i had purchased a Behringer 10 band eq from amazon to help my ayima a07/t8 combo paired to a pair of polk tsi-100s and a polk psw10 SW. i got tired of messing with 10 little sliders. this item has simplified my eq-ing greatly and i am pleased t with the sound....no buzzing, no detectable distortion, etc and i can easily eq from rock, ie, shattered by the stones to the gadfly suite by Shostakovich with a few quick knob turns. now my Behringer eq did have a level knob where this doesn't so i have to crank my amp volume higher but i like its functionality and sound. a good buy.
Yup. Back in the '80s and '90s everyone I knew had an equalizer. But they must have been good ones too because nobody complained about theirs being ubiquitous.
I have the Schitt Loki EQ and it’s great. Some records or recordings are lacking or harsh and being able to adjust back in some bass or tone down some unwanted sibilants is awesome. And yes I had to look up how to spell “sibilants”.
I have a Schiit Loki and it's great with headphones. Such a fun product. Works great with planar headphones and a couple dynamic driver headphones I have. Curious how the Loki+ performs over the original.
@@mattbyrnes4171 I’ll let you know. I have one on order. I hear it is just a bit quieter than the original. I do currently get a slight hiss on some headphones and I’m hoping the + helps. It’s not a big deal but I’m mostly upgrading because a friend wants a Loki so I’m giving him a deal on mine to save him some cash and getting the new one for myself.
Sibilants or Sibilance ? Could be either, I guess. EQ is definitely back in fashion, big time. Just got a pair of Fiio UTW3 Bluetooth adapters which come with an app to EQ your iems. Cool. Even if you spend an hour playing with it then dial everything back to neutral..
i have an old realistic eq ... unless you are incredibly golden-eared i cannot understand why they are not as common as they used to be. a touch here and there is a big improvement.
I love the sound of my system but with some recordings it can sound a tad too bright. I just got the Bellari, and I turned down 2000hz by 2 db and man, I can’t believe how much that improved the sound with those bright sounding tracks. I’m also glad that soundstage and imaging didn’t seem to suffer. A great buy!
Oh yeah, I remember the 'good ol days' with at least a 7+ band equalizer per (L&R front 2 channels). Still got that component equalizer, and still works like a champ! And good old days of Radio Shack. They don't make 'em like that anymore. You might find a good used one, with similar features on Ebay/Craigslist. Yep, like watching those lights 'dancing' on the front, lol. Has a convenient button to bypass the EQ, as well as an "Expander" button (like a loudness button)...but only much better. Gives it an instant Live / Reverb effect. Man, that thing really brings out the depth and live soundstage and imaging. It's pretty incredible, really, especially with a speaker that has excellent soundstage and imaging. Just better be careful before hitting the expander...tone down the bass and treble a bit, or you might distort or blow a speaker!
I was using a Crown power amp with no tone controls and this little Bellari was a great addition to it. The old high end myth of no tone controls in the system is just that a myth and this little Bellari is quite different than the old sliders on each side type of years ago.
That’s good lookin little eq. I wish they had other color options. I do like the dual active outputs. I’m looking at trying the Schitt Loki Mini+. It would be cool to see a side-by-side comparison. It seems to have a little bit better specs when it comes transparency (and it comes in black).
Thank you! Exactly what I was wondering about with my new Reisong A10. Certain vinyl needs a “tweak” with that amp. Was nervous about putting something between schiit phono pre and A10, but I guess for $130 I can just give it a whirl. Thx again Randy
Great device. I have one connected to my 2 channel stereo system, and use one with my Mese 99 Classics headphones. It sits between the Bellari headphone amp and an iPad Pro/iPhone 12 Pro. It’s great to contour the sound the way you like it. Bass baby!
It’s a good thing to bring up the fact that it’s always a better bet to cut vs boost. Not only can it introduce distortion but can also tax your amplifier.
I understand supporting domestic products... And for your use case, if those are the bands you prefer and help with your review process, then it fits a niche. Butt really, a Dayton 408 DSP for 168$ (less on sale) is a much better value overall. Alternatively, a local used 16 -31 band EQ, like a the Yamaha that I believe is still produced today... For like 20$... Or a pro 31 band for like 50$. Well, enough said. PS, love the channel and have been here before you hit 3 digits in subs. On the ground floor, as I believe you said. Appreciate your speakers reviews especially, although I won't be upgrading until I can sort my DIY design, I just live your presentation and simplicity. Thanks for sharing. Cheers
I’ve never said one thing negative about them. They’re really backed up with orders and we’re going to send me some stuff but they hasn’t yet. They tend to work with bigger channels from what I can tell
Just bought a Loki mini+ but looks like I'm going to have to wait for it. I didn't know about this brand otherwise I might have pulled the trigger on it. Thanks for the review; look forward to a Loki feature as well!
Great review as usual, Randy. I had back in '79 through the '80s, an MXR 20 band/channel EQ and loved it. BTW, there a Klipsch speaker that always pops up on Amazon; the Klipsch RB-81 Reference ll. They have an 8" woofer and are front ported..........seem interesting at $299 each. Check them out.................
Love your info! I've been considering replacing my Art DJ Pre II and have been considering the IFI Zen. But also have my eye on the Rolls Bellari VP 549 and there is little video reviews. Hope you would consider doing one. I might add I use a MM cartridge, which I understand the Bellari is made for.
