Pioneer Receiver 9 band eq ?

now that you have recorded you settings, try listening with everything reset to zero. It looks like you have really rolled back the mid-frequencies.

I really like this chart, and note the red bars are "fundamental frequencies" and the yellow extensions are "harmonics". I was surprised at where some of the instruments fell with their fundamental frequencies....
http://www.independentrecording.net/...in_display.htm

It's not hard. Move each slider one at a time and see how the sound is affected.

the higher the frequency, the higher pitched (brighter) the sound is. So if you think the speakers are too bright now, take out that boost at 8kHz, and maybe take down the 4kHz boost to only 1db. Also, bring back up those more midrange frequencies of 500Hz and 1kHz. The "mid-bass" tone you are probably referring too is the 500Hz cut that the EQ has now.

I am kinda surprised the EQ only goes down to 125Hz, my Pioneer Elite (older model) only has a 5band EQ but it goes down to 40Hz. 40Hz is the more rumbly area, 125Hz would probably be considered a bit more of the "boomy" area of sound. Between 125Hz and 1kHz, I would consider "low-mids". 1kHz to 4kHz I consider "high-mids". And above 4kHz I consider to be "highs"

This experimentation is a good idea as a way to educate the ear about the sounds of instruments and how boosting/cutting frequencies affect their sound. OTOH, setting a GEQ by ear (except for those ears on experienced users) is a good way to mess up the sound or, at best, get it to sound right on only one recording. Use with care.

I agree what the other posters said,
just adjust things around and listen. Most newer receivers are dead on for eq adjustments. but,i could be wrong.

This was the result of running an auto EQ feature? I have a hard time believing it generated a "smiley-face" curve...

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

It is just generally how people EQ things for music, dropping the mids out some and boosting the lows and highs. Doesnt give a flat frequency response, but it tends to sound more "musical". Auto EQ stuff should give flat response not a big curve. So your speakers must be super heavy in the mids and nothing else, or the auto EQ isn't doing its job.

Well, if you're familiar with those 9-and 10-band graphic equalizers that were popular back in the 80s, it wasn't uncommon to see people boost up the low-end and and high-end sliders in a kind of "taper," with (using the bass as an example) the lowest frequency slider being boosted the most, the one next to it a bit less, and so on down the line. And the same thing for the upper frequency sliders. Hence, the term "smiley-face," because that's what the the slider positioning ended up looking like. Not unexpectedly, the effect would be a "boom, sizzle" sound with depressed midrange.

When you see someone dial up the smiley-faced curve, it's a sure-fire indicator that you're dealing with an equalizer novice who has no idea what they're for (fortunately, I had the good sense to ask if it was being generated by your receiver and not just assume you were an EQ neophyte - hee hee!). For instance, I know people who will dial in a smiley-face curve on any equalizer they get their hands on, be it their car stereo, home stereo or guitar amp. C'mon, what are the chances that all these speakers require the same EQ curve???

So - that's why I'm surprised to see an auto EQ system dial up a smiley-face curve. Not that it is absolutely never needed - as Enigma noted, if your speakers have overbearing midrange with depressed lows and highs, that would be what they need to flatten their response.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt