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Equalizer suggestions? Will an EQ really make a significant audio improvement?

Return the Pyle, fix the tweeter. 2" paper tweeters don't "sparkle", but they get by. A speaker upgrade would help immensely. Fabric or metal domes, polycarbonate would be a distant third.
I've got a Pro-ject phono stage which is pretty good for the money. I miss my Sutherland.
 
I got the TCC-750 that was listed/reviewed in the link below:
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/budget-lomc-preamp-shootout.975553/
I ultimately upgraded the power supply with one that delivered more current, but I can't say definitively that it made much of a difference. I want to say it did, but in all honesty, I can't differentiate between a small improvement and confirmation bias. I don't have any experience with the ART pre, but I have a couple ART mic preamps in my home recording studio; I would be comfortable purchasing and using one.

As for cartridges, as I mentioned earlier, I saw a dramatic improvement going from a red to blue cartridge. I'm nearly as bound by budgetary concerns as you and I was really hesitant to spend more than double the amount for the Blue than the Red, I just couldn't envision it making that significant of an improvement in SQ. While it had been many, many years since I'd invested in a cart, my recollection of 20 years ago was that a really good sounding cartridge and stylus was never more than $100, so it seemed preposterous to spend $240, right? I got one from amazon out of desperation- I didn't think it would make much of a difference and if it didn't, it was easy enough to return and get my money back. Installation was simple- Blue and Red use the same cartridge body and different styli, so I merely swiped the stylus and was off to the races. On first listen, I was simply astounded at the improvement. Going forward, I would not hesitate to get one again and have concluded that it's price point is likely the standard, going rate for a quality entry level cartridge. Others will be able to weigh in on other brands, but I am quite satisfied with the Ortofon Blue.
 
Gigantic said:
I got the TCC-750 that was listed/reviewed in the link below:
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/budget-lomc-preamp-shootout.975553/
I ultimately upgraded the power supply with one that delivered more current, but I can't say definitively that it made much of a difference. I want to say it did, but in all honesty, I can't differentiate between a small improvement and confirmation bias. I don't have any experience with the ART pre, but I have a couple ART mic preamps in my home recording studio; I would be comfortable purchasing and using one.

As for cartridges, as I mentioned earlier, I saw a dramatic improvement going from a red to blue cartridge. I'm nearly as bound by budgetary concerns as you and I was really hesitant to spend more than double the amount for the Blue than the Red, I just couldn't envision it making that significant of an improvement in SQ. While it had been many, many years since I'd invested in a cart, my recollection of 20 years ago was that a really good sounding cartridge and stylus was never more than $100, so it seemed preposterous to spend $240, right? I got one from amazon out of desperation- I didn't think it would make much of a difference and if it didn't, it was easy enough to return and get my money back. Installation was simple- Blue and Red use the same cartridge body and different styli, so I merely swiped the stylus and was off to the races. On first listen, I was simply astounded at the improvement. Going forward, I would not hesitate to get one again and have concluded that it's price point is likely the standard, going rate for a quality entry level cartridge. Others will be able to weigh in on other brands, but I am quite satisfied with the Ortofon Blue.
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Taking inflation into account, the cutie ATVM95 at what currently $49, would equate to an $8 cartridge back in the late 70's, a $100 cartridge today a $16 cart back when, you get what you pay for:dunno:
 
Gigantic said:
I got the TCC-750 that was listed/reviewed in the link below:
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/budget-lomc-preamp-shootout.975553/
I ultimately upgraded the power supply with one that delivered more current, but I can't say definitively that it made much of a difference. I want to say it did, but in all honesty, I can't differentiate between a small improvement and confirmation bias. I don't have any experience with the ART pre, but I have a couple ART mic preamps in my home recording studio; I would be comfortable purchasing and using one.

As for cartridges, as I mentioned earlier, I saw a dramatic improvement going from a red to blue cartridge. I'm nearly as bound by budgetary concerns as you and I was really hesitant to spend more than double the amount for the Blue than the Red, I just couldn't envision it making that significant of an improvement in SQ. While it had been many, many years since I'd invested in a cart, my recollection of 20 years ago was that a really good sounding cartridge and stylus was never more than $100, so it seemed preposterous to spend $240, right? I got one from amazon out of desperation- I didn't think it would make much of a difference and if it didn't, it was easy enough to return and get my money back. Installation was simple- Blue and Red use the same cartridge body and different styli, so I merely swiped the stylus and was off to the races. On first listen, I was simply astounded at the improvement. Going forward, I would not hesitate to get one again and have concluded that it's price point is likely the standard, going rate for a quality entry level cartridge. Others will be able to weigh in on other brands, but I am quite satisfied with the Ortofon Blue.
Click to expand...

The shootout enlisted the "TCC 760LC" with the upgraded power supply.