I think a miniDSP 2x4 would give you much better results than this provided you're ok with it not being made in the US and willing to put a bit more effort in. I'd guess that this is essentially a 4x low Q PEQs and you could use .5-1 for your q factor to make the miniDSP do the same thing just you can choose the frequencies unlike with that and you get 6 with the 2x4 and 10 with the HD which you could upgrade to dirac for a fee with the HD. And as an added benefit you could setup a custom sub to main crossover, set delays like an avr can (1ms = 1ft roughly) and apply individual EQ to each speaker independently.
Problem with manual eq's is, you are not in your listening chair when you adjust them . You really need someone to dial them for you while you are seated on your listening chair .
Randy great review, curious if your using this with the Diamond 11.4s and your settings? I have my 12 ch. EQ. flat across the board with -1db at 680 & 1.5 k while 1 k is also flat. Think they sound great. I'm like you totally have an issue around 2k, it's amazing how much more mid bass you get when you dial that back.
Randy, that's a fancy looking music, maker-better-er machine! Would this be a better alternative to using the onboard EQ, on something like the Marantz NR1504 (much like the NR 1711 you reviewed)? If so, would it be best served between the pre-outs and amp (I'm using the Aiyima A07) on pure direct moode for the Marantz, or the source (a higher end Denon UBP, that also has pure direct)? My hope is, at to Pure directs make a right. Lol. Lastly, what kind of mic do you use for measurements? Thank you, sir!
One thing that really bothers me is the audio snobs that won't tolerate any amp with tone controls. Most high end gear doesn't have any EQ anymore, because they cater to these fools. There are a few, like McIntosh, Luxman, and Marantz, that still provide tone controls on their high end gear, and most affordable stereo integrated amps and receivers still have them. Of course, AVRs still have a lot of EQ capability. I find tone controls very useful to not only tweak your speakers and room, but also to tweak poor sounding recordings, to make them sound better.
Nice way back in the day audio control made a little eq like that with knobs but I think it was a fiveband and had a subsonic filter and a tape monitor button
Now I like the idea of this primarily because it's an excuse to buy something to tweak with and it won't cause any more than a cursory and soon weathered amount of marital disharmony. However it does occur to me that that colour scheme makes it a massive toddler magnet and it may not be the best thing for the younger Audiophile. But as younger Audiophiles are likely mythical that's not really an issue. Do you think, though, that parametric software EQ such as in Roon does a better or worse job than this ? And if it is better, does Roon have a fire engine red and gold colour scheme you can use ?
You're a BBC dip fan boy nothing wrong in that they're really good spectrum analyser 3D display out there called the acrylic Tower looks awesome build it from a kit Best EQ is a valve EQ like the pultec A1 used in Studios with all those great bands warm audio make a replica £600 I've got one how close to the original not sure but it does add great tonal benefits with boost and cut on all frequencies a mast bit of kit
Randy, Enjoy your content ... I want to add an Equalizer to my desktop system, but I am reluctant to purchase (because of Price) what I'm finding for the "Home" been an Audio Nerd since 1969, Presently using "EQ" via software, but it has limitations, I've looked at "Schitt" "Bellari Audio" even some "vintage" (Yamaha, TEAC, Radio Shack, etc.) I want something with a "small" footprint (looked at Behringer FBQ800) but I'm thinking about trying an "Auto" unit with it powered by a "12 volt AC adapter" think this might work? (SOUNDXTREME 7 Band Passive Stereo Graphic Equalizer with Fader Control ST-EQ-180) Thank-You, Phillip
I am thinking of using this to equalize the horrible thin sound from the 3.5mm jack out of my LG monitor, then feeding it to my Yammie RX V685. Can also use the headphone out jack on it.
This piece is great but when switching it on or off or engaging it or disengaging it while it's on will create a very loud, alarming, possibly damaging pop in your speakers. This is a common complaint on the Amazon reviews, and I can confirm that it happens. I have to turn the volume on my system all the way down to turn it on or off or engage/disengage it while the rest of the system is on. Otherwise great, but an obvious engineering oversight/issue. Ugh.
Sadly it comes without balance control like the one from Schiit. Randy, do you know any device that let me adjust the channel balance if the pre-amp lacks this function?
Cannot stand and also canot understand why no balance controls. I bought the preamp I have for three reasons, 1) balance contolled by remote (sound stage guy), 2) dual sub outs, 3) remote volume.
Would hook up just fine. But with most integrated amps you can only hook it up between one source and the amp. Once in a while you'll find an integrated with pre amp out RCAs AND amplifier in RCAs. If you've got that, you can loop it between those and the equalizer will effect all sources.
The upper two on the Schitt Loki Mini+ are the same: 2000hz = 2khz, the third down is 7500hz vs 8000hz (8khz), the lowest knob has the biggest difference: 20hz vs 60hz. I don’t there is enough difference to run both. The Schitt Loki Mini+ seems to be the most transparent from its specs though.
Your can put it between your receiver and a source but it would only work for that one source. Now, if that one source is an external DAC with multiple things hooked to it you could obviously adjust for whatever is going through the DAC.
This radical looking Bellari EQ570, better give my stereo that three-dimensional holographic sound quality. Otherwise I will sneak back into the house I borrowed it from and leave it there.
Look for a preamp with main and sub out then you will have to use a spliter on the full range output, problem solved. I use the Emotive preamp with a remote.
There is 2 mono outputs on the Emotiva PT 100 or for not much more the Schiit Saga + has 2 sets...and a tube. I can't find much on it other than Schiit groups though. Looks good.
No, it makes my PS5 and Xbox SX games have great bass through a 3.5 mm analog connection. Even better when I also hook it through my BT streamer's EQ for double effect. However, the Bellari in stand-alone has better bass when I "A -B" between it and the streamer's digital EQ. Awesome dude. NOT!
