Onkyo 806 - 7 band sound EQ?

[Rob J in WNY]

I have always been a fan of equalizers for shaping sound. The narrower bands of tonal control really make a difference in the sound. It beats simple bass and treble controls by a mile.

I have a curious question about the Onkyo 806. I have seen on the Onkyo website that it describes the 806 as having a 7-band equalizer in the specifications. I am wondering that, if this is true, that you can set it with your own custom settings, and if those settings can be applied to all the speaker groups (fronts, center, surrounds). My current receiver (Sony STR-DE845) had 3-band, parametric equalization for all speaker groups, and I love the way I have it set up.

Can anyone please enlighten me on the details of using the 806's 7-band equalizer?

Thanks in advance,
Rob J

[Audiophile_At_Birth]

I don't know about the 806 for sure, but I'm almost certain, but the 805 certainly has 7 freq equalizers for all the channels except Surround backs and Sub. Hope this helps. I like to add a little in the low in for the sub. The increments are in +/-1db at a time.

EDIT: Seeing as to how I only answered your question

Imagine the Atari like setup screen of an 805
Equalizer: Manual
Channel: Front
63Hz: +1db
160Hz: 0db
400Hz: 0db
1000Hz: -1db
2500Hz: 0db
6300Hz: 0db
16000Hz: +1db

And so on and so on. The choices are the same for the Center and Surrounds as well

The subs looks something like this
"-----": "----"
Channel: Sub
25Hz: +2db
40Hz: +1db
63Hz: 0db
100Hz: 0db
160Hz: 0db

Hope this answers your question. And I'm certain the 806 has this.

[Rob J in WNY]

Thank you for your reply!

EQ for sub? Very interesting, and different.

Thank you for actually posting the type of settings you have as well. Speaks a thousand words! You see, I have listened to a LOT of different receivers, and the one defining difference among many is a lack of tonal control, and a lack of it among all the speaker groups. Some receivers have good power, but a lack of complete tonal equalization gives them, to me, a rather "flat" sound. Clean watts are one thing, but being able to shape the sound a bit is, to me, nearly as critical, and few receivers in the price/feature range of the 806 range seem to offer the exquisite equalization which I deem necessary.

I would imagine that the surround EQ on the 805 & 806 controls both the surrounds and back-surrounds simultaneously. It would be a shame if you could control only one set of surrounds while the other set remained "flat."

[Big Daddy]

The built-in equalizers in the receivers are for Mickey Mouse. Audyssey uses them to do some basic equalization. They are really more advanced treble and bass control. Real equalizers will cost you money.

External Equalizers for Home Theater:
http://www.audyssey.com/soundequalizer/index.html
http://www.audiocontrol.com/19888/pr...The-Bijou.html
http://www.audiocontrol.com/19872/pr...r----Diva.html
http://www.audiocontrol.com/t35/1646...alization.html
http://www.djdepot.com/rane-pe17-par...e58a4458cfc7ca
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-31-B...331421&sr=8-15
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-31-B...331552&sr=8-35
http://www.samedaymusic.com/product--DBXDRIVERACKPA
http://www.parts-express.com//pe/psh...umber=248-8114
http://www.rane.com/procat.html#graphic
http://www.tactlab.com/tact_products.html

Subwoofer Equalizer (it is currently on sale for $399):
http://www.velodyne.com/products/pro...5&sid=983r102e

How to Connect an Equalizer:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2091031_conn...paign=yssp_art

[Rob J in WNY]

Thanks for the info, BD. Some good stuff in there!

I used to run separate EQs on stereo systems in the past. In most cases, they either ran through a special "processor loop" or they took over the "tape monitor" loop present on receivers in the past. Obviously, there is much more involved with multichannel surround, and I haven't seen a processor loop on equipment in a long time.

That said, even a 5-band EQ is phenominally better than basic bass and treble. I even like the 3-band on my current Sony. Pushing the "bass" up on a basic bass and treble only system tends to raise the low-mids. It depends on how tight each band controls, I realize, but in most bass and treble only systems, this is the case.

Control of the individual speaker groups is paramount to me. I have seen quite a few more budget receivers allow tonal control ONLY to the main front right and left speaker, ignoring the center and surrounds.