Congratulations on your purchase of an Ashly GQX series graphic equalizer. The GQX series
equalizers are a second generation design including many refinements on our original GQ models.
Lower noise and distortion, greater accuracy , and additional output options are the result. We continue
using “Q” enhanced Wein bridge filters and interleaved summing for constant “Q”, low ripple, and
minimum filter interaction. A servo-balanced output stage simulates a true transformer output to allow
interfacing with virtually any type of load.
2.UNPACKING
As a part of our system of quality control, every Ashly product is carefully inspected before
leaving the factory to ensure flawless appearance. After unpacking, please inspect for any physical
damage. Save the shipping carton and all packing materials , as they were carefully designed to reduce
to minimum the possibility of transportation damage should the unit again require packing and shipping. In the event that damage has occurred, immediately notify your dealer so that a written claim to
cover the damages can be initiated.
The right to any claim against a public carrier can be forfeited if the carrier is not notified
promptly and if the shipping carton and packing materials are not available for inspection by the carrier. Save all packing materials until the claim has been settled.
Input is active balanced.
Output is active servo-balanced.
If unbalanced connection is used
be sure to ground unused path.
Maximum in/out level is +22dBu.
PUSH
Inputs
(Parallel)
3.AUDIO CONNECTORS AND CABLES
Your GQX series equalizer is provided with three
different connector types. 1/4 inch stereo phone jacks,
three pin XLR type connectors, and a terminal strip will
allow interfacing to most professional audio products.
Inputs as well as servo-balanced outputs can be used balanced or unbalanced. When possible, we recommend balanced connections between all components in your system,
as this eliminates ground-loop induced hum and noise.
3.1Inputs
If inputs are used unbalanced, the signal should
be on the (+) connection and the (-) connection must be
tied to ground. A mono phone plug used as an unbalanced
connection will automatically ground the ring of the jack
which is the (-) connection. When using a stereo plug,
3
2
1
(-)(+)
(-)
(+)(-)(+)
Outputs
(Parallel)
XLR connector, or terminal strip for an unbalanced signal, the (-) input connection MUST be tied to ground, or
loss of signal level may result.
3.2Servo-Balanced Output
The Ashly servo-balanced output circuit is an
active balanced output. This circuit maintains a constant
output level (or difference voltage) between the (+) and
(-) output terminals, regardless of either terminal being
connected to ground as in an unbalanced output connection.
This servo-balanced output has an advantage over
conventional active balanced outputs in that the signal
level is unchanged when either the (+) or the (-) output
terminals are connected to ground. A conventional active balanced output would suffer a signal loss of 1/2 the
output voltage (or -6dB) if one of the output terminals
were grounded in an unbalanced connection.
TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT REMOVE
COVER. NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER
SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL. TO REDUCE
THE RISK O F FIRE REPLACE ON LY WITH SAME TYPE F USE.
TO REDUCE T HE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECT RIC SHOCK DO NOT
EXPOSE THI S EQUIPMEN T TO RAIN OR MOIST URE.
AVIS:
RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE -
NE PAS OUVRIR.
Ashly Au di o In c.
Rochester, NY
Made In U SA
Model GQX-3101
120 VAC 50-60 Hz.
24 Watts
1/2 Amp
CAUTION:
Disconnect power cord
before replacing fuse
ATTENTION:
Debranch er
avant d'ouvrir
Furthermore, if common-mode voltage (such as
60Hz noise voltage) gets induced on the output signal
lines, the resulting 60Hz noise current into the servo-balanced circuit would be insignificant because the commonmode output impedance is high. A conventional active
balanced output would cause significant noise current
resulting in more noise.
Essentially, the servo-balanced output circuit
behaves like a transformer balanced output because it
maintains a constant level into balanced and unbalanced
lines with a low differential impedance and a high common-mode impedance. The servo-balanced output also
does not suffer from problems associated with output
transformers such as low-frequency distortion, susceptibility to magnetic fields and poor frequency response.
3.3Grounding
The terminal strip has two ground connections,
one for input ground and one for chassis ground. The
equalizer is shipped with a jumper strap connecting these
two grounds. Normally, this strap should be left in place
so the chassis and input grounds are connected. In a rackmount installation where the equalizer is connected to other
equipment with unbalanced inputs or outputs and the rack
itself provides a good electrical connection between the
equalizer chassis and the other equipment, it may be desirable to remove this strap to isolate the input ground
from chassis ground and avoid a ground loop.
Unless you have such an installation and have a
hum problem you can’t solve by other means (ie: using
balanced input and output connections), leave the ground
jumper strap in place.
