NEW SCHIIT, the LOKI MINI+ Equalizer

[@mrpaulo9878]

It's one of the best components I have in my system and as a value proposition it's off the chart. My system is decent but this brings so so much to the table. Not all recordings are made equal so fine tuning a system to a room on balance is just amazing. My room is very bass heavy and the Loki makes the system work so much better and squeezes every last piece of detail across the range whilst smoothing out the bumps. To my ears there are no issues adding into the signal chain and after testing this and previous model in and out of the chain for a 6 months I cannot find any compromise to the signal path, just glorious detail. I am a huge fan.

[@jjcale2288]

@GeneralCurtis3LeMay Where in hell did you find those figures?

[@mrpaulo9878]

@GeneralCurtis3LeMay I will have to read into all of this as you seem to be talking a language far above my knowledge. Thanks for the reply and will let you know how I get on digging into what you have said. 👍🏻

[@anivegmin]

@@jjcale2288 Can I say "up his ass" without getting banned?

[@jjcale2288]

@@anivegmin permission granted 😉

[@BrettBairdgoogle]

Love the Loki have two of them! However, it is single ended only and I can find no way to insert it into my balanced systems. I would gladly pay double to have an XLR based balanced Loki! Does anybody else feel the same?

[@neilfisher7999]

I almost fell out of the chair laughing when Steve said you can't polish a turd. Not even with a "Schiit equalizer"! :-) Great video!

[@gq1foru]

Remember when you bought a receiver that had Bass, Mid and Treble and all you had to do was hook up your loudspeakers and record player and it sounded great? Simpler times.

[@rianredfield5252]

Like the Marantz 2252b, like the variable loudness on Yamaha also.

[@alphacapo]

Yea but Audiophiles think they know everything tho. And are never happy with anything they hear except for whatever their dream system is. Wich they will never hear because they can't afford it and if they can. They get it and are unhappy again in a year.

[@cheapaudioman]

I sold my original Loki and regretted it almost immediately. I think the his will be something that will be living with me soon

[@petethegreekre]

@GeneralCurtis3LeMay General, with all respect sir. I must comment that; Cheapaudioman knows his room. Look him up, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy.

[@louiesipes2257]

Randy, they are working on a larger version. No information other than that👍

[@stevezeidman7224]

The General didn’t realize he was speaking to an Internet legend...with all due respect.

[@jfr1907]

Yeah you need to get it back! It helped fix my 600s, I went so far as to buy those inexpensive Sony bookshelfs you praised.. I knew ok so many people saying these outlandish things about these little guys and all I need them to do is open up more than my 600s, but alas they did not... Back to Amazon, but I did at least figure out how to make the Klipschs sing now and am super happy! Love your channel though, it's all speculation until you hook it up in your system so I was happy to try those Sonys. They are a nice little speaker but sounded like toys on my system somehow. Marantz 8006 driving Klipsch towers with the 8" woofs and a Yaqin tube amp driving the 600s.... Now though it is perfect, famous last words.... The 600s just need mandatory removal of the connector plate and an EQ boost at 2k...

[@jfr1907]

@GeneralCurtis3LeMay General LeMay you are awesome my friend, but the Sonys are still going back. Time will help remove the veil from the Sonys but will not turn them into something they are not.

[@chuckheinze7]

Steve, you crack me up. It is true, “you can’t polish a turd”. Equalizers. I’ve always had a equalizer. Why? Why not. It’s like having a extra bullet in your gun. Another tool in your toolbox. It makes sense. I like to tweak my humble system. People hear things differently. At 73 my hearing is not what it was and I have tinnitus. A equalizer helps bring the music back for me. Love your site!

[@tjp444]

Actually there was a Mythbusters episode that proved in fact, you can polish a turd. Not that I would ever want to.

[@rabit818]

I have tinnitus too. Sometimes I just want to sit in a dark room and listen to classical lite... Bach Favorite Melodies (Denon)

[@maddawgzzzz]

I have 20% hearing loss in one ear, so I can adjust the volume so I can hear music correctly. Also a good thing to have if you have a small amount of hearing loss.

[@gokhanersan8561]

I was skeptical at first, it just arrived, saved my Rotel from being returned, and Dynaudio from being replaced. Schiit all the way !!!

[@matthewwright4458]

I bought the Schiit Loki on your recommendation, Steve, and it makes my system so much more listenable. Thanks for all the content!!!

[@alphatang2000]

Oh sweet Lord this Loki saved my system lol!!!! (Ok that might me a bit dramatic but maybe not..) After purchasing a pair of the Tekton Lores with the beryllium tweeter, I for the life of me could not get those tweeters to just chill abit. Even with the Freya + tubes the high-end of things always screamed for attention. In comes the Loki and holy-crap-wow!! I haven't listened to Tidal past two hours ever.. Thank you Schiit!!!!

[@gokhanersan8561]

I am 25 minutes into my Schiiit, and it brought salvation to my Rotel a11 + Dynaudio Emit pairing.

