Can you hear a difference when you change the EQ curve? Yes — but "the sound changed" and "the right curve was found" are two different things

Can you hear a difference when you change the EQ curve?

Questions answered on this page: Can you audibly hear a difference in the EQ curve? If so, what does it mean?

Answer: yes, you can

It is natural that changing the EQ curve changes the sound. Changing the EQ curve is a change in frequency response— the balance between bass and treble shifts, so it would be unnatural not to hear a difference.

The real question, however, lies beyond that.

"The sound changed" = "the right curve was found"?

When you switch EQ curves and feel "this one sounds better," does that mean you have applied the curve that was used in the recording?

Not necessarily. There are two reasons.

1. Playback conditions introduce variables other than the curve

The results of aural comparisons depend on many variables beyond the curve itself: playback volume, playback environment, cartridge characteristics, individual differences in amplifiers, and more. Even with the same record, the impression of frequency balance can change just by changing the volume.

Changing the EQ curve also changes the effective volume balance for each band. As a result, you may find a setting that "sounds better," but that is a preference under particular playback conditions and does not necessarily match the curve used at the time of recording.

(The change in impression depending on playback volume may involve the effect of the Fletcher-Munson equal-loudness contours. However, to the best of the author's knowledge, there is no literature that directly discusses the relationship between this effect and phono EQ curves.)

2. The EQ curve is only one element of the signal chain

The final sound of a record is determined by the accumulation of many factors: microphones, mixing, tape recording, cutting EQ, cutterhead characteristics, and more.

The three parameters of the EQ curve (turnover, high-frequency pre-emphasis, and bass shelf) represent just one part of this entire chain. It is not always possible to reach the "right sound" by changing only the curve.

→ Which determines the sound, the EQ curve or mastering?

So, is there any point in listening to different curves?

Listening to different curves is one of the pleasures of record playback. It is up to the individual to listen with the sound they prefer.

However, there is a distinction to be made:

• "This setting sounds good to me" — this is valid as a personal experience
• "This is the curve used in the recording" — this is a separate question that requires historical and technical verification

Not confusing the two is the key to understanding the debate over EQ curves.

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