JVC SEA-M9 Graphic Equalizer
The SEA-M9 (also known as SEA-M9B) was a computer controlled S.E.A. graphic equalizer manufactured by the JVC Corporation of Japan. It was a high-end design with futuristic functions such as touch controls, and a motor-driven slide-out panel. It had an advanced 8-bit microcomputer that performed all the housekeeping functions. It was one of the earliest graphic equalisers to have Room Acoustics Compensation function. It measured the acoustics using pink noise and a microphone (MU-M9) to determine the precise equalization required. Here are some of its features.
- Computer controlled electronic equalization
- LSI electronic switching for boost and cut
- 5 custom equalizations in computer memory, recallable at a touch
- Fluorescent S.E.A. / spectrum analyser display
- 12 frequency equaliser controls per channel
- Synchro Control for simultaneous equalization of both channels
Specification
| Tape Monitor (input impedance) | 47 kΩ |
| Tape Record (output impedance) | 100 Ω |
| Rated output (at flat) | 2 V rms |
| Maximum Output | 5 V rms |
| THD | 0.003 % |
| Frequency Response | 10 Hz to 100 kHz |
| SNR | 118 dB |
| Centre Frequencies (Hz) | 16, 31.5, 63, 125, 250, 500, 1 k, 2 k, 4 k, 8 k, 16 k, 32 k |
| S.E.A. Control Range | ±12 dB/±6 dB |
| Input Attenuator Level | -6 dB |
| Pink Noise Oscillator Output | 35 mV rms |
| Microphone Sensitivity | Over -72 dB |
| Microphone output impedance | Less than 1 kΩ |
| Dimensions | 435 mm × 149 mm × 377 mm |
| Mass | 10 kg |
Cost/eBay
This was a high-end machine that all audiophiles seek today and consequently it is a highly desirable collectable. It is occasionally for sale on eBay and a unit in mint condition in its original box and manuals can fetch hundreds of pounds.