[@gavriushka]

Even though I consider myself audiophile, I still think this thing is amazing. Some of the speakers are loved for their sound characteristics, but can be hard to be paired with equipment, which might make it too bright, or too dark, so these little things allow you to enjoy your music and speakers the way you want them, without feeling guilty and spending a ton of time and money getting the perfect pair, which doesn’t exist.

[@StewartMarkley]

Absolutely agree!

[@michaelangeloh.5383]

Equalization is to any type of speakers what color-grading is to visual equipment. - It's all calibration. There, indeed, is no such thing as a perfect speaker. And even if there is a flat as glass speaker, it's just not going to be that in any given room. Perhaps one of those freaky "0dB" rooms, but not in real-world rooms. - I've listened to all kinds of speakers and headphones especially, and I'm just baffled as to how many claim to be flat or high-end or what-have-you, and I can personally use something like a 10-band equalizer to make them 10 times better than what they are at "neutral", by actually making them sound more neutral. - Heck, even certain headphones that you see used in studios all around the world, but then I listen to them and find they're pretty flawed. - No wonder that records are just as flawed; People don't calibrate their equipment.

[@StewartMarkley]

@@michaelangeloh.5383 Very well said.

[@rojona]

Another excellent discussion. Playing with eq was a gateway drug for me to become a recording engineer. I wanted to get deeper into the process so I could make recordings sound good to me. It was thrilling when I finally had that opportunity. I use eq like crazy in mixing and mastering and the less ashamed I became in using it, the better people liked my work. Don't be shy about messing with eq. It's one of the most fun things about playing music at home.

[@jondubb35]

You hit the nail on the head! Being able to tune your system to your liking, whether it’s frequency correction for a less than an ideal room, to try and achieve a flat response,. Or, experimenting for no particular reason with different freq ranges just to see how a particular recording, song, album is affected audibly.

[@josephvanalstyne4049]

i love tone controls. i have the loki. i consider myself to be an audiophile. the whole flat sound treatment puzzles me. hearing sound as the artist intended it is ridiculous. they only care about their own sound on a recording. i know because i was one. and lots of producers and engineers are garbage. and artist would want you to hear music to your own enjoyment. great video steve!

[@jondubb35]

@GeneralCurtis3LeMay Thank you for enlightening us oh holy king of Audiophileville. 👑 🤴 What we do without your vast knowledge of S/N ratio and EQ components. We peasants bow at your altar, and seek your approval every minute of everyday..... Now back to my EQ....

[@Yiannis2112]

Let alone the myriad of bands which, due to studio costs and especially in their beginning, had to settle on something very different, to what they initially wanted.

[@rodscott7232]

@GeneralCurtis3LeMay I have never heard such SCHIIT,come from a more stuck up unpolished TURD in my life. The true Audiophile would not even want you in the same room as them. Get a real life Mr GeneralCurtis. You are so so far off the mark. Too much noise to your signal.

[@2ridiculous41]

@GeneralCurtis3LeMay rubbish.

[@madisonsinclair5123]

As a former producer, I can tell you, "...as the artist intended it..." more often than not meant/means a nosebleed expensive professionally built isolated room listening through an unfathomably expensive and complex sound system. I have never heard better sound that that of a high-end recording studio. And that's BEFORE Bernie Grundman gets his hands on it and takes the recording to a whole 'nuther level. Whatever it is you are listening to at home is, by definition, NOT "...as the artist intended it." It's your meal, folks. Break out the paprika and season to taste.

[@srpsrp3649]

The Loki really helps the bottom end of my La Scallas. Great product

[@aeodanmacdonald5131]

Thanks for your input because I'm using Khorns and Bozak Symphony B 4000 and was wondering how compatible it would be.

[@gokhanersan8561]

Schiit eq arrived 20 minutes ago. Journey’s Be Good to Yourself will never bleed my ears with its harsh keyboards; Brubeck’s Time Out will never be my wimpiest jazz cd. I love this Schiiiiit !!!!

[@chadbarker4299]

If your not using an equalizer your basically listening to music the way the manufacturers like it. I like to listen to tunes the way I like to hear them.

[@Yiannis2112]

Not always the way the band, the producer or both liked it. Many bands and especially during their beginning, settle on something very different to what they would like, due to studio costs.

[@johnmills3163]

You are 100% correct ! It's very confining without the equalizer !!

[@lorenzo42p]

there's more to it than only personal preference, although that is part of it. music also sounds different depending on the rest of the equipment you're using to play it, the speakers, the room you're in, your position in the room, the position of speakers in the room, furniture and objects in the room, what the walls are made from, lots of factors all change the sound of the music you're listening to. I like to use a 10 (or 31 band eq even better) bring it into the middle of the room and adjust it right there while listening to music. that's how I get mine sounding best to my liking. it doesn't work as well if you're going to the side of the room to make adjustments then back to the middle of the room to listen.

[@TheAboriginal1]

I generally like to listen to the mix the way the engineers made it, but I'm sensitive to high frequencies so I am always turning down the treble and boosting the bass and low-mid. So I agree! Not all ears are made the same.

