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Rane GE60 Graphic EQ Measurements

peniku8

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Hey all, this is my first 'review' so please be gentle :) It's not gonna be as detailed as Amir's, but outlines the imo most important characteristics of the device.
I don't know the age of this particular unit, as I got it as 'payment' for a job a while back. It has been discontinued, but I can find some listed online for as cheap as 50€.

EjPcDWK.jpg


The EQ comes with XLR, TRS and screw-on connectors. The mains cable is not removable. I really like the fact, that high- and low-cut can be set to an octave above/below our (typical) hearing respectively, but you can't disable them, which you will see in the response measurement.

Measurement chain is Topping D10b (channels summed) → DUT → E1DA Cosmos ADC (Mono, 4.5V sensitivity).


Bypass, 119.5db THD+N:

ONvbxUY.jpg


The path through the equalizer adds some mains hum (50Hz) and respective harmonics, but most of what you see is just the output of the DAC.


4V, 99.5db/99.1db THD+N:

idzEsfM.jpg


eu8oBIw.jpg


This is pretty neat and beats the recently reviewed Schiit Lokius by 5db.


Noise spectrum to 4V reference:

MF98AS5.jpg


I'm not sure how Amir defines dynamic range, but we have an input level of -107db. Is that it?


Frequency response:

Zd1gJgf.jpg


I didn't manage to dial in the gain knob perfectly, but it's within like 0.1db or so. We're -0.5db at 20Hz and 20kHz, which is due to the high and low cut, which you can't switch off. Other than that, the response is impressively flat. All bands have been in use before and I just quickly set them back to their center position, where the fader snaps into place.


Here is what the filters look like:

UMAwUZK.jpg


It seems like the lables on the cuts are slightly off, since I really tried to get them just right. Still, setting it to 9k resulted in 9k being at -4db, instead of the expected -3db (as per butterworth standard). The filters are 2nd order (12b/octave).

I took THD vs level and THD vs frequency measurements, which I can't post at the moment, since I'm still trying to figure out how to transfer REW settings to a new PC. Additionally, these were taken on my Fireface, which only has a THD+N of 100db, so they were not very revealing in the first place.
It starts clipping at around 9V (+21dBU) at unity gain.

Conclusion: When I've used a graphic equalizer in the past I'd often be frustrated by the fact that the frequency I wanted to equalize is right between two bands. The Rane GE60 features enough bands to mitigate this issue, but I'd much prefer a parametric EQ in a well implemented dsp. Nonetheless, the GE60 is nice to work with and sounds transparent. Disregarding the mains hum, the noise level is at around -120db, so even high sensitivity PA loudspeakers will be relatively quiet. THD+N is good, even for HiFi use, so this could be a good option for someone on a budget.

That's all from me for now :)
 
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peniku8

peniku8

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Would like to see more equipment like this measured. Especially Ashly brand.

Thanks!!
If you want to get anything specific measured feel free to send it to me :)
I'm from Germany, so shipping within the EU should be reasonable unless you want to get a class A amp over or something. If you're not within the EU it's most likely not worth it to get something shipped to me (and back!).
I can measure amps of all power levels and my load bank can do 4x8R, 4x4R and any combination of these (like 1x1R).
Eqipment wise I can measure DACs to ~120dB SINAD and maybe a few dB better with some future upgrades. I'm going to get the Cosmos DAC as soon as it releases, so I'll be able to take cleaner measurements of outboard gear in the future, but the 120dB SINAD of my current chain is already good enough for most equipment at the moment.
 

Chrise36

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If you want to get anything specific measured feel free to send it to me :)
I'm from Germany, so shipping within the EU should be reasonable unless you want to get a class A amp over or something. If you're not within the EU it's most likely not worth it to get something shipped to me (and back!).
I can measure amps of all power levels and my load bank can do 4x8R, 4x4R and any combination of these (like 1x1R).
Eqipment wise I can measure DACs to ~120dB SINAD and maybe a few dB better with some future upgrades. I'm going to get the Cosmos DAC as soon as it releases, so I'll be able to take cleaner measurements of outboard gear in the future, but the 120dB SINAD of my current chain is already good enough for most equipment at the moment.
Hi what amplifier are you using on your chain?
Also how was sinad with the filters on the GE 60 in different positions?
 
