“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.