I bought my first stereo system in my early teens. It was a Vector Research system that my friend Keith Marshall hooked me up with, and one of the things I remember about it was being enthralled by the graphic equalizer. Around the same time, I would go into the local HiFi shops and see McIntosh gear, with the iconic glass faceplates and blue glowing meters, that was way out of my price range. I would think maybe one day when I am grown up with a real job … Fast-forward a few decades, and I can afford McIntosh gear, but traditional equalizers have fallen out of fashion. With this in mind, I was quite nostalgic when I learned about the opportunity to try an equalizer in my system again, and not just any equalizer, but one made by McIntosh.
McIntosh is one of the quintessential classic American audiophile brands, with products today that combine old-school features and design with modern technology. Case in point is the MQ112 Environmental Equalizer, which provides classic equalizer functionality with modern performance and some cool additional features.
What Makes the McIntosh MQ112 Environmental Equalizer Special?
- The MQ112 Environmental Equalizer provides eight bands of equalization in the 25Hz to 10kHz frequency range. A row of well-weighted and chrome plated knob provides +/- 12dB of adjustment for each band.
- The industrial design of the MQ112 is classic McIntosh. Vertical brushed silver metal endcaps frame the classic black glass front panel, with the iconic McIntosh logo illuminated in green above a row of smaller, chrome-trimmed knobs. Larger knobs on each side control the equalization switching and power.
- The McIntosh MQ112 is a purely analog device. Unlike most equalizers on the market today, the MQ112 does not perform equalization in the digital domain. This means your analog signals stay analog, and are modified only as much as you dial at the selected frequencies. With the analog equalizers of my youth, there were often phase shift problems that would detract from the sound. I did not notice any such problems during my time with the McIntosh MQ112.
- The McIntosh MQ112 may appear to be an old-school equalizer, but it has a surprisingly full feature set. My favorite is the tilt control, which provides a shift of +/- 6dB, letting you boost the bass and cut the treble, or the reverse. The left-hand knob lets you switch the equalization in and out, so you can test your adjustments, but it also has a trigger setting. This can be particularly helpful if you only want the equalization when you have a particular source or other condition engaged. Having single-ended and balanced outputs both active, regardless of whether the input signal is single-ended or balanced, can help with connectivity issues, but the feature I appreciated even more was the second output with the small selector switch for choosing between mono and stereo. Longtime readers know I am a fan of mono subwoofer signals being sent to a pair of subwoofers, which is a great way to balance out pesky room modes.
- Build quality is in line with what you would expect from a global luxury brand. The unit is relatively slim, measuring 3 and 15/16 inches high, 17.5 inches wide, and 15 and 11/16 inches deep, but it was surprisingly heavy at 15 pounds. When I first unboxed the MQ112, I noticed that it was heavier than usual for a component of its size, and the chassis felt solid. The high level of build quality carried through to the control knobs, which were smooth with crisp detents.
Why Should You Care About the McIntosh MQ112 Environmental Equalizer?
Very few of us are fortunate enough to have systems with a tonal balance or room acoustics that are perfect. Further, there are times when you find yourself listening to a particular genre, or maybe even a specific recording that needs a little tweaking. Perhaps the midrange needs a boost or the screechy highs need a cut. Playing some dance music, maybe a bass boost is in order. These are all right up the alley of an equalizer such as the MQ112.
Some Things You Might Not Like About the McIntosh MQ112 Environmental Equalizer
- There are no separate controls for each channel. One of the things I noticed right away was there was only one knob for each frequency band. When I was a teen, I liked having a set of sliders for each channel, as I was a “more buttons must be better” type of kid. Now I know better, but would still appreciate the ability to adjust the channels separately in case your setup is asymmetrical and leads to different frequency responses in each channel.
- There is no parametric capability on the McIntosh MQ112 Environmental Equalizer. With a parametric equalizer, you can not only adjust the amount of cut or boost, but also the frequency the band is centered at, as well as its width. If you have a narrow peak that needs to be trimmed, you can target just that. What if it is a wider dip or more of a gradual hill, rather than a peak? No problem, you can adjust for that, too, with a parametric equalizer.
Listening to the McIntosh MQ112 Environmental Equalizer …
I used the McIntosh in two different systems. Most of my listening was with my Marantz SACD 30n(buy at Crutchfield) and Marantz Model 30 integrated amplifier (buy at Crutchfield) driving a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3 Signature (review forthcoming), both with and without a pair of SVS SB-2000 Pro subwoofers (buy at Crutchfield). I also tried the MQ112 in my reference system between a McIntosh C-500 preamplifier and RBH SVTR active speaker system. A word of caution when making adjustments: less is more. Make your adjustments one at a time and in small increments. This has two benefits. First, you can hear what each change does to the signal. Second, you reduce the risk of over-driving a speaker.