4.AC POWER
Your GQX equalizer should be connected to a
standard 3-wire grounded electrical outlet supplying 120
Volts, 50-60 Hz (some export models are wired for 240
Volts, and are labeled as such). To reduce the risk of
ground loop hum, connect all audio equipment to the same
electrical power source. Removal of the gr ound pin is both
unlawful and dangerous, as a potential shock hazar d could
result.
This unit will perform normally within an AC
voltage range of 93 to 130 volts. Voltages less than this,
as found in “brown-out” conditions, will reduce headroom
and decrease power supply regulation. While this may
affect performance, the equalizer will continue to function during a brown-out. In the event of a blown fuse,
replace only with same type fuse. No user serviceable
parts are inside the chassis. Overall power consumption
is less than 25 watts.
The gain control adjusts the overall gain of the
equalizer when the EQ switch is “in”. It is generally used
to compensate for level changes due to the equalization
process, but can also allow the equalizer to adjust overall
system level and gain structure. Overall gain with this
control is from +6dB to -∞.
5.2High-Pass Filter
The high-pass filter can be used to supplement
the frequency response achieved by the bandpass filters.
It’s function is to “roll off” the response below a given
frequency to eliminate subsonic interference like wind
noise, floor rumble, and microphone “pops”. The rolloff
frequency is adjustable between 14Hz and 280Hz on the
31-band models, and is fixed at 40Hz on the 15-band
model.
5.3Equalization
The individual equalization faders adjust the gain
or loss at each filter frequency. There are 31 of these faders per channel on the GQX-3101 and GQX-3102 third
octave models, and 15 faders per channel on the GQX1502 two-thirds octave model. By adjusting a combination of faders, an overall frequency response can be
developed and the physical position of the faders will give
an approximate visual indication of this response.
5.4EQ Bypass Switch
This switches the Graphic Equalization and gain
adjustments. This way, the effect of any equalization can
be compared to a “flat” response. This switch does not
defeat the High-pass filter.
5.5Range Switch
This switch selects the operating range of the individual equalization faders between 15dB and 6dB on
the two 31 band models. The 15dB settings should be
used when this much equalization is needed. The 6dB
setting allows finer resolution on the fader settings.
5.6Level Meters
On the GQX-3101 and GQX-3102 31 band models, a 10-segment, two color LED level meter indicates
the output level of the equalizer. A Clip indicator LED on
all models illuminates when any point in the equalizer signal path reaches a level within 3dB of clipping.
6.TYPICAL APPLICATIONS
6.1General Tone Control
The graphic equalizer is a very useful device for
general tone shaping because it is intuitive and easy to
adjust. The visual reference provided by the slider position gives an approximate idea of the frequency response
generated, with the lower frequencies on the left and higher
frequencies on the right. To use the power of an equalizer
effectively, you need to translate your idea of the tone you
want to produce into a range of numerical frequencies.
This is simple after a little practise. Here are a few references which are useful for starting points:
this process to avoid explosive feedback and possible sys-
tem and hearing damage! If you find feedback points
with many equalizer bands, remember that cutting every
band may not help (all you will do is reduce system gain).
The combination of a graphic equalizer for tone control
and a parametric equalizer (such as the Ashly PQX-571
or PQX-572) for feedback control is highly recommended.
6.3Console Channel Equalization
Many mixing consoles provide only simple equalization for individual channels. If your console has channel inserts, you can patch your graphic equalizer into a
channel that’s being used for something important (like
your lead singer) and use it to tailor the sound of this channel exactly the way you want.
Try using these starting points as a guide when
you want more or less of these types of sounds. Adjust by
ear from there. It is always a good idea to remember that
a little equalization usually works out much better than a
lot, and that there are many audio problems which can not
be solved with equalization alone.
6.2Feedback Control
A graphic equalizer can be used to provide some
control over moderate feedback problems, but does not
have enough flexibility or resolution to handle severe situations. You will achieve the best results when you can
eliminate one or two feedback points by setting one or
two sliders for no more than a 6dB cut. Often you can
find a feedback point by boosting sliders in succession to
determine which frequency ranges contain the feedback
modes, and then cutting those ranges. Be very careful in
6.4Large Room Equalization
Large rooms tend to suffer from multiple reflections with long time delays, long reverberation times, and
“ring-modes”, all of which lead to reduced intelligibility
and a generally “muddy” sound. As sound travels long distances through the air, high frequencies are attenuated more
than low frequencies. In general, large rooms benefit from
some low frequency roll-off, high frequency boost, and
attenuation of ring mode frequencies. As in the case of
feedback control, a graphic equalizer can help reduce an
isolated ring-mode or two, but a tunable narrow-band
equalizer such as a parametric is more effective here.
While most graphic equalizers look very much the
same, there are several important differences in the circuitry used to implement various designs.
