Audio question: Are there standard settings for bass, mid, and treble?

[brigden]

I've never been sure of where these settings should be in relation to each other. I'm not exactly an audiophile, but I just picked up some Logitech Z5300s and I want to get the most out of them.

I typically listen to rock, with the occasional ambient trance track. I use Winamp's preset EQ settings, and I've left the NvMixer's EQ flat.

Any advice?

 

[Algere]

Use your ears?

 

[Erasmus-X]

Well, audiophiles in the truest sense don't believe in EQs (they like it flat), but for the rest of us, you just have to fiddle around the sliders to find out what sounds best to you (this is going to be different for every person). Preset EQs are an estimate of how the frequency band is affected by instrumental and vocal setups generally demanded by the genre. A "pop" preset, for example, will tend to make the vocals stand out while maintaining flat balance for the instrumentals.

 

[Zelmo3]

The "standard" setting would be dead center for each of them. It seems to me that most people prefer to leave their midrange alone, boost the bass to about 3/4 or so, and boost the treble a little less than that. Those settings will liven up the sound considerably.
With three adjusters (bass, mid, treb) I like to put the bass up to about 2/3, just below where it starts to overpower the balance, leave the midrange centered, and push up the treble pretty high to where I get a crisp, clear sound on things like cymbals and overtones without letting them get hissy.