thing with DBX were amplifier modules with logarithmic output for linear input. Many custom mixers were made using their modules with linear slide pots for input. Their LED vuemeters also gave a linear indication of decibels. A very innovative company whose employees often migrated to other audio companies over the years.

Today I think you can accomplish the same thing with various software programs at a lot less cost.

Have you looked at MCM Electronics? They sell a lot of performance geared audio stuff. Instead of ebay you might look into audio forums where people might have surplus vintage gear to sell.

jlrii · Jun 24, 2016

Conrad Hoffman said:
IMO, Soundcraftsman was the big name. I had a nice one but my wife made me get rid of it because I couldn't play any music without fussing with it. I haven't seen one in good condition for a good price in quite a while, though eBay is full of them with various tiny flaws. Search using both '-man and -men. If I remember right, they did it the hard way, with inductors for at least some of the filters.

I had the day off today and this thread made me all nostalgic, spent the last 1-1/2 or 2 hrs digging up all my old audio stuff on line and then some. Damn, I've got all that high powered vintage stuff sitting there, and I am relegated to listening to Pandora thru the computer on set of Creative Labs powered computer speakers. Although 600 w RMS into 4 ohm speakers that weigh 140 Lbs (insert Tim Allen Grunt here, ERGH, ERGH, ERGH) ea ain't gonna fly with the little lady. LOL

JR

charlie gary · Jun 24, 2016

i_r_machinist said:
After reading these posts, I realize why I haven't seen one of these in thirty years. Also, as screwed up as my hearing is, if I adjusted the levels to match, nobody would be able to stay in the shop. To get my nostalgia fix, I think I'll get on ebay and look for a bottle of Hi-Karate.
have fun
i_r_

Throw in some Brill Cream for a more complete package.

OT: old school graphic equalizers

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