Comparing Graphic EQ's

[Cody AOC]

Hi so I came across something that I can't find what is the difference between this ART EQ355 EQ and the
ART HQ231? From what specs i've seen they both show the EXACTLY the same besides the weight the Art HQ231 is 3 pounds heavier than the ART EQ355. Besides that I find no other difference and one other thing is the signal to noise ratio is -94 any good or is it terrible? I'm wanting to use one of these in my house and i'll be very close to my hi-fi speakers and don't want to spend anymore than $200 since I have to buy many of these for the serval systems I have. Noise is a very concerning thing for me.

Both of the specs for both the units are here: http://artproaudio.com/downloads/specsheets/ss_hq231.pdf
http://artproaudio.com/downloads/specsheets/ss_355.pdf

 

[xero-D-hero]

The ART HQ-231 has a Feedback Detection Circuit.
That's mostly used in live sound reinforcement applications.
It tells the operator if there are any "hot" frequencies and allows them to quickly deal with those (attenuate).

The ART EQ-355 does'nt have the FDC.

For home use the EQ-355 is probably the more logical choice.

The 94db S2N is'nt horrible,that's pretty typical for this sorta gear.
You'll find consumer EQ's that have higher S2N specs.
But how they actually measured those S2N ratings is anyone's guess.
This sorta pro gear is usually pretty honest in their ratings specifications.

Noise should'nt be an issue,but it's impossible for anyone else to know how sensitive you may be to that.
So you should probably just try one out in one system and see if you feel these will work for those other systems too.
Also,these are very common on Ebay and such,so you may be able to find a better deal there vs. buying retail.
That or check with local music stores or such,they almost always have a large supply of trade-ins and the like.

BTW I own an EQ-341 for my 4ru portable rig,and it does the job no problemo.
Been very happy with that piece of gear so far.

Good luck here.

Bret P.

 

[Cody AOC]

The ART HQ-231 has a Feedback Detection Circuit.
That's mostly used in live sound reinforcement applications.
It tells the operator if there are any "hot" frequencies and allows them to quickly deal with those (attenuate).

The ART EQ-355 does'nt have the FDC.

For home use the EQ-355 is probably the more logical choice.

The 94db S2N is'nt horrible,that's pretty typical for this sorta gear.
You'll find consumer EQ's that have higher S2N specs.
But how they actually measured those S2N ratings is anyone's guess.
This sorta pro gear is usually pretty honest in their ratings specifications.

Noise should'nt be an issue,but it's impossible for anyone else to know how sensitive you may be to that.
So you should probably just try one out in one system and see if you feel these will work for those other systems too.
Also,these are very common on Ebay and such,so you may be able to find a better deal there vs. buying retail.
That or check with local music stores or such,they almost always have a large supply of trade-ins and the like.

BTW I own an EQ-341 for my 4ru portable rig,and it does the job no problemo.
Been very happy with that piece of gear so far.

Good luck here.

Bret P.

Thanks I didn't know about the feedback detection circuit was better in the HQ231.
But one more question to you is how good will this work with a subwoofer because 1 of the EQ355 was for my speakers and then a second on for a subwoofer do you think this would be a good option for that?

 

[Poinzy]

At your price level, I think most pros would recommend dbx EQ's over ART EQ's. Just tossing that in for consideration

 

[JoeESP9]

As someone who uses a 12 band per channel DSP, IMO using two EQ355's is completely unnecessary and true overkill.

FWIW: I use a DBX 223SX, electronic crossover along with the already mentioned DSP.

 

[xero-D-hero]

At your price level, I think most pros would recommend dbx EQ's over ART EQ's. Just tossing that in for consideration

The DBX EQ's typically dont have unbalanced RCA ins/outs.
That's usually why many folks look to using these ART EQs.
They have a foot in both the consumer & pro audio worlds

Thanks I didn't know about the feedback detection circuit was better in the HQ231.

It's not that it's "better" per-se.it's just a tool for a more specific application (live sound) that's not really all that necessary for this sorta useage.
The EQ-355 does'nt have the FDC at all,it only has a clipping indicator LED for each channel.
The FDC has LED's for each specific band to tell the operator which specific band is "too hot".

But one more question to you is how good will this work with a subwoofer because 1 of the EQ355 was for my speakers and then a second one for a subwoofer do you think this would be a good option for that?

I kinda agree with the vvvv below vvvv comment that this would be a bit overkill.

As someone who uses a 12 band per channel DSP, IMO using two EQ355's is completely unnecessary and true overkill.

Also I agree DSP is a good (likely the best) way to approach this sorta scenario.
But no doubt it has it's own learning curve that intimidates some potential users.

But aside from using some sorta DSP,here's what I'd likely do if using regular EQ's for something like you describe:
I would probably use one 15 band stereo EQ for the main speakers (EQ-341) and one mono 31 band EQ for the subwoofer (EQ-351).
I'd leave the 15 band flat below the chosen Hz and the 31 band flat above the chosen Hz,lets say as an example 250Hz or so.
That would give a finer adjustment for the sub EQ (12 bands IIRC),and still leave 10 bands to play with on the stereo EQ for the main speakers.

That ^^^^ of course assumes one solo sub is in use and it is being fed a mono signal (ie: not stereo subs -or- distributed bass).

HTH

Bret P.

 

[goodolpg]

I have both the ART 355 and 2 ART HQ 231's.
As mentioned the main difference is the feedback detection circuitry in the 231.
Both have worked as they should and IMO are good EQ's for not a large amount of $$.
If you like pretty dancing lights go for the 231's. Be aware they can not be turned off, though after some time with them they won't be nearly as obvious as when you first get them. After a while they kind of fade into the background with familiarity.
One thing I like about those two ART models is the fact they have RCA connections as well as balanced connections. The RCA's make it easy to integrate them into a home stereo rig.