Setting a parametric eq

[da5176]

Hey guys I need your help. I have a Pioneer DEH-P4800MP HU. It has a 3-band parametric eq. I'm having trouble using/setting this eq. Does anybody know of some good settings to use for this, or know of a link to explain how to use and set a parametric eq? I've searched on the net and had little luck. I hope someone can point me in the right direction. Thanks.

[MacLeod]

There is no real set way to tune an EQ.

Here is how I recommend you go about it:

Grab a CD that is very well recorded and covers basically what youll be listening to the most. Then just put a good song on, preferably one without any long pauses in it, and set it on repeat. Then play it at the volume youll normally be listening to it and then just start setting the EQ. Play with different levels and bandwidths until youve got it the way you like it. It should take about 2 years. No joke. Youll set it the way you think it sounds best but about a day or so down the road youll notice something that you think needs to be changed.

Does your HU have a graphic EQ? Those are a little easier to work with.

[da5176]

No grapfic eq, just the parametric. I've tried doing what you suggested but like you said, I keep going back and changing the settings and just can't seem to get it right.

[MacLeod]

Youll never get it "right" bro. I know guys that have been competing for several years and have won world championships in sound quality and still retune their systems DAILY! This is a sickness!

Constantly playing with it is also the fun of it.....at least its supposed to be! ;)

[1996blackmax]

You are never really done tweaking....

[cam5860]

LOL it's got to be a sickness think about it. You can go out buy you a 1,000 dollar pair of speakers.

And they can be the best things you have ever heard. But the whole time your thinking man I wonder what I could do to make it sound even better.

One things for sure. If you have the sickness it's never going to sound quite good enough.

[KevinLWhitaker]

I agree with everyone else, it is a sickness and you will never be finished. I have a Clarion head unit which also has a parametric eq (among other things) and am forever adjusting it. However, this link: http://stereos.about.com/cs/componentguide/a/equalizers.htm does have some information on parametric eqs and should provide info to get you started.

Kevin

[Thom]

If you have access to an RTA you can play pink noise and see if you have any trouble spots. I just installed a Zapco DSP- 6 which is a 6 channel (3 stereo pairs) parametric EQ, crossover, time delay piece. It's great. The parametrics are nice because you can choose which bands you want to adjust. I don't know how your EQ is but usually you can adjust center frequency, Q, and level. A lower Q is a "wider" adjustment (a center of 100 Hz with a Q of 1.0 will pull up 50 and 150 Hz as well, but 100 Hz will be the peak, for example). A higher Q is a "narrower" adjustment (100 Hz with a Q of 6.0 will hardly affect anything other than 100 Hz). If you can watch your system play pink noise on an RTA you might see that you have a peak centered at 300 Hz (like my car), but affecting an octave or more on each side of 300. You can set your EQ to 300 Hz, pick a low Q setting (if you can) and bring it down 3 or 6 (or whatever it needs) db. Without some help (RTA), or someone very experienced you'll be guessing as to what you need to adjust.

Remember that just because you have a few bands of EQ you don't have to use them, and if you do it's better to cut than to boost.

[Thom]

Oh, uh, I guess that link pretty much covers it...

:D

[MacLeod]

Im in the middle of trying to master my EQ. It is a pain. I desperately need a 6 channel, 30 band EQ.

Yeah, thats what I need. 5 bands give me a migraine. I cant imagine what 180 will do!

[1996blackmax]

Knowing where the problem areas are really do help. I have a few problem areas that I tackle with my parametric EQ.

[MacLeod]

I would love to have one of those Audiocontrol 30 band RTA's but theyre $2000 or so!!

MECA uses that one for their RTA competitions. According to that one Ive got a pretty good dip at 3500 Hz.

[1996blackmax]

I have a bump in my curve around there.

[Thom]

I'm pretty sure RTA programs can be found for pretty cheap to run on a PC. The AudioControl RTA's are pricey...

[MacLeod]

How could you use it? I dont have a laptop. :confused:

[LittleCar_w/12s]

I recal having a program for a laptop that outputted a constant volume, increasing frequency tone, and recorded a level plot using the microphone. One could then compare them.

But it's on my other PC, which lies defunct.

[hrdhtdvr]

I tried to use the parametric on my hu but "Chickened out" I just use the graphic and have a few different settings pre set to suite the source/music that I am listening to. That way I don't have to pull over to adjust the settings or risk getting into a accident while driving.

[1996blackmax]

You could preset the parametric settings the same way right?