[@theno1deejay]

"Eq is a cure for boredom", so true! On my desk I got a JVC MCA-105E/5107 from 1970. I use it as eq/preamp for my digital music. I'm a vintage lover so even when the music is digital I want to control it with analog gear. "An equalizer is like a sharp knife, it can be very useful if you know how to handle it, but if not, it often do more harm than good" ...

[@Mrzizzy69]

I had a Loki mini on backorder (my 2nd one, I had one already on one system and needed one for a second system). I was lucky in that when I ordered it that announcement for the "new improved" mini hadn't been made yet and so I assumed I would get the exact same as I had before. I was thrilled to learn that there would be a new Loki and even more thrilled when I opened the package and saw that I actually received the new version. So I replaced the old one for the new one in my main system and you know what? The sound was notably better. The sound was cleaner and quieter and just a better quality overall. Perhaps it was all just in my head because its was the new version but I don't care. I hear an improvement and that's good enough for me.

[@stevezeidman7224]

I’ve been messing with audio since 1970. I’ve never been happy about elimination of tone controls. Tone controls do help for less than perfect recordings and rooms! I’m not gonna purge my speakers or my amp because they’re not perfect. Other times your room is your room and tone controls really can help.

[@StewartMarkley]

Absolutely agree 👍 I also have been messing around with audio since 1970. The elimination of tone controls is just stupidity, but they did need to be improved which is why we have the Loki and the Bellari EQ.

[@StewartMarkley]

@GeneralCurtis3LeMay Well I didn't know about Amstrad and it may well be true that it was a way for them to cut corners and cost, but I don't agree at all with your assertion that EQ is bad, or that tone controls disappeared because it saves any significant money in the manufacturing of mid to high-end audio. Simple tone controls actually cost very little to build into a preamp, and EQ can really help correct frequency response anomalies and adjust the sound to your liking. That's why it is ubiquitous in the recording consoles where the artists, engineers, and producers adjust the sound to their liking. There is no reason that you the consumer of the music should be relegated to just living with whatever the recording was EQd to and/or the system you happen to have. Four knobs do not make for much twiddling but it sure can help you season the sound to your taste.

[@StewartMarkley]

@GeneralCurtis3LeMay You are obviously stuck on the notion that you can only get real fidelity by a magical mix of certain brands and models of gear that if properly selected gives you true audio fidelity and Nirvana. That is simply a fools errand. As someone who installed, repaired, and aligned mixing consoles and tape recorders, worked at the CBS Technology Center on many R&D projects, and designed and built several speakers, amplifiers, equalizers, turntables, record cleaning machines, listening rooms, home theaters, and lighting systems, I can say with authority that you are barking up the wrong tree.

[@StewartMarkley]

@GeneralCurtis3LeMay OK. Don't waste my time either.

[@tg6373]

THANK YOU for explaining how to insert the Loki into a system. The folks at Schiit didn't seem to know how when I asked.

[@Philth765]

I love EQ. I use the EQ on my Marantz 1250 Integrated religiously. It’s necessary to tailor certain recordings to my room’s sound. Loudness control is wonderful too.

[@billgoddard6157]

Glad to see your still around... and thanks for the great review. Not bored at all.

[@robertocastro4403]

At the end the vintage stuff was right. Like my Sansui AU 6600 integrated amp. with high, mid and bass tone controls, loudness and high and low filters... Nice video Steve.

[@louiesipes2257]

Great review Steve. You may or may not know, they are working on a larger version. I assume it will have added bands. No details other than they are working on one.👍

[@blakecandesign9628]

There have been images leaked of that prototype. You can search it up on Google 😊

[@jimshaw899]

Let this be my testament to getting opinion from Steve and data from Amir. I have been using a Loki with RP600M's (which Steve 'sold' me on) for over a year. (My taste is to classical and jazz music, so metal heads can stop reading and start replying now.) The 600M's can be ruthlessly bright (to my ears) on poor recordings, especially early digital captures. They bring out mic and preamp defects (common in the 60's and 70's), aliasing in early digital recordings, tape distortion (which rockers like), and recording and mastering chain defects that those 'engineers' probably never expected to become obvious in higher resolution playback. I read Amir's review and test data on the RP600M, and made notes of some of the major defects he found. I thought Amir's review was actually (to my ears) rather more favorable than the speakers deserve. But his implication was that the 600M's could maybe be saved by some parametric equalization in front of them. I had been using a Loki for over a year, but I found I was (Steve's word) diddling them too much/too often, and not achieving settings for overall correction -- just diddling to stop the pain and preserve the music, case by case. Taking Amir's data and suggestions, I dialed in settings that seemed to make sense to correct -- not just chase -- a tonal balance. It seems to have worked. In my case, I used my preamp's tone controls to dial back the treble, starting at ~1 kHz and tapering to -6 dB at 10K Hz and above. That was to correct for the speakers' measured (sloped) brightness in general. Then, I used the Loki to dial up the midrange at about 2+ kHz, where the 600M's take a crossover dive. I also dialed up, a little, the 8 kHz band to give back some high end that the treble tone control had cut back. The 20 Hz and the 200 Hz, I left at center. (The 600M's don't do much of anything at 20 Hz., thus I have 2 subwoofers who take up that chore.) I listened, last night, to a half dozen recordings (CD's, LP's, and streamed 'ultra HD', all classical and jazz) with the new and old settings. The result was much better, over all, than the 'diddling' I had been doing for a year or so. In fact, a new 'ultra HD' recording of the Cleveland Orchestra sounded so good that the 600M's may be saved from Craigslist. Voila! At least for me. *Measurements meet with subjective listening,* resulting in much better and smarter results. Your 'golden ears' may vary, and I don't care about your ears or your favorite music. I really don't.

