I *really* want a speed sensitive equalizer. Especially in a convertible! As the speed increases the cabin dynamics alters considerably!! And the noise level goes way up as well.

Since the empeg doesn't have a speedo input, how about implementing an EQ map feature that you can adjust using the volume knob? That way I can dial in the speed I'm going, and the empeg can compensate. So if I'm on the highway, I can dial in my cruising speed and the empeg will adjust the EQ accordingly.

If you can't do this, how about a simple toggle for "street" versus "highway" ?

I know this doesn't just affect convertibles, because road noise always plays in with speed..

With my current head unit, I find that I'm constantly adjusting the sound when i"m on the road, highway or simply parked listening to music. I think this would count as an excellent safety feature, one twist of the knob and the whole spectrum is adjusted for speed.

So basically it's well and good to have a song-by-song EQ feature, but being that it's a car, it makes even more sense to have a global EQ that can be adjusted based on car speed.

Calvin

Okay, I have been holding off on bringing up this discussion, but with this suggestion on the wishlist, it's time to mention it. I think what you're really asking for here isn't a speed-sensitive EQ, what you're really asking for is a properly implemented loudness control.

What do I mean? Okay. Does anyone know what the "loudness" control on a stereo is really supposed to do? I mean, no stereo made in the last ten years properly implements this, but once upon a time, they did.

Here's the basic concept: As you change the volume of an audio recording, the distribution of perceived volume reduction is nonlinear with respect to frequency. For example, as you turn the volume down, the bass seems to drop in volume by a much greater degree than the midrange frequencies did.

In the old days, the loudness control wasn't just a "bass" control. It was actually a contour control that would slightly boost the bass in a ratio proportional to the volume. So as you turned the volume down, the bass would go up a bit. And as you turned the volume up, the bass would go down. This allowed you to turn down the stereo's volume but not lose the bass so much.

That's what I think the Empeg needs- a dynamic loundess control that changes with the volume level. And of course, it would need two different settings depending on whether you had it plugged into the car or at home.



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Tony Fabris

Yezzz...

I friend of mine has a Blaupunkt unit, this unit has a microphone that monitors
the 'noise' in the car. If you rev the engine up, the stereo does too.
This would be real nice to have.

TommyE

The DSP has a dynamic loudness option, though I think we use the static loudness boost (just a preset boost, not got the techie details to hand).

The dynamic one works with the content of the music and some froody equations. I'll see what's involved in enabling it. ISTR that I tried it very early on (like late 98!) and wasn't overly impressed - but then again, I didn't think loudness was working at one point having put +14dB of gain on and not heard any difference.... that was right up to the moment I connected it to some decent speakers which actually *had* bass response and not the crappy PC ones I was using before :)

Hugo

Aw, heck, I'm not talking about anything complicated related to the musical content. I'm just talking about a linear alteration in the amount of loudnes boost relative to the volume. Just so that you get more static loudness when the volume is low (so you can still hear the bass over the road noise) and less static loudness when the volume is high (so it doesn't sound boomy and you don't blow your speakers).

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Tony Fabris

I friend of mine has a Blaupunkt unit, this unit has a microphone that monitors the 'noise' in the car. If you rev the engine up, the stereo does too.
The Mk II has a mic nput, so it should just be a software issue.
For the Mk I, I think there's an external solution. Conrad Electronics used to sell a simple and small do-it-yourself kit with a microphone that monitored ambient noise and increased or decreased the audio signal accordingly. It operated on line level voltage and current, so it could easily be inserted between empeg and amplifier. It also was rather inexpensive. I don't know if it's still available though.

Actually Tony, what you're suggesting is a slightly different thing but is also a nice wish (because it's related)!

In a convertible, the noise and audio changes significantly if even a window is raised, and the jump from 50mph to 60mph doubles the noise, from 60 to 80 seems to triple or quaduple the noise, but from 0 to 40 there is little noise except the tires.

What I'm *want* is a cabin-noise sensitive eq (perhaps using the mike input), what I'm suggesting (if that is not possible) is a volume knob controled eq that alters the sound by dialing in my subjective noise level. What you're suggesting is a volume-sensitive loudness! :-) A little different but cool nonetheless.

But I think that if they implemented a user-editable volume-sensitive loudness control then it would effectively do what I'm asking for. It would be cool if I can set up base-EQ curves at 0 mph, 10 mph, 20, 30... 80, 90, 100... And then as I turn up the volume, the empeg would linearly interpolate between the curves and compensate for the noise level automatically.

Now what would be cooler than that, is if I can define separate sets of curves for "windows open" "parked" "highway top up" "highway top down" "city top down" ..etc..

Calvin

And then as I turn up the volume, the empeg would linearly interpolate between the curves and compensate for the noise level automatically.

And the changes you'd be making to those EQ curves would be basically increasing the bass and some of the treble as you decreased the volume. Exactly what an old-style loudness contour would do anyway, only without the hassle of programming multiple EQ settings.


Now what would be cooler than that, is if I can define separate sets of curves for "windows open" "parked" "highway top up" "highway top down" "city top down" ..etc..

Which you can do right now, with sixteen separate EQ presets, which can even be named.

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Tony Fabris

I don't think that would improve the sound quality. I'd prefere a software solution which doesn't touch the sound quality. In my experience such geek-things which are added to a soundsystem mostly make the quality suffer.

TeeMcBee