I'm not surprised to see so many negative comments regarding the Schiit Lokius since it's an analog tone control with limited applicability to many (most?) audiophiles, especially those who's music systems are fully digital. But for those of us who continue to use analog components and have a need to taylor the frequency response of our system to minimize minor anomalies in room acoustics or speakers/headphones or to help compensate for diminished hearing acuity, the Lokius is a very usefull device. I've been using a Lokius in my stereo system for two months now and find that with some effort, it can provide a cost effective way to tame bass modes when using active subwoofers and it enhances my ability to hear treble frequencies and fine detail. Definitely an improvement from the four-band Loki Tone Control which I had been using with some success.
Because Schiit tried to keep the costs down it certainly has some ergonomic disadvantages in comparison to a more expensive unit like the Cello Palette. But the specs for the Lokius aren't all that bad (quite good, actually) considering it's priced less than 5% of what the Palette cost ($6500 in 1992), and less than 3% if you consider inflation. Despite Amir's frustration with using the adjustment knobs and the comments from others about the graphics, I find that using the Lokius is straightforward and intuitive once you figure out how a six-band analog tone control can be used. It's not really useful to adjust for each album or correcting for multiple source components or multiple headphones. And it won't be useful for precision room and speaker/headphone corrections. It's an analog tone control after all. However, if you take your time and methodically experiment with a combination of settings, the Lokius can provide a dramatic improvement in tonal balance and help tame bass modes that are most obvious and annoying. The caveat? I think the Lokius is more useful for bass management if you use two or more active subwoofers so that you have some control over the lowest frequencies. And you should have already done some corrective work with acoustic treatments and speaker placement to get the most from tone controls. The Lokius cannot possibly fix a poor acoustical environment or major speaker/headphone shortcomings. As for enhancing diminished hearing acuity, all I can say is that I'm enjoying listening to music as much now as I ever have.
If anyone is interested in how I used the Lokius in my system I can post a summary of what I did. And I've been considering buying a USB measurement microphone and software to find out exactly what frequency changes I made using the Lokius as a tone control. I could post those as well.
Tom