[@scorpven]

The rejection of tone controls must have been a gift to the manufacturers, imagine what they must have been thinking... less cost to build and we get to charge them more.

[@jamesrobinson9176]

Perhaps driven by said manufacturer?

[@herrtrigger7220]

serious listeners all knew gear sounded best without tone controls in the signal path. same goes today. at kenwood and other companies there was pressure to flood the market with more add-on items. enter the multi band EQ. this is why speaker companies that offer subs don't make full-range speakers.

[@gokhanersan8561]

Hell yeah !!

[@AlarusOne]

I have the older model of the Loki and I simply can't do without it.. I have two amps and two sets of speakers and they are Polar opposites: one set being laid back even with Schiit Vidar amp and the other being open baffle that are most aggressive even with a tube amp (but they do sound sweet). I have the Loki in line right out to the amp, my whole system feeds through it and it's a great asset. There are times that I cut the Loki out of the circuit ...but not very often. I"m so super pleased to see Schiit update their ...well, Schiit and make it better. I'm a big fan of their gear and it's good stuff. Thanks for the review.

[@rodscott7232]

Exactly how I use my LOKI, Thy this, A loki connected to a Belari Sonic Exciter. Enough tone control to send you MAD. But so much control over bad recordings,tricky rooms, and any speaker. If we change things we have more fun, As Steve says.Great video as always

[@exact3]

Used to be against EQ for "the pure sound". Now I love it, small tweaks here and there can make quite a difference.

[@durvalrodrigues9741]

Thank you very much for your review. I am lacking bass with my NAD C 165BEE paired with the NAD C275 bee power amp and Paradigm f800 premier speakers which totally lacked bass. I added this EQ after watching your review and WOW i cant explain how fantastic this unit changed my sound. Thank you so much.

[@keithbrace5702]

I've used the loki for the last year or two . If you don't don't use separtates or have a pre-out on your integrated what I did was run all my components into a Niles AXP1 5 input passive switch from that into the loki then on the the ingetrated . All you have to do to change the sourse is switch the Niles to any of up to 5 inputs .

[@Firebottleman]

Thank you Steve for the review. I've been reading the comments about the loki+, and what a Schiit show. I've been putting a new budget system together recently, and I want as much purity in the signal as anyone. But enough is enough! There are so many badly recorded albums and CDs out there, that the only way to really enjoy them is if I can tweek them a little in one way or the other. I'm not talking about going as far as changing the tone of my system to the N'th degree, but just slightly to make the music palatable. It's ok to be a purist, but it should also be ok to tweek your own system so you can enjoy it more. Thank you Schiit, for allowing us to do just that. Enjoy our systems more.

[@ThomasSielaff]

I have the old model and love it. My wife swore she saw my name on the new one when Steve held it up!

[@LesterGreenberg802]

I had an SAE system as my first quality stereo in '77. I had the 2100L preamp with a full Parametric Equalizer and it was a dream. Ahh memories.

[@sepulsteve]

I bought a Loki Mini+ in black to go with my Magni Heresy and I love the combination! I use it with an Akai turntable and it really has been a great upgrade to my little analog setup.

[@rickk6724]

Thank you. You've given a name to my finickiness. Restless. I plan on buying a Vali 2++ and a Loki Mini today to add to my confusion. I agree that half the fun is tweaking especially when you stream the same song from different sources and get different results. Fortunately I live several miles from Valencia California so I can pick them up today. I prefer the tube sound as I brought my first amplifier kit (tubes) from Allied Radio. Harmonics forever!

[@TheHammerofDissidence]

Probably the best thing Schiit has ever made. I have the old one and it's utterly transparent. Don't know how much they could have upgraded it.

[@RamisDad]

If you want to have two different inputs with your Loki, you can use Schitt SYS.... fyi , Now I can have my Loki work between my DAC and Phono Pre...

[@stevenfaught4391]

How do you like it? So far I have the modi 3 dac and the sys. I feel the Loki mini and mani preamp will make for a great schitt stack. I plan on running my pi streamer into the modi dac and my TT will go into the mani preamp and sys into Loki then Loki into analog in on my stereo.

[@rickmathis8590]

Sounds like the perfect edition to my headphone setup. Thanks, Steve!

[@jdekong3945]

I applaud Schitt for making this product and indeed every manufacturer that includes tone control on their products

[@danielwalls3056]

I just bought the mini Loki +the Asgard 3 and the Sennheiser 560 s and I'm really looking forward to listening to them. I listen to a lot of other reviews but what really made my mind up was listening to your reviews.

