invaliduser's Full Review: AudioControl EQL 13-Band Car Equalizer
This review is for the Audiocontrol EQL car audio equalizer. Although EQ is a universal term used to describe equalizers, the acrononym EQL is unique to audiocontrol and their dual-bandwidth 13 band automotive equalizer.
Well, first thing is first: This is not an in-dash EQ. When I went shopping for an EQ, I originally wanted one that I could fit into my glove box, as I have no space for a stealthly EQ install in the cabin.
In fact, right now, it's sitting on the driver's side floor until I have the time to mount it in the trunk. After all, when tuning with the EQ, you want it in the cabin so you can adjust it while listening from the normal listening position. I've heard of people mounting it from the get-go in the trunk and finding themselves continually running to the trunk to from time to make adjustments.
So, as of now, my ground, remote, and power wires for the EQL are like 5 feet long each since they are running all the way from the distribution blocks in the trunk. But, that hasn't seemed to affect its operation at all. Occasionally, I hear about people having alternator noise problems with their audiocontrol EQ's. So, I was worried that having a ground wire so long would result in a similar problem. But, even after driving around on the freeway, I've had no noise problems what so ever.
What's more is that I bought this thing used for $65 in a rather beat-up condition. It's apparent that this thing has had a lot of use. But, it's still working like the best of them. I think it's a testament to the craftsmanship and build quality of audiocontrol products. I can only guess that any complaints about EQL's or audiocontrol products are derived from improper installs, not from the products themselves.
So, after looking around at affordable in-dash EQ's, I began to notice that some came with built in crossovers. But, all of those crossovers were fixed at an undesirable point for my intended application and had shallow slopes in comparison to the audiocontrol.
Furthermore, the EQL had a built in 7.5V built-in line driver. And, considering that the EQL had a dual-bandwidth 13 band equalizer, its non-in-dash physique was outweighed by its features which were unique to the in-dash EQ's in its price-range. And, I don't exactly know why, but I've read that the EQL's dual-band 13 band set-up is comparable to having a 20 band equalizer.
One other benefit of the EQL that I hope to utilize is the 18db/octave programmable module filter. Out of the box, it's set at a fixed 33hz and is intended to be used as a SSF for ported subwoofers. But, as the manual states, you can create or buy a custom module at a crossover point of your choosing below a certain frequency which I can't remember at this time.
So, I called audiocontrol and ordered up a 75hz module for $13 shipped. Now the EQL will play three roles in my system: It will be an EQ, a line driver, and an active crossover. Even for its online retail price of $180 or so, that's still a lot of value packed into one piece of equipment.
So, why am I buying an EQ to begin with? After all, most of the major car audio dealers don't even carry them anymore. They aren't as prominent in the car audio retail scene as they used to be. As far as the major market goes, they're somewhat of a novelty, right? Well, for starters, the acoustics in my car just suck. And, from what I've read and heard, they pretty much do for cars in general.
But, I believe there are major frequency peaks going on in my car as well as valleys. And, especially with my recent purchase of a component set with metal dome tweeters, the need for equalization has been greater than ever. So, the first thing I did, besides turn on the CD player, when I hooked up the EQL was start cutting down the frequencies in the higher ranges such as 4kHz and 16kHz. My main goal was to eliminate the ear-piercing peaks.
The first thing I noticed was that even a slight turn of the knobs made a huge difference in sound. I guess that can only be evidence to the EQL's effectiveness. But, it wasn't until I started tweaking the 2kHz knob that I finally felt a sigh of relief as the ominous feedback-like sound of peakiness began to fade away. With the 2kHZ knob set at -3db, my speakers finally began to sound like the $250 that I had shelled out for them on Ebay. I also did another cut, about -3db, at the 180Hz knob. Finally, I made a +3db adjustment at 125hz to kick up some of the midbass that been drowned out all this time by road noise.
Each knob has the ability to go 12db in either direction, but I didn't feel the need to go beyond + or - 3db. Of course, it's hard to not feel like "gee, I have a 13 band EQ only to use 3?", but as they say, "it's better to have more bands and not need them, than to need more bands and not have them".
Besides, I think if I find myself making too many adjustments, I'm probably doing more harm than good. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if using more sophisticated methods, like using an RTA (real-time analyzer) would be more appropriate if I really wanted to put this thing to good use. But, as they say, an EQ with less than 11-13 bands is really just a sophisticated tone controller, not a serious tool for correcting peaks and valleys.
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