[rockadanny]

Transparency vs. Musicality ... 
Some mediocre/crappy CD recordings are difficult to listen to now that I've tweaked my system for higher transparency. Fortunately for me, my DAC has extra outputs and my preamp extra inputs, so am considering inserting an EQ (looking at Schitt's Lokius as a possibility), but only for when I play the fatiguing music. Or should it be placed between preamp and amp? Anyone have success (or failure) doing this?
And, what do you think of the Lokius as a solution?

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Yes, the Lokius is a great choice.  I bought one for the same reason.  It works great and is transparent to the sound in my system.  You can also bypass it. 

If you use a music player like Audirvana Studio, it has a 10 band EQ that you can use as well.  I have both but prefer the ease of the Lokius.  You need to leave it on even if you bypass it.  Sometimes I forget to turn the Lokius on and I am trying to trouble shoot why there is no music playing, LOL.  It happened to me today.

There are also free parametric EQ's that you can download.

[rockadanny]

Nice, Thank you! 

[FullRangeMan]

In this case I would use a 6SN7 tube buffer pre-amp.
Increasing the frequencies with eq worse the problem.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Nice, Thank you!    Or should it be placed between preamp and amp?

I am using an integrated amp, so I have mine between my DAC and Levinson Integrated.  But you can use it between your preamp and amp.  I use mine for bad recordings and recordings with sibilance. I find it flawless without any degradation of sound.  You will have to find the sweet spot for your system, meaning the frequency band or bands that remove edginess or brightness, usually in the 2khz to 8khz range.  And usually just lowering it by 1.5 db is enough, although there is no way to tell how much with the Lokius.  I know my system from using a parametric eq that I downloaded for the original Audirvana.   Now the Studio version comes with a 10 band eq.

[AllanS]

If you’re interested, this thread includes +/-100% frequency responses for each of the Lokius bands.
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=192332.msg2013934#msg2013934

I also have and like using the Lokius more than the digital EQ in my DMP A8. Twist a knob or go 3 layers deep and do a bunch of typing and sliding to tweak a dozen bands?  For me the only real advantage to the digital is being able to define several presets but I really do not like to fuss that much.

AI will provide all kinds of convincing sounding reasons for placing the EQ between the pre and power amp.  But other than allowing the EQ to be applied to every input source I’m not sure how much difference it really makes.

Larry, I get hung up on forgetting to turn the Lokius on more often that I care to admit but, if I remember correctly, it will pass the SE input without turning it on.

[JimJ]

I run everything through a MiniDSP unit. The software and using a measurement mic takes a little bit of practice, but I love it.

[ecupemirun]

If your system is revealing flaws in recordings, using an EQ like the Schiit Lokius can be a practical way to tame harshness or fatigue without compromising your main signal. Placing it between DAC and preamp is typical, since you want it to affect the line-level signal before amplification. Between preamp and amp usually works too, but it can interact with volume control and tone differently. The Lokius is transparent and versatile, so it’s a good choice for subtle shaping—just don’t overdo it, or you risk dulling the musicality you’ve worked to achieve. It’s best used selectively on recordings that truly need it.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

If your system is revealing flaws in recordings, using an EQ like the Schiit Lokius can be a practical way to tame harshness or fatigue without compromising your main signal. Placing it between DAC and preamp is typical, since you want it to affect the line-level signal before amplification. Between preamp and amp usually works too, but it can interact with volume control and tone differently. The Lokius is transparent and versatile, so it’s a good choice for subtle shaping—just don’t overdo it, or you risk dulling the musicality you’ve worked to achieve. It’s best used selectively on recordings that truly need it.

Agree, that is how I use it.

[SullyCuse]

I have a Schiit Lokius, but I hear Emotiva is coming out with a new EQ soon. Should be interesting.