I've also had the 750 with the upgraded power supply, purchased to go along with my AR XA when I gave it to my middle son, his receiver doesn't have a phono stage.
 
@ Art Van: No. I do not believe adding an EQ will significantly improve sound quality right now.

Sounds like your budget is tight. I get that. If you look up Fluance TT reviews you will find a lot of information about the Ortofon 2M Red and Blue. There are discussions about the qualities of each. If my memory is correct, the Red is brighter, but they share the same body. Meaning that you can keep your cartridge, and simply change stylus. But I could be wrong about that. You might even be able to find someone willing to swap. Red for Blue.

In my opinion, your most significant sound quality upgrade will come from speakers. Check out CheapAudioMan https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkr6cLAnZiz5NH0NzjNK8rg
He will steer you toward pretty decent low budget speakers. I have a pair of Bose 501's that I recently retired. I set a replacement budget of $1000 and started looking. My research led me to DIY speakers. CheapAudioMan did a video on the value and quality of DIY speakers. I settled on GR Research X-LS. I got the base level kit, hired a local cabinet maker to glue and route the cabinets, put a utilitarian finish on them, and built the crossovers per instructions. Start to finish build videos are available. I've spent between $500 to $600. In terms of "bang for the buck" they aren't furniture, but sound better than speakers that cost a LOT more. I'm a very happy first time DIY speaker builder.

The speaker upgrade allowed me to hear other problems in the system that the 501's simply couldn't reveal. The difference in clarity and detail is well worth the $$, in my humble opinion.

Good luck on your journey.
 
Art Vandalay said:
I bought the Pyle pre-amp because it was inexpensive (about $45). I couldn't spend more than that. As far as the EQ settings for the Onkyo, I have run through each "Listening Mode" to see if any of them fixed the problem, but it did not. The only other audio settings that I know of are "Tone"; treble and bass And both are at their max; 10. Reducing them doesn't make much of a discernable difference at all.
It's too late now, but what cartridge (within the price range of the Ortofon 2M Red) would you suggest for better performance?
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What other sources are you comparing it to? Something that comes to mind is settings on the Onkyo, have you tried resetting it to default, that can do wonders. Tone controls at max and reducing them not making a discernible difference, something going on with that.
 
Fix the speaker(s). Either find an OEM tweeter or contact a vendor like PartsExpress and ask what they would recommend as replacements for your current tweeters. If you go replacements, change BOTH. If I read your other thread correctly you state you can't afford to change both. PE has some inexpensive options. Replacing only the bad tweeter with a non OEM replacement tweeter may lead to an imbalance of volume levels and/or an imbalance of tonal output.
I'm an EQ user but it's not going to fix your fundemantal issue of a broken speaker.
Option 2 get a different pair of speakers. No idea where you are located but some areas have lots of preowned speakers for sale. It's always best to GO LISTEN TO THEM if possible before buying.
I see some mentions about your phono amp being less than optional, maybe replace that after addressing your speaker problem.
 
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charles 1973 said:
The listening mode is not the EQ I'm referring to on the AVR. Look up AUDYSSEY 2EQ set up in the manual or Google it. This requires the use of a microphone that plugs into the AVR that is usually supplied with the unit.

Once you get 20 - 30 hrs on the cartridge it will improve considerably. Both my Nagoaka MP11, And Rega Carbon cartridge sounded disappointing until 20 hrs. By 30 hrs they sounded like a different cartridge. The Ortofon 2M Red isn't a bad cartridge for most. Many people give it top marks. It just not my preference with my system. In fact with you're Bose speakers it might work very well.

As I said, Your Pyle preamp isn't the problem either. The malfunctioning tweeter is a problem. If you have to you might find some used property operating speakers locally for reasonable prices Or a new bookshelf pair can probably be had for about $200, Ideally replacing the tweeter on that Bose speaker is best. Those are nice speakers when they are operating correctly.

Proper cartridge alignment and tracking force is important. You can Google that to confirm its set up properly if you need too.

All in all, you have a decent stereo system there. It just needs a little patience while the cartridge breaks in and a little TLC.
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You know, as long as I have had this receiver I have seen Audyssey in the display and I still have the small disc mic, but never did anything with it! I will download the user manual to find out how to set it. Thanks!
 
Art Vandalay said:
I don't use the tuner. When I had a CD player hooked up, the CDs sounded much better than the records do now. I have a surround sound set up using that tuner, and movies sound fantastic through it (I do get a lot of highs). I just recall that, when I used this same turntable with the Bose 503's I had many years ago, the sound reproduction was much, much better than now.
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Was the tweeter working back then?

To directly answer your question about the equalizer, it can adjust frequency balance, and people do, for various reasons, but it can't restore a damaged signal, nor make up for a missing tweeter.
 
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