"Kalman Rubinson" wrote in message
...
Then my other suggestion stands since I do not think you can buy a
good parametric eq on your budget. BTW, I have done similar for a
friend with significant hearing loss using a z-systems RDP-1 digital
eq but the bulk and cost is high. We ended up building a fixed analog
eq which only approximated his needs. He uses it from time to time.

Kal

I have a couple Sony TA-E1000ESD units, which I use as preamps.
Unlike the later 2000, this has an 18 bit ladder DAC, and it sounds better.

A friend of mine and I have done a level matched comparison with the
EP9000ES, which contains the DAC from the XA3ES CD player, which received a
Stereophile Class A rating.
We concluded that the 1000 is very, very close in quality.
It incorporates a very flexible three band parametric digital equalizer.
Inputs available are optical digital, analog digital, and analog.

It's available quite reasonably, typically around $100, because it does not
decode digital formats.
The only weakness is low output level. If required to provide high output,
the analog stage degrades the sound. I use a Hafler DH-110 to buffer it.

I use this setup to drive Acoustat 2+2's with a Parasound HCA2200ii. I also
have a Perpetual P3A in the system, but seldom feel the need to switch it
in.