Equalize a sound system to make the most of speakers.
If you've ever listened to a song on your sound system that sounded like it was recorded in a tin can, you were probably hearing a frequency problem. Sound emits a variety of frequencies, ranging from the highness of a piccolo to the lowness of a trombone. You can control the volume of these frequencies using a device called an equalizer, or EQ. Equalizers can be found on most sound systems, from your home theater to a concert stage's PA system. They have knobs or sliders that adjust the volume of individual frequency ranges, giving you control over how each range blends with the rest of the frequencies.
Instructions
1. Turn on all of the devices in your sound system. Turn off any auto-equalizers on your sound system to gain fullest control over frequencies. This switch might be found on the receiver or the equalizer itself.
2. Play a test song on repeat. Choose a song with both extremely high and extremely low instruments so that you have a wide frequency range to listen for.
3. Listen for any obvious distortions in the highs and lows of the songs. Lower the knob on your equalizer for any distorted frequencies until the distortion disappears. Try at first to find the highest setting possible without distortion.
4. Adjust all frequency ranges in relation to each other to find a pleasing blend for your room, trying not to let any one frequency range dominate the others. Use the highest non-distorting settings found in Step 3 as maximum settings, but don't be afraid to lower a booming bass or a screeching flute that disrupts the overall blend of the music.
5. Play a song from a different genre to test how the EQ works for different types of music. A hip hop song will have louder lows than a string quartet, for example, so make sure your bass frequencies sound crisp on both types of music.
Tags: sound system, your sound system, your sound, control over, frequency range, frequency ranges