Don't be intimidated by your HU's processing abilities. A parametric EQ can be very beneficial. For my system it allows me to target specific peaks within my vehicle. This is omething that can be hard to do with a graphic EQ.

[MacLeod]

Same here. My HU has either a 5 band PEQ or 7 band GEQ and even tho the graphic covers more I get better results with the parametric.

[hrdhtdvr]

I guess I don't have the patience for it. I tried to mess with it but "got lost" and "got a headache". Maybe I will give it another shot. I do have it dialed in pretty good, to my liking anyway.:D

[1996blackmax]

Exactly Mac, some people seem to think that more bands are better, The thing is that with a PEQ you get alot more control. Many times the GEQ cannot target problem ares, and if the problem bands happen to fall within their range, the Q-Factor on the GEQ is not what is needed.

[1996blackmax]

I guess I don't have the patience for it. I tried to mess with it but "got lost" and "got a headache". Maybe I will give it another shot. I do have it dialed in pretty good, to my liking anyway.:D


Cars usually have peaks around 160Hz or so and a little over 1KHz. Try cutting those by a few db's with a medium Q to see how things sound. You car may have others, but those are typical ones.

[MacLeod]

I guess I don't have the patience for it. I tried to mess with it but "got lost" and "got a headache". Maybe I will give it another shot. I do have it dialed in pretty good, to my liking anyway.:D

The best way to do it was like I said earlier. Put in a CD that represents the type of music you listen to most and make sure its a well recorded one, then pick one song and put it on repeat. Then go into your EQ and work with one band at a time. Turn the level up and then down and then widen the bandwidth. Just remember to do it ONE BAND AT A TIME. This way you wont get lost.

And you may need seperate presets if you listen to different types of music.

MECA's SQ disc is primarily jazz and pretty bass heavy so while I have the same EQ setting for both that disc and my "daily driver" music I have different crossover settings. When I go to a competition, I switch over to that preset and then on the drive back home, Im back on the other one.

[hrdhtdvr]

Thanks, I will try that when I get home in a couple of weeks.

[1996blackmax]

I have a few CD's that I listen to when tuning my system. I just sit there and listen to the same song over, and over, and over, and over, you get the point. I dot this while tuning. Then go to another song and do the same My Eclipse HU's had the ability to to take a picture of the frequency response within my vehicle to show me some problem areas. I was pleased to find my settings from many years ago to be very similar to tackle those spots :D. That took alot of time to do it by ear, with the Eclipse HU's you could see it after a few minutes. Since you don't have that ability, the ear is going to have to do, unless you go to a shop with an RTA.

One thing, make sure that when you start your tuning that you do not use any kind of boost type enhancement, such as the Meida Xpander (MX) function.

[hrdhtdvr]

so I need to shut down (While tuning) my amps bass boost and the hu's MX ?

[1996blackmax]

Yes, you do not want any extra anything while tuning. Usually a properly setup system will not require any boost at all. The one exception I have found are on some MP3's


I do use any boost on my amps, or on my HU (No MX for me). For my EQ, I cut a few bands that have peaks. There are three bands that I cut out of five. On some compressed media I may boost just a db on the upper end , but this is all the boosting I do.

[hrdhtdvr]

First off, Happy 4th of July to everyone!!!

Today I finally got around to tweeking the PEQ in my truck. I think I got it set now. I shut down my amps bass boost, and hu's MX. I set all the channels to flat and then went in and tweeked each channel up and down, side to side, and messed with the width. Thanks for the advice. I say "I think I got it" because I am tweeking all this while suffering from too much Vodka and Redbull last night;)

[MacLeod]

LOL! Yeah, youll probably be resetting everything in the morning. ;)

[1996blackmax]

And then some.... :D

[hrdhtdvr]

I have not had to chance to check it out now that I am hang over free But last night I drove it and even with the MX turned off and the bass boost set to 0, I think I have it pretty well where I want it to be.

[1996blackmax]

Most of the time you will not need any boost on the amp, or the HU. Specially Alpine's sucky Media Xpander.

[MacLeod]

I use my boost. Since my box is smaller than it should be for my sub, it has trouble in the sub 40 Hz range so I use my amps bass boost which helps until I get a better EQ. Its only 6 db tho so its not too much.

[1996blackmax]

Well that is because you did not follow the manufacturer's specks :). If you had there would probably be no need for any boost :D.

You gotta watch the gains with that much boost ;).

[MacLeod]

Thats because I dont have .66 ft3 room under that seat! I was lucky to get the .53 that I did. Ive got a good bit of pollyfill in there but, as the old saying goes, there is no replacement for displacement.