Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The equaliser, once a basic component of an analogue stereo chain, and still in wide use by audio pros, is all but gone from the consumer market. (A question of fashion, not utility.) As a result, the consumer has very little choice; few products are available, and -- judging from reviews on Amazon -- the quality is rather poor.
An alternative is pro audio equipment, which is usually built to better quality standards. Below are my comments on EQ341, after using it for several weeks in a home stereo chain.
Pros
(1) Price. Same price range as consumer equalisers, such as those from AudioSource.
(2) Unbalanced ins/outs. Most pro audio equalisers are provided with balanced in/outs, while home equipment is standardised on unbalanced RCA ins/outs. (This is not a mere question of different plugs and jacks!) EQ341 is equipped with both balanced (XLR and 1/4 TRS) and unbalanced (RCA) connections, and hence it is easy to integrate in a home system.
(3) Range. Commonly, home eqs offer 7 or 10 bands per channel, with a range of +/-10 dB. At 15 bands/channel and max range of +/-12 dB, the EQ341 is noticeably better.
(4) Build. I have not compared it directly with currently available consumer equalisers, but, judging by Amazon reviews, EQ341 is more sturdily built; it is certainly more solid and rugged than my old Nikko equaliser.
(5) Sound quality. Sound quality is close to what I expected, and matches the published specs.
Cons
(1) Rack mounting. EQ341 is designed for a standard 19in equipment rack. Some manufacturers of rack-mounted equipment provide rubber feet and detachable face-plates for desktop applications; such is not the case with ART -- you will need to buy some self-adhesive rubber feet or spacers to use it in your home system. Additionally, it is less deep than most home equipment, so don't count on easily stacking other component(s) on top of it. Also, don't count on it blending in aesthetically with your non-rack-mountable equipment.
(2) Poor RCA connectors. RCA connectors are of poor quality (they are very slightly smaller than standard, so most RCA plugs will be too loose) and they are coded according in ART's idiosyncratic scheme (white for in and red for out, instead of the usual white for L and red for R).
(3) No tape in/outs. Consumer equalisers usually have additional in/outs, for connecting a tape recorder or other recording device. EQ341 lacks this feature.
(4) Bypass issue. Like all equalisers, EQ341 is provided with a bypass mode; when activated, the unit should be in hard-wire bypass, the input signal being routed directly to the output. However, I measured a 0.4V drop in peak-to-peak voltage with the unit powered on and in bypass mode relative to the unit powered off. This should not happen.
(5) Captive power cord. The power cord is permanently attached; an IEC C14 connector (commonly used in other pro equipment, as well as in computers) would have been more convenient.
(6) Quality concerns. In addition to poor RCA connectors, there are other quality issues. For instance, the face plate is slightly misaligned with the rest of the body. In itself, it's not a big deal, but it does indicate problems with the quality assurance at ART's Chinese plant.
Overall, if I didn't have some concerns about its manufacturing quality, I'd recommend the EQ341 with few, if any, reservations. However, the poor quality of the RCA connectors is a significant shortcoming. ART definitely needs to improve its quality assurance process.
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ART 341 Dual 15 Band Graphic EqualizerART's EQs offer clean frequency control in space-saving 1 rack space chassis. Their full compliment of XLR, 1/4' TRS and RCA inputs & outputs lets you put them to work in any audio enviroment. They offer a switchable boost & cut range of 6dB or 12dB, with 20mm center detent sliders. The ART 341 is a dual 15-band EQ for use in any stereo application, and it's great on instrument inserts, especially since you can handle two channels from one rack space. The ART 351 is a single channel 31-band EQ with adjustable high and low pass filters. ART's 341 Dual Channel 15-band 2/3-octave graphic equalizer features: constant Q circuitry with a 3% center frequency accuracy, 20mm center detent sliders, selectable boost/cut range of 6dB or 12dB, active balanced and unbalanced input and output connect-ions, variable input level control, clip level indicators, ground lift switch, internal power supply and selectable line voltage switch. A range control switch is provided allowing you to set the maximum boost or cut for each band of equalization to either 6dB or 12dB. Each channel has its own bypass switch with LED indicator. The rugged, all-steel constructed chassis occupies 1U rack space and is intended for installation in standard 19' equipment racks. Multiple input and output configurations are provided for ease of use and incorporate paralleled connections. The XLR and 1/4' TRS connectors use active balanced, low noise circuitry. XLR connections are: Pin 1 = ground, Pin 2 = Hot (+) and Pin 3 = Cold (-) The 1/4' TRS connections are: Tip = Hot (+) Ring = Cold (-) and Sleeve = ground. Both the XLR and 1/4' connectors may be used in an unbalanced configuration. The RCA jacks are unbalanced. The 341 is designed to work with a variety of signal levels. The input level control covers a wide range and can easily accommodate -10 and +4 signal levels. A clip LED will light when a signal level of 5dB before clipping occurs. The 341 may be used in a variety of applications
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