Hagrid
New Member
I received a new Lokius Equalizer yesterday from Schiit and wanted to give my first impression on the EQ. It arrived quickly and well packaged. I bought the Lokius to add some subtle bass guitar and kick-drum punch to my system. I'm running a Fluance RT85 turntable with a 2M Blue cartridge, iFi ZEN Phono amp, Old Chen single ended EL34 tube amp (upgraded tubes), and Klipsch Cornwall II speakers. I mainly listed to rock and alternative rock, a few examples of favorite ablums are; Supertramp Breakfast In America, Manfred Mann's Earth Band The Roaring Silence, Men At Work Cargo, Gary Wright Dreamweaver, Peter Frampton Comes Alive, well you get the point!
As many of you know, the Cornwall's horns (mids and highs) are dominate for the style of music I regularly listen to. I definitely wanted to hear a little more bass guitar and to feel the kick-drum punch.
When I installed the new Lokius I did the typically test, equalizer in/out with the knobs set at default. With the amp set at 1/2 volume, I didn't hear any hiss or hum. It was dead silent. I was very pleased!
Now it was time to see if the Lokius can give me what I want. I started with the 120Hz knob and cranked it up, at the 2 o'clock position the woofers in the Cornwall's started to wake up. I was hearing some real bass. At the 3 o'clock position it was getting better and at the 4 o'clock position I was hearing what I wanted. Taking it all the way to the 5 o'clock position was still perfect. Best of all, the Cornwall's woofers sounded great without any booming or bass swelling. Not wanting to run the EQ at max, I backed the 120Hz knob to the 4 o'clock position where I will leave it for now.
Next, I checked out the 20Hz knob. This sub frequency setting for me was more about sustaining bass presence in rock music. It felt more natural in the 1 o'clock position but that is personal preference.
As for the mid and high frequency adjustments, I'm not going to say much other than a little goes a long way. I ending up setting the 400Hz knob to the 1 o'clock position, 2kHz to the 1:30 position, and 6kHz and the 16kHz knobs to around the 1 o'clock position. As mentioned earlier my Cornwall II speakers are very dominate in the mid to high range so I was mainly looking to add subtle bass.
The Lokius is well built. The switches and knobs are good quality and tight. The AC/DC transformer is large, but I hope that means that it will be reliable for a long time.
I have seen some reviewers who would like for the frequency knobs to be further apart. I really like the small footprint so the knobs are fine for me. Plus, I really don't plan to be making regular adjustments.
The unit does get warm but not hot.
The only negative comment I have is that the power LED light on the front panel is way to bright. I hung a small piece of blue painter's tape over it and now I get a subtle blue glow. The bright LED was really annoying when listening to music with the lights turned down low.
Overall, the Lokius is a big win for my setup and listening preference. It add subtle bass and warmth without any hiss, hum, or bass swelling. As for long term reliability, I'll let you know in a couple years!
Hope this helps!
As many of you know, the Cornwall's horns (mids and highs) are dominate for the style of music I regularly listen to. I definitely wanted to hear a little more bass guitar and to feel the kick-drum punch.
When I installed the new Lokius I did the typically test, equalizer in/out with the knobs set at default. With the amp set at 1/2 volume, I didn't hear any hiss or hum. It was dead silent. I was very pleased!
Now it was time to see if the Lokius can give me what I want. I started with the 120Hz knob and cranked it up, at the 2 o'clock position the woofers in the Cornwall's started to wake up. I was hearing some real bass. At the 3 o'clock position it was getting better and at the 4 o'clock position I was hearing what I wanted. Taking it all the way to the 5 o'clock position was still perfect. Best of all, the Cornwall's woofers sounded great without any booming or bass swelling. Not wanting to run the EQ at max, I backed the 120Hz knob to the 4 o'clock position where I will leave it for now.
Next, I checked out the 20Hz knob. This sub frequency setting for me was more about sustaining bass presence in rock music. It felt more natural in the 1 o'clock position but that is personal preference.
As for the mid and high frequency adjustments, I'm not going to say much other than a little goes a long way. I ending up setting the 400Hz knob to the 1 o'clock position, 2kHz to the 1:30 position, and 6kHz and the 16kHz knobs to around the 1 o'clock position. As mentioned earlier my Cornwall II speakers are very dominate in the mid to high range so I was mainly looking to add subtle bass.
The Lokius is well built. The switches and knobs are good quality and tight. The AC/DC transformer is large, but I hope that means that it will be reliable for a long time.
I have seen some reviewers who would like for the frequency knobs to be further apart. I really like the small footprint so the knobs are fine for me. Plus, I really don't plan to be making regular adjustments.
The unit does get warm but not hot.
The only negative comment I have is that the power LED light on the front panel is way to bright. I hung a small piece of blue painter's tape over it and now I get a subtle blue glow. The bright LED was really annoying when listening to music with the lights turned down low.
Overall, the Lokius is a big win for my setup and listening preference. It add subtle bass and warmth without any hiss, hum, or bass swelling. As for long term reliability, I'll let you know in a couple years!
Hope this helps!
. I'm curious if you noticed any impact on overall imaging or any other negative impacts to the sound by introducing the Lokius into the signal path. I'm driving a pair of Talon Khites with a Sumo Polaris amp and rotel av preamp. The Khites (and Cornwalls) are VERY revealing of their source so I admit I might be approaching things from the wrong angle. I noticed McIntosh just came out with their own EQ as well. But for $3k I'll let others test it out and wait for it to be on the used market! Enjoy the music!