Metallica’s Death Magnetic album was recorded in studios throughout Los Angeles in 2007 and 2008, and did well on the Billboard charts, but quite frankly did not sound very good. I had always found the album harsh. The MQ112 allowed me to adjust the upper frequency bands down a bit. The amount of the adjustments differed on the two systems, but the results were similar. The album became much more pleasurable to listen to, with some modest knob-twisting to find a mix that worked better on this lackluster recording being played back on a non-lackluster audiophile system.
I always found the Beatles albums Revolver and Rubber Soul to be on the bright side for my armchair mastering engineer tastes. Similar adjustments made in the high frequencies made listening to these albums much more enjoyable to hear on a highly-resolved audiophile system. With the Beatles albums, I also played with a slight bump in the vocal range, which I found to be of benefit on several tracks, providing warmth and a bit of tube-like body.
The tilt functionality greatly improved the listening experience with Rush’s album Presto. This album was recorded long before the Metallica album discussed above, but it is also on the bright side. I used the tilt feature on the MQ112 to boost the bass and cut the treble. While this may not have been what Bob Ludwig had in mind when working on this recording, I found this balance to be more enjoyable to listen to. The brightness was gone, and the thin low end became more substantial and solid.
Throughout my listening sessions with both systems, with both the single-ended and balanced connections, I found the MQ112 to be extremely quiet. I powered up the systems with the source paused and turned up the volume, bypassing and re-engaging the equalization without any noticeable change in background noise. Another experiment I tried was connecting a pair of SVS SB-2000 Pro subwoofers to the MQ112’s second outputs. This was an easy way add subwoofers to the Marantz/B&W system, and to get a mono signal to both subwoofers. While the B&W’s have respectable bass response, the SVS subwoofers provided more extension. As the MQ112 does not crossover the signal going to the main speakers, you must still be careful not to add too much boost at lower frequencies, so that you do not damage your speakers.
Does the McIntosh MQ112 Have Any Resale Value?
The McIntosh brand generally holds its value better than most on the used component market. McIntosh has more longevity than just about any other audiophile brand, and one can still get even the oldest McIntosh gear serviced. That said, there is a relatively limited market for analog stereo equalizers, so the sale may take a little bit more effort, but once you find the right market, the MQ112 should retain a good portion of its value, as evidenced by sales of other audiophile analog equalizers on the used gear market.
What is the Competition for the McIntosh MQ112 Equalizer?
The Schiit Loki Max (read the Mike Prager review) is just over half the price at $1,549. Like, the MQ112, it is a fully analog equalizer. Despite its lower price point, the Loki Max has some features that are absent on the McIntosh unit, such as a remote control and presets. Conversely, the Loki Max with six bands of equalization has 25 percent fewer bands than the MQ112, and does not have a second output.
If you do not mind a digital device in your signal chain, there are a plethora of options available. I have a couple options in-house that I have used. The first is software-based Roon. Roon has the ability to implement different equalization profiles in different zones. There are many lengthy discussions on audiophile forums about the different ways to implement the equalization for best results.
Trinnov’s ST2-HiFi (recently discontinued and priced around $7,000) is a hardware-based digital equalization system that provides a semi-automated solution that provides equalization options way too numerous to describe here. Please see my review of the Trinnov Amethyst for a description of the equalization capabilities. The Trinnov Amethyst is a good option if you are looking for a preamplifier with built-in equalization capabilities.
A less expensive option is miniDSP’s 2x4HD at $225, which is another two-in and four-out like the Trinnov Amethyst, but it is strictly unbalanced. The miniDSP connects to a computer, which allows the user to set crossover points, levels and equalization. Dirac Live is available as an optional upgrade. While the miniDSP has a steeper learning curve and fewer capabilities than the Trinnov options, it is a powerful product that can yield impressive results if you are willing to put the time into it.
Final Thoughts on the McIntosh MQ112 Environmental Equalizer …
While the name Environmental Equalizer makes me think of a room correction system, I consider the MQ112 to be a playback equalizer, and reviewed it as such.
This is one of those components that is designed for a certain niche. For the vast majority of the population, this will not fill a need. However, for those systems that can benefit from straightforward analog equalization, the McIntosh MQ112 does a great job.
When I started working on this review, I was thinking that the MQ112 would not do anything for me, as I already have multiple DSP systems on hand. I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong about this preconceived notion. The discussion of whether or not to digitize an otherwise analog signal path is a lengthy discussion outside the scope of this review. Suffice to say, there are valid arguments for both sides of the coin. More importantly, whichever option you select should be well-implemented. The McIntosh MQ112 is a well-implemented analog equalizer, it provides the user with the ability to make adjustments to key regions of the audio band and do so without polluting the signal with unwanted noise or artifacts. In other words, the MQ112 implements the listener’s changes and nothing more. Audio purists may abhor the thought of altering the signal path with equalization, but let’s face it, some recordings and some systems will benefit from this, and that is where the McIntosh MQ112 really shines.
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