the software models all suck but WILL be the future only because they can once a DSP chip becomes the norm in all things portable audio or headphone audio.at that time everyone will play with all the tone controls and imaging controls and spatial perspective controls then ask which amp will be the BEST after they already fked everything up beyond revognition.
There will at that be another camp,the minamalists who will tell everyone ALL tone controls suck,that ALL time/spece manipulation is wrong and that it is a pure signal path that counts.................................straight out of their iPod...........
The truth is in the middle somewhere and that truth is you use the tools that are available but with a light hand at the helm and when not needed you simply hit the "off" switch.This is a far better solution and the one used in ALL audiophile type gear up until the late seventies/early eighties and allowed idiots to screw the SQ or not and those with refined taste to "tweak" it just a bit,or not,with the choice being a personal one depending on the specifics of the situation.
for someone to be a total audio snob then call themself a music lover is also laughable so when you read how something is the end of the world because of its inclusion be aware the person writing that only plays pristine audiophile super discs on a multi-K dollar rig and anything that does not measure up is intentionally disregarded.
why disregarded ? vecause "flawed" sources or "lo-fi" sources such as FM radio may NEED assistance to be listenable and if so is it not better to use the tools designed for the task rather than suffer either bad sound or an entire area of accessable music ?
I use tone controls,crossfeed,surround sound,filters...you name it i got it but not ALL the time for ALL things just when I personally feel there is a
need that enhances the musical perspective (screw lab data I wanna dance !@).
and what about the aging process ? It is scientific fact that males begin losing the ability to hear high frequencies as they age and that some [persons have a hearing imbalance so should these persons be deprived of enjoying music because of some secret society pact that says certain things are allwowed while others not then charging you X10 what something is worht to REMOVE the possibly essential circuits ?
Not my idea of smart but then never been accused of smart anyway (smart ass yeah
).
so if you establish the fact that there may in certain situations be a real need for a "bit here" and a "little there" tweaking and that if it can be 100% bypassed thus causing zero harm when not needed (or wanted by the audio snobbery who will prove to you why you are retarded using techy jargon and pretty graphs ;D ) it only makes sense to
A-do it right and that means as much circuitry as needed and no more-passive if possible,active if you must but
NO triple threat sonic butcher of ADC/DSP/DAC because i gotta tell you NO DSP i have heard comes close to the simple handfull of resistors and caps
B-include it in the "system control center" or you add way more cost in the implementing of due to a separate chassis and power supply requirement
Hell folks,am i the ONLY one that needs at the damn minimum a freakin' balance control ? That is tired of the bland look of gear having no more than a simple on/off and dual volume control on the front panel and that needs dressing up or put in a HUGE box to justify the price ? That NEEDS dubbing controls on my preamp AND a processing loop ? Multiple outputs ? A fkn mono switch done RIGHT with selectable left or right only mutes ?
sheesh
they had this shit right thirty years ago and we have spent the last 20 years fking it up just to be different because of some "pure signal path" holy grail crap that the average person can never attain anyway they being stuck with less than ultra-high-end gear that needs just a bit of help maybe and especially so with less than perfect source material-like trying to play music mixed for two open air speakers at the other end of the room with headphones strapped on and a big old head blocking the natural crossing that the final mix engineer used as his guide before hitting RECORD.
all about having the tools available.It being up to the end user to determine whether to use them of not
(how's that for getting off topic,straying all over the planet then tying it back in ?
)