[@aorakiboydog]

Next we will go back to the loudness button on the Integrated amp !

[@Carl-bd1rf]

And...I use my loudness control. Was sold on the bs no tone controls on pre amps for decades. No more. Between the loudness control and tone controls I can dial in much better/enjoyable sound.

[@Diatonic5th]

I have a loudness setting on my RME ADI DAC and it's freaking brilliant! Perfect for quiet late night listening.

[@rosswarren436]

Indeed, when done right, they are great. Human hearing definitely falls off at the low and high end at relatively lower volumes, so a loudness control made good sense.

[@Carl-bd1rf]

Imho the quote “purists” can’t see the forest through the trees. I can say that cuz I was one for far too long. I bought into the lie less is more. Oh every switch, every circuit adds bad stuff. Nah, our hearing is not linear and our rooms suck as far as perfect acoustics goes. Not even to mention our own personal preference in what we like. So many say oh I like flat response it’s the most accurate. No it isn’t. Your hearing drops like a rock in the lower frequencies and highs at a lower volume. So unless you play your music at 90db all the time, guess what, you ain’t hearing flat! Measurements and hearing are apples and oranges. Do yourself a favor and don’t do what I did for decades and search for that perfect less is more straight wire with gain amp. Find a preamp with loudness and tone controls and experience the enjoyment of hearing something that sounds great at all listening levels not just when turned up where your ears are more linear. I’ll bet 9 out of 10 of you rarely listen at levels where your hearing is more linear anyway!!

[@aorakiboydog]

Looks like we are going around the clock as life does. I would buy one if I could operate it from my chair .

[@jwmoor]

I went the Bellari way but added the Sonic Enhancer along with the EQ. It's so much fun to be able to contour the music to ones liking:)

[@Audfile]

Bellari is like $20 right?

[@jwmoor]

@@Audfile X5

[@fredk3548]

I added a Loki and a Rolls SX95 subwoofer filter. The Rolls can handle 2 subs controlling volume, polarity and rolloff. My room has always been bass heavy and this combo brings it well under control.

[@jwmoor]

@@fredk3548 I thought about the SX95 but went with the Dayton DTA 2.1 (well, it's on the way), to drive a subwoofer. One of my main objective is to use as little voltage as possible, the whole system is off grid. Love these new class D amps. I wish Schitt, Rolls and Bellari would make 'em.

[@fredk3548]

One of the reasons I chose the Bellari is that it has a polarity switch for each sub. I found the proper polarity gives a louder cleaner bass and better sound stage. I’ve been curious about the enhancer for a while.

[@laurelhardy4064]

Another good way would be to use two Loki equalizers, one for the right channel and another for the left channel, that way you can fine tune each speaker separately, it's specially useful for people with asymmetrical rooms where one speaker is close to a side wall and another in a free space.

[@toddt5562]

Interesting...my room is essentially rectangular, but the right side is asymmetric and partially opens to an additional 15'x 20' area. May have to try that out and compensate for that difference. Thanks.

[@laurelhardy4064]

@@toddt5562You welcome, good luck.

[@fVNzO]

It would probably just be better to get room correction gear at that point.

[@drunkenhearted7256]

That’s a good idea. Schiit should add that suggestion to the purchase page.

[@Carl-bd1rf]

Had one. Sold it. Wish I didn’t. Gunna have to get another one.

[@RonRivet]

Just bought one. Looking forward to hearing how it works in my system.

[@thirdkey9]

Good stuff. I often felt that a lack of EQ control was a significant limitation to my audio experience and my own quest for refinement and more buzz is why I got a Loki. Combined with a Project TT and pre-amp, it has taken my Vinyl listening to a new level of sweet-spot..... and for me, that’s really the only “purity” that matters.

[@gtric1466]

I agree, by fair the best bang for your buck. I have had a lot of luck using the built in EQ's in Deezer (airplay) and Spotify. The great thing is you can setup several for different genres and manually adjust them. By experience with tone control like Steve was saying work best between 10 -2 O'clock.

[@bryfar6178]

My 1980 Carver preamp has 2k,8k and bass adjust for each channel plus loudness boost. Also, many other functions . Of course built-in phono stage. So glad I held on to this treasure.

[@luisperez-fs2gz]

It serves me as my phono cartridge tone control. Mainly to add body to the lows and reduce brightness on some recordings. Great tool.

[@willisbush956]

I bought one a month or two ago, hoping to use it in a basement listening room that had not been kind to sound once I installed some wall-to-wall carpeting. Piano and vibraphone notes seemed grungy and distorted. While my preamp had basic tone controls, it required going into a menu to make changes, and when I did tweak the treble control a bit, it didn't seem to fix my problem. So, I hooked up the Loki, after my CD player but before going into the preamp. I turned the treble control up very slightly, and the grunginess disappeared, I mean absolutely disappeared. It sounded as if notes that had been ragged were suddenly full, round and clear again. (This is exactly the kind of report I would be very skeptical of if I heard it from someone else!) This change has greatly improved listening to my NHT C4 towers, which are splendid, splendid music reproducers, the most revealing speakers I've ever owned. I don't know how much I'll use the Loki, but this thing worked as well or better than Steve has said. I'm a believer.