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peniku8

peniku8

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Hi what amplifier are you using on your chain?
Also how was sinad with the filters on the GE 60 in different positions?
What amplifier are you talking about?
I'm digging out the other measurements I took, since I noticed I forgot to add some anyways.
 
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peniku8

peniku8

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Distortion vs Frequency:

HpICejT.jpg


NbAwpOk.jpg


Df3XiZt.jpg


Distortion vs level (through noisy buffer amp get higher voltage; noise floor incorrect):

D11TOJd.jpg



@amirm is there a way I could add these to the 1st post? I can't seem to edit it anymore, since it's been some time.
 

Chrise36

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What amplifier are you talking about?
I'm digging out the other measurements I took, since I noticed I forgot to add some anyways.
Your hifi chain cos i was thinking if you would be willing to measure sinad in the speaker drivers
 

Vini darko

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Guaranteed this is massivly better than my behringer 31 band EQ. Thanks for the measurments these types of device are intresting.
 
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peniku8

peniku8

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Your hifi chain cos i was thinking if you would be willing to measure sinad in the speaker drivers
My studio as well as my home system both consists of active speakers with Hypex FA123 amps, but I have more Hypex amps here, which I use for testing. SINAD in speaker drivers doesn't make much sense, since the speaker itself also play a big role in that, plus noise floor in the room etc. I have a test cabinet which I use for speaker development/component testing, but the results will not really be comparable to any other measurements out there, since I EQ every driver to a target curve to compare them in equal conditions.

Guaranteed this is massivly better than my behringer 31 band EQ. Thanks for the measurments these types of device are intresting.
I have a Behringer 15band GEQ here, I could measure it some time too.
 

Chrise36

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My studio as well as my home system both consists of active speakers with Hypex FA123 amps, but I have more Hypex amps here, which I use for testing. SINAD in speaker drivers doesn't make much sense, since the speaker itself also play a big role in that, plus noise floor in the room etc. I have a test cabinet which I use for speaker development/component testing, but the results will not really be comparable to any other measurements out there, since I EQ every driver to a target curve to compare them in equal conditions.


I have a Behringer 15band GEQ here, I could measure it some time too.
I was thinking instead of using 4 or 8 ohm lab loads if you could present what the "electrical" SINAD would look like with real speaker drivers.
 
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peniku8

peniku8

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I was thinking instead of using 4 or 8 ohm lab loads if you could present what the "electrical" SINAD would look like with real speaker drivers.
No, that won't work. The electrical signal is polluted by the speaker and data becomes unusable.
Even if it worked, there are thousands of different drivers out there, and they're all different. Data won't be comparable to anything else, since there is no standard and no point of reference.
On top of that, speakers change impedance with temperature, which goes up over the duration of a (high power) test. And worst of all, they make noise.
 
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peniku8

peniku8

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Looks as good as a MiniDSP 2*4HD. I think with slightly worse distortion though.
Right, I have one of these too. I will measure it some day..
 

Vini darko

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My studio as well as my home system both consists of active speakers with Hypex FA123 amps, but I have more Hypex amps here, which I use for testing. SINAD in speaker drivers doesn't make much sense, since the speaker itself also play a big role in that, plus noise floor in the room etc. I have a test cabinet which I use for speaker development/component testing, but the results will not really be comparable to any other measurements out there, since I EQ every driver to a target curve to compare them in equal conditions.


I have a Behringer 15band GEQ here, I could measure it some time too.
Certainly would be intresting to see how wide the gulf is between the two EQ's.
 
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