“In the broadest sense, the SG-9500 actually 'hand-tailors your music...to enhance your music-listening pleasure," says Pioneer of their stereo graphic equalizer. Theyre not absolutely right about what their SG-9500 does, Im just not sure they or any of the other manufacturers of consumer hi-fi graphic equalizers have explained their equalizers properly. They should be telling people that they can improve the sound of your hi-fi system no matter how inexpensive it is.

Graphic equalizers are not magic black boxes used in exotic sound systems by hi-fi nuts. They are one of the crucial elements in modern recording; their sound 'tailoring capabilities are used to make sound sound better on every pre-recorded sound you hear—radio, TV, or records. Yet until recently it never occurred to anyone to provide consumer sound reproduction systems with anything more than bass and treble controls. Now, however, for $200 or so, you can purchase an equalizer that graphically displays what sound sbunds like and gives you the controls to readjust the sound so that it sounds better to your ear.

Once you leam to manipulate a graphic equalizer, you become able to see what sound sounds like.

To see sound, the Pioneer SG-9500 and other equalizers divide sound into sections. Then they give you a volume control for each section, so you can increase or decrease a particular part of the sound in relation to the total. When you do this you hear more bass, more snare drum, more lead vocal, more guitars, more of any particular part of the sound you like. Or you dont hear certain parts that you find grating—too much bass boom, irritating cymbals hissing, and so forth. This latter effect is accomplished by decreasing the particular sound you dont like in relation to the total sound.

How Much Does It Cost?

A good equaliser lists from $200 to $300; a professional quality equaliser will cost from $400 to $1,000. For home systems, the Pioneer SG-9500 or.Dynaco SE10K are ideal. Both are available for less than $200 from Dixie HI-FI (P.O. Box MOO, Richmond, VA 23230), and I'm sure you can come close to that If you shop around. Even at its $300 list price, the Pioneer SG-9500 Is the cheapest way in the world to make your present hi-fi sound better.

Ive been playing with the SG-9500 for a couple of weeks now and its great. I can make any record sound exactly the way Id like it to sound. Ive used equalizers in studios and - in making video, so Im familiar with the way theyre manipulated, but I still get pleasure from being able to adjust the color of my TV set. I believe I should have control, not some bozo technician deciding what Im going to hear and see sounds and looks like.