[@johnbalzer9684]

Vincent sv 237mk has tone controls that can be bypassed very cool feature as well as a loudness switch for low volume.

[@phpn99]

I feel it's missing a pot in the ~100 Hz band. That is where many people's main room mode lies.

[@FOH3663]

I no longer use it however I own a very old Audio Control 520 EQ ... and it's useful design uses three bass freqs, a mid, and a high freq, it was quite useful. 36, 60, 120, then 1k, and 15k

[@StewartMarkley]

Actually the lowest room mode for most rooms is more like 30-60Hz depending on the room's longest length. Then you also get the 2nd harmonic at 60-120Hz, the 3rd harmonic at 90-180Hz. They start to become less of a problem above 200Hz as they get more densely packed in the octaves.

[@FOH3663]

The Schitt Loki is actually a program EQ, not well suited for addressing modal issues at all. I believe it's got a low shelf, two broad Q filters, and a high shelf. That's just to season to taste your program material. Modal issues need to be addressed via parametric EQ. I realize the crowd here gets it ... however a simple reminder for others that may end up reading. It's funny, I rarely sell anything... and I've got a couple dozen EQs ... EQs of all types, budget to high end studio EQ. They've all been made obsolete by my newest PrePro, with multiple bands of parametric EQ across 16 output channels.

[@StewartMarkley]

@@FOH3663 Yes, absolutely agree. EQs like the Loki are only good for seasoning to taste but much better than the typical Bandaxall bass and treble controls of the past. And I agree that parametric equalization is the only way to go for room mode corrections however a suitable graphic EQ can help as well. Actually, the Loki does not use low and high shelves. If you look at the spec sheet they used peaking filters, which is good to not boost the extreme ends of the audio spectrum.

[@FOH3663]

@@StewartMarkley Nice I stand corrected, I thought it used shelving.

[@adamyelle4901]

So much great music available today that I had forgotten about Heartless Bastards. Always loved the Arrow album. Playing it again now that you reminded me!

[@cobar5342]

I have one, and love it.

[@guygrundy6647]

I have tone controls on my Yamaha brute, the A-S3200...only used when I play Dub. With a good recording in a well balanced system, they're simply not needed.

[@rabit818]

I remember an equalizer from the 80s that has 33 sliders per channel (I think it was a Technics or Soundcraftsman)

[@fonkenful]

IIRC the more popular models of “graphic equalizers” for domestic consumption were 10 bands per channel (or less). The Technics EQ that you’re likely thinking about (SH 8065) was $750US in the early 80s, which a lot of “true audiophiles” of the day would likely rather have spent on the latest snake oil tweak, of which there was never a dearth of choice. I owned a Soundcraftsman 20-12 in the mid -late 70s - before being infected by the audiophile virus - and it certainly did what you (thought you) wanted it to do - see what expectation bias can do for ya? Fortunately, my gear at the time lacked the resolution, nor had I been sufficiently exposed to live music and or better audio systems to hear how it may have been “disrespecting the signal”.

[@lorenzo42p]

I have a more modern pvdi 31 band eq. I got it used and had to repair it a few times, but I can't live without it now that I'm used to everything sounding better. if it's not connected, I can tell, just not the same.

[@carrion_man3700]

Great product for the price! Also, I see that Eraserhead 2000 box in the background! I have that... was very cool back in the day when getting a good copy was difficult. And had to be a member of David Lynch's website to get it when it first came out. Good stuff!

[@mm3963]

Thank you for a most informative review and thank you for turning me on to Heartless Bastards, they touched my heart deeply.

[@RX_Char_01Patti]

I have Schitt Modi and Magni for my desktop headphones. This will be a good addition to that combo. Thanks for the review.

[@valdiskrebs566]

Look like you are going to have a pile of Schiit...

[@BillyDrummondDrums]

I love this thing. ARC SP16-ZBox-Loki-Bryston 3BST - Vandersteen 3ASIGS . Cables could change things a bit as well. Thanks for initial recommendation.

[@John-km2uw]

Sounds like you know what we're looking for, thanks Steve, for a real explanation. Schiit audio is on the radar & my wish list...j

[@pdemetriou92]

... Steve, after your great review I ordered a Schiit Loki Mini+ in black! Can’t wait to receive it in the Uk. 🇬🇧 👍 ...

[@JohnArcher11]

I bought one after your last review Steve and I'm very happy with it. The Loki does an amazing job inserted between my turntable and the preamp. Many of the older lps didn't have good engineering on their recordings and the Loki just fixes it all up in seconds. I guess you could call me an addictive tweaker. If it can't fix up the sound of the LP, the LP record probably needs to be thrown away!

[@Moparvanman]

When used "Right" A equalizer can be a great tool, But in the "Wrong" Hands it can destroy sound... I guess that in the end of the day "The beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Nice video by the way :-D

[@Mrzizzy69]

@Paul Andersen Does that imply then that the other half of the time the Loki is better? In which case wouldn't it be worth it? Food for thought.

