Is EQing worth it or is there caveats?

[Sedaxel]

I´ve been very carefully reading all your posts, thank you!

I´ve also downloaded Dr. Toole presentation and found it fantastic for learning the basics.

Now, with a little more knowledge about resonances, acoustic interferences, directivity, etc… I´ve reviewed some monitors graphs and have more objectivity. At least I have an idea of what to expect and what can be achieved with monitor EQ. Room EQ is another story, I guess.

A quick roundup would be (and I admit corrections and suggestions, since I´m not sure at all about all of this I´m going to say):

Adam D3V seems very accurate for nearfield use, and starts to worsen if you are not in the listening position. That fits my impressions when listening to them at home, since I´ve got them in a little desk and less than 1m away from me, and I think they sound fantastic (it´s just that I don´t trust myself…LOL). Now, for my studio I´d like monitors to be more permissive with the listening position, without losing accuracy. Of course, that starts to be very difficult without spending a lot more money…

M-Audio BX8 D3 is much less flat. Once EQed it improves a lot, but still has an ugly resonance at 600Hz and a dip between 3k and 9k that could be audible.

Kali LP-6 v2, once EQed, also has some resonances and a tilt towards the treble region that could be noticeable too.

The Behringer B2031A also improves a lot after EQed, but has some acoustic interferences around 2-5k, and a mild dip and tilt from 2k on. Measurements are labeled as low quality, though.

Topping MA4… well, apart from the issue found in the review of the air leak (which per se is a no-go, unless We could know they´ve already fixed it), needs EQ because otherwise you have a bump in the low-mids that has to be audible, along with a dip in the lows. Once EQed it becomes much better… actually great IMO. They also seem to be more permissive with the listening position than the D3V. Price of the pair is 450€.

Vanatoo Transparent One Encore Plus… even EQed has that broad 2-10k dip which could be audible, caused by the crossover misalignment in the directivity.

Kali IN-5… well, apart from starting to be BIG things, it has a weird low and low-mid graph, even EQed. And that tilt down in the highs… I don´t know, as I see the graph, I wouldn´t trust in its accuracy.

Yamaha HS8… EQed, it gets the low dip corrected, but it also gets added a 2-10k moderate dip (reminds me the one in the Vanatoo) which also has to be audible. A better EQ can be done, I guess?

Kali IN-8 v2 seems very good once EQed. Now, I don´t know how to read those strange peaks and valleys in the highs from 8k on. Maybe that´s not audible at all… I don´t know. But these boxes are BIG, man.

Then We enter the KH80 price territory… curious the EQ result, which seems to worsen flatness considerably, specially in the low end. Am I missing something there? With no EQ, it´s already fantastic, I think. What´s that EQ intended for? Am I reading it wrong?

Genelec 8030C. This is also curious to me. It has a slight dip in the his (from 2k), which EQ corrects, but also has a very slight broad dip in the low-mids until 800Hz.

Of course, KH80 and 8030C are the best here… no surprises.

And after all of that…I don´t know which are my conclussions…

 

[Cote Dazur]

So, why to even consider the score?

If you do not understand fully what the score means, like it seem the majority of people don't, then you can ignore the score.
My advice is to keep reading ASR, most of the answers are here, it takes time and efforts, but it is so worth it.
You already have great answers in this thread by people who understand what the score mean, but I am afraid that without the good level of knowledge those answer will fly over your head.
On top of reading ASR, Floyd Toole book is a gold mine of info, but there also read it more than once as it is easy to be overwhelm and make the wrong conclusions, as many here do.
Word of advice, your second post says: "I've got a pair of Adam D3V which I find fantastic for my home"
You might already be where you need/want to be, it does not matter what other people or score preference are/say.

 

[Sedaxel]

If you do not understand fully what the score means, like it seem the majority of people don't, then you can ignore the score.
My advice is to keep reading ASR, most of the answers are here, it takes time and efforts, but it is so worth it.
You already have great answers in this thread by people who understand what the score mean, but I am afraid that without the good level of knowledge those answer will fly over your head.
On top of reading ASR, Floyd Toole book is a gold mine of info, but there also read it more than once as it is easy to be overwhelm and make the wrong conclusions, as many here do.
Word of advice, your second post says: "I've got a pair of Adam D3V which I find fantastic for my home"
You might already be where you need/want to be, it does not matter what other people or score preference are/say.

I think your response is spot-on. I´m going to calmly read Toole´s book, thanks for the advise!

Yeah, I like the D3V´s at home. I just want something "less nearfield exclusive" for the studio. And also, if I´m going to get a new pair of monitors, I guess it´s better to get different ones, so I can compare and explore.

Not in a hurry, though. Hopefully, my buddy won´t pick his 8030A´s soon...