Perhaps the major differences are in the filters.
Some equalizers use a filter made of a capacitor, an inductor, and a resistor, or “RLC” filter. The advantage
here is simplicity, but the real disadvantage is the inductor itself. An inductor is a coil of wire with a core of some
sort. Inductors are susceptible to hum fields and they are
large and expensive.
Other equalizers use the same basic approach, but
replace the inductor with a “simulated inductor”, which
is actually a circuit comprised of an amplifier, a capacitor, and a couple of resistors. This adds parts but is less
expensive than a real inductor. The problem with this
approach is that simulation is less than ideal; it produces
an inductor with high resistive loss resulting in poor curve
shape when used in a filter.
VAR
Z
C
L
R
Figure 7.1: Passive RLC Filter Design
VAR
Z
+
Another problem with all these “RLC” designs is
that large capacitors must be used for the lower frequency
filters, limiting the choice to large, expensive non-polar
types or electrolytic capacitors with poor audio performance. Also, when this filter type is combined with a
potentiometer to adjust the equalization, the resistance of
this pot affects the “Q” of the filter so that a little equalization produces a much broader curve than a lot of equalization.
The other filter approach is a true bandpass filter .
This can be made with no inductors and more practical
sized capacitors; the “Q” is easily set and remains constant, and the parts count is reasonable. there are several
types of bandpass filters suitable for this job. Ashly uses
a “Q” enhanced Wein-bridge filter. Because it is a “symmetrical” design using matched tuning components, the
“Q” is easily set and is very stable.
In designing a graphic equalizer, a selection of
filter sharpness must be made. More sharpness (higher
Q) produces less filter overlap and tighter control over an
individual band, but also causes “ripple” in the frequency
response when many filters are boost or cut together to
produce a flat response. We feel that the graphic
equalizer’s primary use is for “voicing” and tone control,
and have set our filter sharpness to produce a maximum
of 1dB ripple.
+20
+10
dB 0
-10
The summing system in a graphic equalizer is
also important. Since there are a number of filters which
combine to produce the overall response, it is important
that the filters not interact (they WILL overlap, but the
response of one filter should not modify the response of
another). Ashly uses an “interleaved” summing system
where every other filter uses the same summing amplifier so that adjacent filters never share the same drive
and feedback signals. This allows the filters to maintain
their natural response.
-20
101001K10K100K
Hz
Frequency (Hz)
On most graphic equalizers, frequency response ripple is produced by
overly sharp filters. (15-band equalizer, all bands boosted 15dB)
Check AC power - is the pilot light on?
Check in/out connections - are they reversed?
Are you sure you have an input signal?
8.2EQ Controls Do Nothing
Is the master EQ switch in?
The lowest and highest frequency sliders may be
beyond the range of the program material or
speakers and may produce little or no audible effect.
8.3Peak Light Flashes or Stays On All the Time
If the peak light flashes, the signal level to the
equalizer is too high. Turn down the gain. If it is
on all the time, disconnect the input and output
cables. If it is still on, the unit must be returned
for service.
8.4Distorted Sound
This will only be caused by too much signal
which will show on the Clip LED. If the LED is
not flashing, there is an overload somewhere else
in the signal path. Adjust the relative gain of
each component in your chain to keep everything
at a comfortable level.
8.5Excessive Hum or Noise
Hum will usually be caused by a ground loop between components. Try using the suggested balanced input and output hook-ups if the other
pieces of equipment used in conjunction with your
equalizer have balanced inputs and outputs.
Noise (excessive hiss) can be caused by insufficient drive signal. Make sure you are sending a
nominal 0 dBu line level signal to the equalizer.
Most noise problems occur because gain is applied to audio signals too late in the chain. For
best performance, apply gain to individual source
signals as early as possible, like at the mixer input section. As gain increases, it also boosts the
noise content of that signal. Any cumulative noise
built up in a mixed signal will only be increased
by using an equalizer as a gain device, so make
every attempt to operate the equalizer with as little
gain as possible.
Note: Unshielded cables, improperly wired connections, and cable with broken strands (shorts,
etc.) are the most common problems. Make sure
you use good quality cable with connectors soldered firmly on the correct pin. When in doubt,
get in touch with your Ashly dealer, or call the
Ashly service department at 800-828-6308.
Thank you for your expression of confidence in Ashly products. The unit you have just purchased is protected
by a five-year warranty. To establish the warranty, be sure to fill out and mail the warranty card attached to your
product. Fill out the information below for your records.
Model Number___________________________________________ Serial Number ___________________________
Dealer __________________________________________________ Date of Purchase _________________________
Dealer’s Address ___________________________________________________________________________________
Dealer’s Phone___________________________________________ Salesperson ______________________________