[@jonathanscull7712]

Very special little EQ, have it in my headphone system, review spot on, I'm enjoying it, and at that price...

[@frankellsworth6714]

After watching this video I went and got my old Audiocontrol 10 band eq and placed between the preamp and my Schiit Asgard. Really lit up my old akg headphones that I thought were bland. Bland no more!

[@petenamlook18]

The removal of tone controls was driven not by the quest for purity, but for the quest of profits.

[@mmaranta785]

What isn’t?

[@rockroll6791]

i was going to get the loki a while back....glad i waited til the new version was released...going to order this in few minutes...

[@2ridiculous41]

The era of the puritanism of no controls seems to have finally died.

[@Firebottleman]

Amen!

[@herrtrigger7220]

whoa, one item with controls does not mean the death of an era. Loki is in it's fourth year and the market hasn't flinched- the companies that never had controls still do not.

[@2ridiculous41]

@@herrtrigger7220 Loki is far from the only piece of equipment around with tone controls.

[@davecell3923]

Thank God. It was one of the stupidest audiophile fads ever, and that's saying something.

[@2ridiculous41]

@@davecell3923 oddly the search for "purity" was about as real as sliced white bread with "even more of our great taste".

[@humanitech]

Great review as always Steve, as the Loki seems a very interesting and versatile little eq unit. It's funny because although I don't often change my gear but try and demo loads of things before buying and then I am happy to live with the sounds (and compromises) of what I have got. I did recently spend some time (and had some fun) doing some preamp tube rolling. Which was interesting experiment and I eventually narrowed things down to two tubes that both sounded really great, but typically ( just like all things hifi) each had some little sonic flavour advantages (and pluses) and disadvantages (and minuses) over eachother...so perhaps the Loki might be the best way for me to do the final little tweaks and find that perfect final balance...especially as it is so cheap. So thanks again!

[@cnhhnc]

Just set up a Schiit Mani phono stage I bought for my daughter. And, WOW! $129 only? Try to get sound like this for that price. This unit is in a class by itself. Two thumbs up for my first piece of Schiit! I'd venture to say that you''d have to pay three, four or five times more than this to get something where you can hear a difference. Equalizers? Say it ain't so, lol! I've been at this hobby forever and let me tell you, I find it hard to live without a GOOD loudness control. Want to listen to something at LOW levels. I don't care what anyone says, NO tone controls do NOT cut it at lower volumes. Ask Yamaha who has that variable loudness control. Ya think they might know something? Nah!

[@richardbixler]

My desktop setup is an audio interface(dac)>tube preamp (with tone controls)>powered speakers. The preamp does a great job of opening the sound stage and smoothing out digital artifacts, and the tone controls are great for fixing base/treble happy recordings. I couldn’t enjoy a lot of my favorite songs without being able to adjust the sound. A lot of indie music is recorded with a lot of fidelity just not mixed or mastered very well.

[@turbo5483]

I hope they make one with balanced input and output 👍

[@computerfreakch8912]

Klipsch should be bundling Loki wth the RP600M by default😉

[@manuzach]

I have the Klipsch pro media THX 2.1and I think this Loki might do the trick to make it a little more cooler than warmer

[@pogglefishii6807]

For me this little box provides that elusive final half a per cent between very good and perfect. Normally the law of diminishing returns applies here, the closer you get to perfect the more you have to pay to improve, but the little Loki does that final Improvement for (effectively) pennies.

[@mitchparker7652]

Your room looks sooooo good!

[@tazbahahisrael3190]

I consider myself an audiophile because of my love of music and nice equipment, not the nose up attitude towards others that may not like what I do. For those that complain about tone controls BUT use Pre amps like Tinnov , Anthem (which I own - AVM70) and others, use equalization in their speaker calibration set ups. For my headphone set up, I just recently purchased HiFiMan's HE-1000v2's. Even thought they sound good, I like more bass than what comes out of them with the gear I own. I don't want to use a computer with my headphones and it's almost impossible to find products that allow for tone adjustments because of the ones that complain about them. If you don't want to use them, then don't. It's nice to see a manufacturer make an eq that can be used with headphones. You're the Schiit for that.

[@Mal-xz4zu]

I was thinking of changing my Wharfedale Diamond 9.0 speakers+Topping D10s DAC+Aiyima A07 amp, which were a bit bright for basic TV/radio/music listening, but thought I'd try this first. Initial thoughts are that the Loki worked so well that I'm keeping the set up for now. I think the Loki might have made the stack comparable to, maybe better than my KEF LSXs! Time to spend a month of comparative listening to see which I prefer - "the ultimate budget stack" or LSXs?

[@colanitower]

The RME ADI-2 fs DAC has this capability too. I think that will be my next upgrade: a better DAC and adding equalizer, tone control in one go.

[@jlmain5777]

My wife said I was muttering “Loki, Oh Loki!” in my sleep. She wants to know who she is.

[@johnmills3163]

You're in trouble now ... LOL !

[@michaelangeloh.5383]

@@johnmills3163 - She doesn't know "The Mask"?...

[@blipco5]

Steve, thank you for this review... I'm a tone control guy and even better are equalizers. I'm ordering one today.

