Random thought of the day: Manufacturor ethics

ADD: I made a slight mistake when I said that improvements when upgrading equipment can be due to EQ. Actually, it's more like the removal of it.

Inadequate performance will result in EQ-ing of the sound in a negative way. For example, poor transient and slew rate = boomy bass, distorted highs, insufficient drive/capacitance = less bass, driver too small = weak bass, amp too weak = clipping etc. Not all in the list is EQ though, but some will have audible EQ-like effects.

So even if there is some EQ-ing happening, it's not always bad.

People say they can hear a good enough difference upgrading to sound cards like X-Fi with their ATP3, or that Go-Vibe DAC sounds better than Prelude,

There is a chance it's from the EQ, I guess. Like recently the MS-1000/MS-2000/MS Ultimate wooden distancers.

And more obviously was that people are claiming upgrading to a certain sound card gave them more bass etc. (If that isn't called EQ I dunno what it is already)

So I was thinking...

If I were to purposely EQ a product so that it has more bass and highs so as to trick the inexperienced into thinking it is better...

It would pose some ethical problems.

Then I suddenly realized it has been done already.

Creative X-Fi Crystalizer.

Then there was this DAC that can adjust "tubyness".