[@petervdveenmuis]

My ultimate dream would be a Loki with remote control... I have the first Loki and I'm going for the Plus!!

[@petethegreekre]

Tone controls I feel would be a big help in my situation. Thanks Steve, lots of love from Germany.

[@SpyderTracks]

Schitt have a distribution center based in Germany so you don’t have to pay import costs from America. They also have a UK based one too.

[@petethegreekre]

@@SpyderTracks Thanks, great to know! I wasn't sure about the, import tax situation.

[@waterlover]

I have the new one and I freaking love it

[@RasheedKhan-he6xx]

Never not used an equalizer until my current integrated amp which has no monitor loop. Have lovingly packed away my Yamaha 20 band (10 per channel) for the day I migrate to seperates. All that stuff, Diraq and what not, all ANY of them are is an equalizer.

[@michaelwehner1738]

I got mine a month ago. I’m very happy with it!!

[@gevkhalulyan3583]

well done thank you

[@ropr5898]

I used to put a box fan like that in my window. Cheap but effective air conditioning.

[@MegaEpstein]

Thank you so much Steve for this review, its amazing and it seems i finaly found what i need, im going to buy this EQ right now! Oh Yeaah

[@patbarr1351]

The Loki is nice. I have one. But the really fun gadget I love is the Jolida Foz SS-X equalizer/expander.

[@jeronunkoffunk9437]

Enjoyed this review as I do with all of your reviews, very helpful 👍🏾👍🏾🙏🏾

[@pauldemara3053]

Awesome topic today Steve. Thank-you. It's interesting how EQ's fell out of favour in search of "purity". I'm personally a big fan of equalization. Very handy because for example many 50's / 60's recordings were optimized / mastered for little AM radio's and 6 X 9 in dash car speakers with wizzes cones. You wanna sell records, you better make them sound good on what the majority of people own. Basically minimal bass and optimized for smaller speakers s with no tweeter.

[@ericvillano5729]

That little unit is the Schitt!

[@westwater73]

I have a small beringer 9band equalizer £39 packed full of bells and whistles + dancing lights..

[@kevinfischer372]

You can have two sources going into the Loki if you use a Schiit Sys, which switches between them

[@jondubb35]

I have an EQ in all 3 of home systems. I’ve never understood why some “audiophiles” look down on them. Makes absolutely no sense. Listening to music my way, includes using an EQ to get the sound perfect (for me) in whatever room I’m in. If I want a flat response, I can get that, if I want to shake the walls with bass for no particular reason, I can do that!! If my audiophile friends don’t like it.... don’t let the door hit you on your way out!!

[@Frankonero12]

Yes exactly this. I always had this feeling that real audiophiles are more concerned with what is generally accepted within their audiophile circle as oposed to listening to music the way they themselves like. It's like most audiophiles need to be told how to enjoy their music and need constant confirmation about their gear setup/choices. There is nothing wrong with listening to your choice of music the way you like it best.

[@Dobermanator]

@@Frankonero12 They need a,,, good balanced spanking.

[@jondubb35]

@@Frankonero12 couldn’t have said it better myself.

[@TheMirolab]

Yes, Yes.... I love EQs! I have many studio EQs, and also the original LOKI. It sounds great and is a best buy. I still prefer using my 6-band mastering EQ following my phono pre for playing vinyl.

[@bobgm3]

When this review came out I ordered the Loki Mini+ from Schiit. Unfortunately, they are suffering supply chain issues, and after 10+ weeks I still haven't received my Schiit (had to). Decided to try a Roll's Bellari EQ570 since they are also US made and in stock at Amazon. I am using it behind Schiit Modi 3+ DAC then into a PS Audio Sprout driving Tekton Mini Lore's and a Klipsch R-12SWi sub. The DAC is running off the toslink from my TCL 65" TV. With the EQ570 installed this system has been transformed! I can now clearly hear dialog that before the EQ was garbled within the background. I also like to watch KZbin music videos, and while the audio is hit or miss, with the EQ it is definitely much much better! I'm keeping the Schiit on order and look forward to comparing it to the Bellari! My advice is if you don't have EQ you need to get one! At $100-$150 how could it hurt?

[@bareknuckles2u]

Great video! Steve at his best.

[@damianzaninovich4900]

Last time I used a graphic equalizer was about 1980 on my brother’s all Pioneer with JBL L100’s system. Only liked it for making homemade cassette recordings sound better in the car(dull highs+). Those things were to be avoided otherwise. I was already an audiophile snob at 17 haha.

[@louisperlman8030]

Many years ago, I had an ADC 12 band paragraphic equalizer, with multiple center frequencies for each band. I actually managed to zero in on an issue once, but reduced transparency was noticeable even on my midfi system at the time. I gave away the equalizer and never looked back.

[@czayna80]

would be happy to have balanced inputs and outputs

[@needlesswords]

I bought one of the originals on your recommendation when you reviewed the it. If you have 1.7i's like I do, you will find that Maggie’s can have a lot more clean bass and more sparkling highs. It gives them dynamic range. Thanks Steve.